Return of the Living Dead

The Return of the Living Dead is a 1985 American comedy horror film written and directed by Dan O’Bannon, and starring Clu Gulager, James Karen, Thom Matthews and Don Calfa. The film tells the story of how a warehouse owner, accompanied by his two employees, mortician friend, and a group of teenage punks, deal with the accidental release of a horde of unkillable, brain-hungry zombies onto an unsuspecting town over the Fourth of July weekend.The film, described as a “mordant punk comedy”, is known for introducing the popular concept of zombies eating brains, as opposed to eating human flesh, like previous zombie iterations. It is also known as the first film to ever show zombies running, as well as zombies being able to speak. The film is also quite different from virtually all other cinematic depictions of the living dead, in that the zombies portrayed in the film cannot be killed by a standard “head shot”.The film is also notable for its soundtrack, which features several Los Angeles based deathrock and punk rock bands of the era. The film was a critical success and performed moderately well at the box office. Its enduring popularity has spawned four sequels and turned it into a cult classic.