Return of the Living Dead (film series)
Encyclopedia
Return of the Living Dead is a series of five films beginning with the 1985 film The Return of the Living Dead.
and George A. Romero
over how to handle sequels to their 1968 film, Night of the Living Dead
. The two reached a settlement wherein Romero's sequels would be referred to as the Dead movies, and Russo's sequels would bear the suffix Living Dead. Thus, each man was able to do what he pleased with the series, while still having one another's work distinct and be considered canon
. Following this decision, Russo wrote a horror novel, Return of the Living Dead (novel)
, which he planned on adapting into a film script. Although the film rights were initially sold in 1979, they were passed along by several different studios and directors before finally being obtained by Tobe Hooper
, for whom Russo wrote a script. Hooper dropped out of the project, though, and the script never came to fruition.
Following Hooper's departure from the project, Russo, along with his new partner, Dan O'Bannon
, wrote a new script (with Russo adapting it into an accompanying novel), also entitled The Return of the Living Dead. This project alleviated confusion amongst fans of Romero's work by including a scene in which a character acknowledges the George Romero films and explains that while they are based on true events, the events of the Return series are the "true story". In addition to this separation of the storylines, the films in the Return series are markedly more comedy based than Romero's films, with slapstick
humor.
Although Russo and O'Bannon were only directly involved with the first film in the series, the rest of the films, to varying degrees, stick to their outline and "rules" established in the first film.
The fourth and fifth films in the series were filmed simultaneously near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant station
in Ukraine
. Despite being intended for a theatrical release, edited versions of both films made their debut on the SciFi Channel
on October 15, 2005 and were later released on DVD.
A documentary about The Return of the Living Dead, The Return of the Living Dead Part II and The Return of the Living Dead 3 entitled More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead Retrospective was released on October 18, 2011.
) informs his new protege, Freddy (Thom Matthews) that Night of the Living Dead was a true story, based on events that occurred when a gas (2-4-5 Trioxin) was released into the morgue in the basement of a VA hospital. The warehouse was the inadvertent recipient of several canisters, one of them containing a corpse - nicknamed "Tarman" (Allan Trautman) due to his rotten appearance soaked in thick black tar - sealed inside. Due to the canister's less than stellar durability, a light tap causes it to burst open, releasing Trioxin. The gas leaks out of control, which poisons Frank and Freddy and releases "Tarman" from his imprisonment within the tank but the zombie is not actually seen until later on in the movie. Frank and Freddy awaken to discover that various body parts (and bodies) in the warehouse are now alive, as well as the cadaver locked in the freezer and even a split dissected dog. Unaware that they are slowly turning into zombies due to the effects of the gas, Frank and Freddy enlist the help of the warehouse owner, Burt (Clu Gulager
), and his mortician friend, Ernie (Don Calfa), to cremate the cadaver's body parts. They had tried to chop it up to kill it. Unfortunately, the resulting smoke carries the evaporated trioxin with it, which then mixes with an overhead raincloud. It rains on a nearby cemetery, resulting in the reanimation of the buried corpses.
The zombies differ in this movie, in that they are as fast, strong and intelligent as they were in their previous lives, and can form words even when they are merely very degraded bodies. Instead of hunting humans for their flesh, they hunt for the humans' brains, stating that brains can ease the pain of their decomposition. It appears that injuries to their brains do not have any effect, and the only way to fully destroy them is to cremate their bodies, although the ensuing smoke also spreads the contagious gas. It also seems that their bites are not contagious, as Suicide, who was killed by Tarman never reanimated, while Trash, killed by several zombies in the graveyard later did reanimate (probably due to the contaminated rain falling on her corpse).
s are the only secure way of destroying the zombies without the risk of reanimating more corpses (it seems the electric energy annihilates completely the reanimative effect of the trioxin).
The film was released on January 15, 1988, and made $9m at the box office in the USA.
, noted for making the Re-Animator
series. This film switches gears from the first two films' comedy/horror formula, instead being a romantic drama/teen romance/horror film. The story involves Curt, whose father, a Colonel in the US Army, is overseeing experiments being performed with Trioxin. After Curt's girlfriend, Julie, is killed in a motorcycle accident, he exposes her corpse to the gas, bringing her back to life as a zombie. Throughout the film, Julie, now one of the living dead, grows hungrier and hungrier for human brains. She discovers, though, that by causing herself pain via a series of more and more extreme body piercings with springs, nails, glass, basically whatever sharp objects she can find, that she can stave off, although only temporarily, the ghastly hunger growing within her. The two begin a cross-country trek to escape the US Army that ends in the city sewers when Curt, after witnessing Julie kill and eat Riverman, a friendly homeless man who gives them shelter, steps aside to let his father finally put Julie down. The film ends with Curt rescuing Julie from a fate worse than living death as a biomechanical killer for the military. In the end, after himself being bitten by a zombie, Curt and Julie step into an incinerator and embrace in a final kiss as the flames engulf them.
This film is currently available in its uncut form on the UK Region 2 DVD.
The film received a limited theatrical release on October 29, 1993, where it was a financial failure, making back only $54,000 of its $2,000,000 budget at the boxoffice in the USA.
and Ukraine
. The film stars Peter Coyote
and Aimee Lynn Chadwick. The plot revolves around a group of teenagers attempting to rescue their friend from an evil corporation
. In doing so, they wind up releasing a horde of blood-thirsty zombies. An edited version of the film aired on the SciFi Channel
on October 15, 2005. The R-rated version of the film was released on DVD on April 18, 2006. The film was originally advertised as Return of the Living Dead 4: Necropolis but once it was finally released, the number 4 was removed from the title. Both Necropolis (4) and Rave (5) are criticized for straying from the series' rules.
Most notable of these changes is that Trioxin zombies are no longer the indestructible juggernauts of the first movie, but instead much weaker than even "Romero zombies." Several times throughout the movie they are seen to be dispatched with no more than a few body shots, sometimes as few as two hits will end their undead life. Prior to this film nothing short of incineration or electrocution with extreme high voltage would terminate a Trioxin zombie.
However, this may be a different form of Trioxin; here, it is referred to as "Trioxin 5," which may explain why the zombies are weaker.
and Ukraine
. Cory Hardrict
,
John Keefe
, Peter Coyote
and Aimee Lynn Chadwick return from the previous installment. The film takes place one year after Necropolis and the returning teenage characters, from the previous film, are now college freshmen. They discover that Trioxin can be used as a recreational drug named 'Z', but the drug will eventually turn the user into a zombie. The speed of "zombification" depends on the dose of Trioxin consumed. An edited version of the film aired along with Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis on the SciFi Channel
on October 15, 2005. As was the case with Return of the Living Dead 4: Necropolis switching to Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis, Return of the Living Dead: Rave from the Grave was advertised as Return of the Living Dead 5: Rave To the Grave before removing the number 5 from the title. The R-rated version of the film was released on DVD on March 20, 2007 by Lions Gate.
The film also features a cameo appearance by Tarman from the original movie and its first sequel
. However, it is not the same zombie because the name "Tarman" is just the name for different zombies coming from canisters with rotten appearances.
The documentary includes interviews with over 30 cast and crew from the first three "Return of the Living Dead" films, including Thom Mathews, Beverly Randolph, Jewel Shepard, John Philbin, Brian Peck, Linnea Quigley, Miguel A. Nunez, Jr., James Karen, Clu Gulager, Don Calfa, Allan Trautman, Stacey Q, William Stout, Suzanne Snyder, Michael kenworthy, J. Trevor Edmond, Brian Yuzna and more.
The documentary is directed by Bill Philputt, written by the authors of the The Complete History of The Return of the Living Dead, Gary Smart & Christian Sellers, produced by Thommy Hutson and executive produced by Beverly Randolph and Michael Perez for Michael Perez Entertainment and was released on October 18, 2011.
History
The series came about as a dispute between John A. RussoJohn A. Russo
John A. Russo , sometimes credited as Jack Russo or John Russo, is an American screenwriter and film director most commonly associated with the 1968 horror classic Night of the Living Dead. As a screenwriter, his credits include Night of the Living Dead, The Majorettes, Midnight, and Santa Claws....
and George A. Romero
George A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
over how to handle sequels to their 1968 film, Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent black-and-white zombie film and cult film directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman. It premiered on October 1, 1968, and was completed on a USD$114,000 budget. After decades of cinematic re-releases, it...
. The two reached a settlement wherein Romero's sequels would be referred to as the Dead movies, and Russo's sequels would bear the suffix Living Dead. Thus, each man was able to do what he pleased with the series, while still having one another's work distinct and be considered canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
. Following this decision, Russo wrote a horror novel, Return of the Living Dead (novel)
Return of the Living Dead (novel)
Return of the Living Dead is a 1977 direct sequel to George A. Romero's film, Night of the Living Dead, written by John Russo co-scripter of Night...
, which he planned on adapting into a film script. Although the film rights were initially sold in 1979, they were passed along by several different studios and directors before finally being obtained by Tobe Hooper
Tobe Hooper
Tobe Hooper is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in the horror film genre. His works include the cult classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre , along with its first sequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 ; the three-time Emmy-nominated Stephen King film adaptation...
, for whom Russo wrote a script. Hooper dropped out of the project, though, and the script never came to fruition.
Following Hooper's departure from the project, Russo, along with his new partner, Dan O'Bannon
Dan O'Bannon
Daniel Thomas "Dan" O'Bannon was an American motion picture screenwriter, director and occasional actor, usually in the science fiction and horror genres.-Early life and career:...
, wrote a new script (with Russo adapting it into an accompanying novel), also entitled The Return of the Living Dead. This project alleviated confusion amongst fans of Romero's work by including a scene in which a character acknowledges the George Romero films and explains that while they are based on true events, the events of the Return series are the "true story". In addition to this separation of the storylines, the films in the Return series are markedly more comedy based than Romero's films, with slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
humor.
Although Russo and O'Bannon were only directly involved with the first film in the series, the rest of the films, to varying degrees, stick to their outline and "rules" established in the first film.
The fourth and fifth films in the series were filmed simultaneously near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant station
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant or Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant is a decommissioned nuclear power station near the city of Pripyat, Ukraine, northwest of the city of Chernobyl, from the Ukraine–Belarus border, and about north of Kiev. Reactor 4 was the site of the Chernobyl disaster in...
in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. Despite being intended for a theatrical release, edited versions of both films made their debut on the SciFi Channel
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
on October 15, 2005 and were later released on DVD.
A documentary about The Return of the Living Dead, The Return of the Living Dead Part II and The Return of the Living Dead 3 entitled More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead Retrospective was released on October 18, 2011.
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Medical supply warehouse foreman Frank (James KarenJames Karen
James Karen is an American character actor of Broadway, film and television.-Life and career:Karen was born Jacob Karnofsky in Wilkes-Barre, in northeastern Pennsylvania, the son of Russian-born Jewish immigrants Mae and Joseph H. Karnofsky, a produce dealer. As a young man, Karen was encouraged...
) informs his new protege, Freddy (Thom Matthews) that Night of the Living Dead was a true story, based on events that occurred when a gas (2-4-5 Trioxin) was released into the morgue in the basement of a VA hospital. The warehouse was the inadvertent recipient of several canisters, one of them containing a corpse - nicknamed "Tarman" (Allan Trautman) due to his rotten appearance soaked in thick black tar - sealed inside. Due to the canister's less than stellar durability, a light tap causes it to burst open, releasing Trioxin. The gas leaks out of control, which poisons Frank and Freddy and releases "Tarman" from his imprisonment within the tank but the zombie is not actually seen until later on in the movie. Frank and Freddy awaken to discover that various body parts (and bodies) in the warehouse are now alive, as well as the cadaver locked in the freezer and even a split dissected dog. Unaware that they are slowly turning into zombies due to the effects of the gas, Frank and Freddy enlist the help of the warehouse owner, Burt (Clu Gulager
Clu Gulager
Clu Gulager is an American television and film actor. He is particularly noted for his co-starring role as William H. Bonney in the 1960–62 NBC TV series The Tall Man and for his role in the later NBC series The Virginian...
), and his mortician friend, Ernie (Don Calfa), to cremate the cadaver's body parts. They had tried to chop it up to kill it. Unfortunately, the resulting smoke carries the evaporated trioxin with it, which then mixes with an overhead raincloud. It rains on a nearby cemetery, resulting in the reanimation of the buried corpses.
The zombies differ in this movie, in that they are as fast, strong and intelligent as they were in their previous lives, and can form words even when they are merely very degraded bodies. Instead of hunting humans for their flesh, they hunt for the humans' brains, stating that brains can ease the pain of their decomposition. It appears that injuries to their brains do not have any effect, and the only way to fully destroy them is to cremate their bodies, although the ensuing smoke also spreads the contagious gas. It also seems that their bites are not contagious, as Suicide, who was killed by Tarman never reanimated, while Trash, killed by several zombies in the graveyard later did reanimate (probably due to the contaminated rain falling on her corpse).
Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988)
The second film was written and directed by Ken Wiederhorn. The plot follows seven people as they attempt to escape their town after a mass of undead are awoken due to a barrel full of Trioxin gas that was left over from the first film. In this film it is revealed that powerful electric dischargeElectric discharge
Electric discharge describes any flow of electric charge through a gas, liquid or solid. Electric discharges include:*Electric glow discharge*Electric arc*Electrostatic discharge*Electric discharge in gases*Leader *Partial discharge...
s are the only secure way of destroying the zombies without the risk of reanimating more corpses (it seems the electric energy annihilates completely the reanimative effect of the trioxin).
The film was released on January 15, 1988, and made $9m at the box office in the USA.
Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993)
The third film was produced and directed by Brian YuznaBrian Yuzna
Brian Yuzna is a director, writer and producer of films.- Life :Yuzna grew up in Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Panama before moving to the United States in the 1960s.- Career :...
, noted for making the Re-Animator
Re-Animator
Re-Animator is a 1985 American science fiction horror film based on the H. P. Lovecraft story "Herbert West–Reanimator." Directed by Stuart Gordon, it was the first film in the Re-Animator series. The film has since become a cult film, driven by fans of Jeffrey Combs and H. P...
series. This film switches gears from the first two films' comedy/horror formula, instead being a romantic drama/teen romance/horror film. The story involves Curt, whose father, a Colonel in the US Army, is overseeing experiments being performed with Trioxin. After Curt's girlfriend, Julie, is killed in a motorcycle accident, he exposes her corpse to the gas, bringing her back to life as a zombie. Throughout the film, Julie, now one of the living dead, grows hungrier and hungrier for human brains. She discovers, though, that by causing herself pain via a series of more and more extreme body piercings with springs, nails, glass, basically whatever sharp objects she can find, that she can stave off, although only temporarily, the ghastly hunger growing within her. The two begin a cross-country trek to escape the US Army that ends in the city sewers when Curt, after witnessing Julie kill and eat Riverman, a friendly homeless man who gives them shelter, steps aside to let his father finally put Julie down. The film ends with Curt rescuing Julie from a fate worse than living death as a biomechanical killer for the military. In the end, after himself being bitten by a zombie, Curt and Julie step into an incinerator and embrace in a final kiss as the flames engulf them.
This film is currently available in its uncut form on the UK Region 2 DVD.
The film received a limited theatrical release on October 29, 1993, where it was a financial failure, making back only $54,000 of its $2,000,000 budget at the boxoffice in the USA.
Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis (2005)
Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis, the fourth film in the series, was filmed in RomaniaRomania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. The film stars Peter Coyote
Peter Coyote
Peter Coyote is an American actor, author, director, screenwriter and narrator of films, theatre, television and audio books. His voice work includes narrating the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics and Apple's iPad campaign. He has also served as on-camera co-host of the 2000 Oscar...
and Aimee Lynn Chadwick. The plot revolves around a group of teenagers attempting to rescue their friend from an evil corporation
Evil corporation
An evil corporation is a staple of science fiction , usually a big multinational company which values profits over ethics....
. In doing so, they wind up releasing a horde of blood-thirsty zombies. An edited version of the film aired on the SciFi Channel
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
on October 15, 2005. The R-rated version of the film was released on DVD on April 18, 2006. The film was originally advertised as Return of the Living Dead 4: Necropolis but once it was finally released, the number 4 was removed from the title. Both Necropolis (4) and Rave (5) are criticized for straying from the series' rules.
Most notable of these changes is that Trioxin zombies are no longer the indestructible juggernauts of the first movie, but instead much weaker than even "Romero zombies." Several times throughout the movie they are seen to be dispatched with no more than a few body shots, sometimes as few as two hits will end their undead life. Prior to this film nothing short of incineration or electrocution with extreme high voltage would terminate a Trioxin zombie.
However, this may be a different form of Trioxin; here, it is referred to as "Trioxin 5," which may explain why the zombies are weaker.
Return of the Living Dead: Rave from the Grave (2005)
Return of the Living Dead: Rave from the Grave was filmed immediately after Necropolis using the same locations of RomaniaRomania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. Cory Hardrict
Cory Hardrict
Cory D. Hardrict is an American actor and film producer.-Life and career:Born in Chicago, Illinios, Hardrict began his career on television during the late 1990s, with appearances in weekly prime-time programs including Smart Guy, Felicity, Once and Again and ER...
,
John Keefe
John Keefe (actor)
John Keefe is an American film and television actor, best known for playing Julian Garrison in Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis, and its following sequel, Return of the Living Dead: Rave from the Grave. He also played the main character in "Not Another High School Show" . He played as "Brad...
, Peter Coyote
Peter Coyote
Peter Coyote is an American actor, author, director, screenwriter and narrator of films, theatre, television and audio books. His voice work includes narrating the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics and Apple's iPad campaign. He has also served as on-camera co-host of the 2000 Oscar...
and Aimee Lynn Chadwick return from the previous installment. The film takes place one year after Necropolis and the returning teenage characters, from the previous film, are now college freshmen. They discover that Trioxin can be used as a recreational drug named 'Z', but the drug will eventually turn the user into a zombie. The speed of "zombification" depends on the dose of Trioxin consumed. An edited version of the film aired along with Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis on the SciFi Channel
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
on October 15, 2005. As was the case with Return of the Living Dead 4: Necropolis switching to Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis, Return of the Living Dead: Rave from the Grave was advertised as Return of the Living Dead 5: Rave To the Grave before removing the number 5 from the title. The R-rated version of the film was released on DVD on March 20, 2007 by Lions Gate.
The film also features a cameo appearance by Tarman from the original movie and its first sequel
Return of the Living Dead Part II
Return of the Living Dead Part II is an American zombie horror comedy film that was released in 1988. It was written and directed by Ken Wiederhorn. The film was released by Lorimar Motion Pictures on January 8, 1988, and was a minor box office success, making over $9 million at the box office in...
. However, it is not the same zombie because the name "Tarman" is just the name for different zombies coming from canisters with rotten appearances.
More Brains! A Return of the Living Dead Documentary
A brand-new documentary, entitled "More Brains! A Return of the Living Dead", has been announced on its official website, www.getmorebrains.com. "More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead" is the ultimate account of the tongue-in-cheek, stylish and apocalyptic zombie movie. It features — for the first time ever! — contributions from all the main cast as well as clips, photographs, storyboards, conceptual art, publicity materials, archival documents and behind-the-scenes footage. Through this definitive documentary fans are finally able to explore the film's journey from the world of "Night of the Living Dead" to the mind of acclaimed writer/director Dan O'Bannon. Narrator Brian Peck ("Scuz") guides you through the blood, sweat and tears as cast and crew look back on their experience in the graveyard creating the film that's been called "a beauty of a cult classic!"The documentary includes interviews with over 30 cast and crew from the first three "Return of the Living Dead" films, including Thom Mathews, Beverly Randolph, Jewel Shepard, John Philbin, Brian Peck, Linnea Quigley, Miguel A. Nunez, Jr., James Karen, Clu Gulager, Don Calfa, Allan Trautman, Stacey Q, William Stout, Suzanne Snyder, Michael kenworthy, J. Trevor Edmond, Brian Yuzna and more.
The documentary is directed by Bill Philputt, written by the authors of the The Complete History of The Return of the Living Dead, Gary Smart & Christian Sellers, produced by Thommy Hutson and executive produced by Beverly Randolph and Michael Perez for Michael Perez Entertainment and was released on October 18, 2011.
External links
- Return of the Living Dead 4: Necropolis official website
- Return of the Living Dead 5: Rave to the Grave official website
- More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead official website
- Halloween Madness: A Return of the Living Dead Breakdown
- Uneeda Return of the Living Dead Site
- Return of the Living Dead 1 site with sample frames - from the Cinematographer