The Return of the Living Dead - a DjfunkmasterG review

[DjfunkmasterG]

I have made it no secret that for 25 years I have always been a huge fan of this film, and its sequel, Return of the Living Dead Part II. In fact in making Deadlands 2: Trapped I used TROTLD as a major influence in terms of the vibe, pacing and overall brutality of the zombies.

I remember seeing this film at age 14 back in 1985 during its theatrical run, and I thought... this is really a great zombie film. It had its moments of horror, and its moments of comedy and I think a lot of that can be contributed to the great screenplay written by the late Dan O'Bannon, and the cast put together to make the film.

One of the huge joys in viewing this film, especially over the years, is watching James Karen and Thom Mathews tear up the screen as Frank and Freddy, two warehouse employees who manage to unleash a powerful toxin capable of bringing the dead back to life. James and Thom were perfectly put together and each did a great job with their respective role. Thom as the new employee just trying to do a good job, and Frank as the mentor, who also is the company prankster, but what really sells their pairing in the film is Franks story about the toxin, known as 245 Trioxin. Watching James Karen telling the story and Thom listening is actually not only a great comedic comment, but a great suspense moment as well because it helps lead to an unexpected set-up for an off the cuff jump scare, but its Karen's delivery and Thom's reaction to the story that help engross the viewer and bring them into the world and help knock them off guard. It is truly a great scene and some fine work by the cast & crew.

While TROTLD isn't your average horror film... thank god, it is at its roots a horror film with a dark comedy element. Too many films today that call themselves horror films are far from being a true horror film, honestly true horror films stopped being made back in the 80's and what passes for horror today is basically a shell of what horror films used to be. I firmly believe that TROTLD and George Romero's Day of the Dead were the last real horror films to be made within the studio system, although they were more or less low budget indies, but not the type of low budget indies, guys like myself and a few others have made today. However, its these films that have made the genre truly thrive and has what inspired a new generation of fans.

I was recently at the Cinema Wasteland convention in Ohio promoting my latest flick and while sitting with Jim Krut, the helizombie from DAWN of the DEAD, I was observing around the room and noticed that the majority of fans are nearly 10-20 years younger than I am now. I am not saying I am old, but at age 38 I felt old, but at the same time a smile came to my face because I watched these younger fans picking up movies from vendors, and meeting cast members from the movies on hand and they were star struck, and amazed and over joyed to be meeting the stars of the films they felll in love with, so while on a smoke break I talked with them and like me they agree the best horror was from the 80's and when you bring up zombie films... TROTLD is in the top 5 list for most fans. In fact most of them discovered their first zombie either through TROTLD or Romero's Day of the Dead and it was one of these two flicks that solidified them as zombie fans for life. Hearing this is what inspired me as a filmmaker to want to continue making more films and doing my part to keep the zombie genre alive.

When it comes to classic horror films you of course have the hammer films, and the universal classics, but for films that defined a generation of zombies fans no one has to look any further than Return 1. The films balance of horror and humor just keeps you guessing from frame to frame and while it has its majorly over the top moments, it still manages to firmly smack you when you aren't looking to make sure you understand that not only were they having fun while making the movie but they were also trying to scare the living hell out of you as well.

From James to Linnea... the cast is just a great part of what I consider to be the 80's best zombie horror flick. While I enjoy part 2, and part 3 I wish the sequels would have kept the momentum and vibe from part 1 going right along, but hey you know what... it is ok that they did not because maybe then TROTLD might have been lost in the mix, and who knows if I would have been making films. Between George, Dan, and Zack... these are the guys who made me want to make zombie movies and try my best to scare the living hell out of the audience.

To the cast & crew of TROTLD... I thank you and salute you.

[bassman]

My copy of ROTLD is currently being used as a hot plate for pans fresh off the stove.:elol:

[Trin]

I will never forgive ROTLD if for no other reason than making 'braiiins" synonymous with zombies. And someone ought to get sued for using a "_____ of the Living Dead" title without being a real GAR Living Dead movie. Wait, did I say sued? If so, I meant sued with a bullet to the braaaains.

[DjfunkmasterG]

Well, then blame Russo and Romero. When they parted ways Romero took, "..of the Dead" and Russo took "...of the Living Dead".

[mista_mo]

I remember when I first saw rotld...I was young, impressionable, and hot off the heels of my latest viewing of Day of the Dead. I saw this weird looking cover for this movie that I (presumably) thought was a zombie movie. The green skinned chick, next to the guy with green skin and spiked hair. They had sunken eyes and were holding something in their hands, the likes of which escapes my memory at this moment in time. I salivated at the thought of another zombie movie. All the things that the movie could be about ran through my mind like a freight train, running through...a bunch of...things. Needless to say, I coerced my Lumberjack dad into renting it for me, much to his dismay. We had come to pick up Lumbo 3= Attack of the Quebecois moose. I pointed out that we could get both, but he had to pull out his wallet made of ice, and hand the clerk (who was also a lumberjack, though of ill repute as it were) and he handed him 3 stones, and 7 wood chips.


I recall that we got 16 ounces of red cloth back as change.

We drove through the snow (all 7 feet of it) in our coal powered beaver wheelie. I shoveled coal as usual, while my father steered the frenzied animals home. We arrived at our fur lined ice shack, and my dad pulled me inside the hut by my red beard. I remember that it was very warm that evening...something like -23 Celsius. I recall father throwing more frozen water (henceforth known as ice) under his shirt, and tied the ice to his chest via a garter snake.

I did the same.

I shambled off to my room, and placed the tape into our beta player. I lay down on the snow bed, and opened my snack drawer. I recall that I only seemed to have Beaver Tails on hand, so I readied myself with a large handful, and hit play. Okay, awesome I thought, this toxin shit is totally going to make some zombies, and they are going to wreck the hell out of this town. Then, the military is going to get called in, and they are going to get in a huge stand off with the things, and it is going to be so awesome, and I am going to need to change my long johns after the movie is done and I can't wait fo-

Why are there leather clad hipsters playing around in a cemetery? What are the- OH NO, SHE'S GETTING NAKED, MOM!, MOM!, COME IN QUICK, THERE IS THIS UGLY LADY AND SHE IS TAKING HER MAMMIES OUT AND SHE HANGS OUT WITH SMELLY LOSERS, AND THEY ALL LISTEN TO SHITTY MUSIC AND OH..HELP ME!!!!

She runs into the room, and throws a set of antlers at the beta player. It shuts off.

"NOW, WHY WERE YA WATCHIN THAT ME OL' TROUT? YA KNOW BETTER EN' THAT! C'MERE BOYO, WE'RE GONNA 'AVE TA CLEAN YA ALL OUT NOW!"

I always loved my mom, she shielded me from the horrors of trendy losers like a bear guards her cubs. After I settled down, I began to watch the film again, this time I did what any normal child would have done, and fast forwarded (and averted my eyes) when she began to strip and dance. Now, I can't really remember much else past this point, save for that one zombie that talks..oh and the other couple...but I do recall a feeling of intense disgust, and perhaps borderline hatred of the remainder of the film.

Now that I am older however, I will have to give it a proper viewing, and this time, settle in with a big ol bowl of poutine.

my rating (based on my childhood memories) 3.3 pine trees out of 463.

[darth los]

I will never forgive ROTLD if for no other reason than making 'braiiins" synonymous with zombies. And someone ought to get sued for using a "_____ of the Living Dead" title without being a real GAR Living Dead movie. Wait, did I say sued? If so, I meant sued with a bullet to the braaaains.


Well, then blame Russo and Romero. When they parted ways Romero took, "..of the Dead" and Russo took "...of the Living Dead".

Dj doesn't have a day job so he beat me to it, but yeah, what he said . :lol:



My copy of ROTLD is currently being used as a hot plate for pans fresh off the stove.:elol:

Ah yes, I can relate. Land of the dead has been my drink coaster since 06'.

:cool:

[JDFP]

I will never forgive ROTLD if for no other reason than making 'braiiins" synonymous with zombies. And someone ought to get sued for using a "_____ of the Living Dead" title without being a real GAR Living Dead movie. Wait, did I say sued? If so, I meant sued with a bullet to the braaaains.

I always got a kick out of the whole "BRAINS!" thing. That was really synonomous with zombies as I was growing up as a kid (in the 80's and early 90's) because of the ROTLD series which I think peaked with the second one (which I consider to be the second funniest zombie flick ever, after "Shaun of the Dead" and much better than "Zombieland"). Of course, # 3 had some entertaining parts (mostly the many "parts" of the lead actress in the flick, ahem); but the series went straight to hell in a hand-basket after # 3.

Really, if you think about it, zombies change in perspective in just about every decade. In the 70's it was all about the shambling relatively weak moaning ghouls. In the 80's and first half of the 90's it was "BRAINS!" and in the last decade it's been about the sprinting superhuman strength ghouls. Ultimately, every one of these fads fades away eventually. No doubt, the sprinting superhuman strength ghouls will also be replaced by another zombie fad within the next few years (we're due for a change) and will go the way of "BRAINS!".

The only true constant (IMO) in zombies over the last 40 years is that Romero's vision has lived on much more than any of these other zombie "fads" that have been popular for a period and then faded away. I think that says a great deal for the godfather of ghouls that his legacy of the moaning shamblers will live on long after all these other fads.

j.p.

[Trin]

Well, then blame Russo and Romero. When they parted ways Romero took, "..of the Dead" and Russo took "...of the Living Dead".
Tell that to the kid who rented ROTLD and expected it to be the next installment after Day. Tell it to that kid. What do you think he thought of Return? Well, I'll tell you - that kid was let down. And that kid grew up to be me!! *cries*

[SymphonicX]

I will never forgive ROTLD if for no other reason than making 'braiiins" synonymous with zombies. And someone ought to get sued for using a "_____ of the Living Dead" title without being a real GAR Living Dead movie. Wait, did I say sued? If so, I meant sued with a bullet to the braaaains.

LOL I'm with you on that one. ROTLD is a bit silly for me. Number 2 is just Naked Gun with zombies and is completely uninventive aside from a few gags which are quite funny...("Who's president of the United States?" "er...Harry Truman")

I also hate that people say braaaains as though that's really part of the zombie world. It isn't.

Actually I think Part 3 is the best simply because it deviated from the crass comedy moments for more than a few scenes. The chick in the movie is also, quite smoking...literally, at the end...she's definitely smoking.

AS for 4,5,and however many they've spawned since, I've not seen them and don't wish to...

[Trin]

Actually I think Part 3 is the best simply because it deviated from the crass comedy moments for more than a few scenes. The chick in the movie is also, quite smoking...literally, at the end...she's definitely smoking.Yeah, she was worth the price of... watching it on TV. She did make part 3 a much better movie. Very tolerable. And by then I knew what I should expect from the series so I wasn't so disappointed.

If you like your zombie movies silly and nonsensical then ROTLD is a great movie. However, if you're a bit of a zombie purist like me, and you cringe when a zombie picks up a radio mic and says, "Send more police," then ROTLD is definitely not for you.

The scary thing is that there were 5 of these things. Let's keep score here. 5 ROTLD movies... 5 GAR Dead movies. How did ROTLD keep getting money to go back to that well?

[darth los]

Yeah, she was worth the price of... watching it on TV. She did make part 3 a much better movie. Very tolerable. And by then I knew what I should expect from the series so I wasn't so disappointed.

If you like your zombie movies silly and nonsensical then ROTLD is a great movie. However, if you're a bit of a zombie purist like me, and you cringe when a zombie picks up a radio mic and says, "Send more police," then ROTLD is definitely not for you.

The scary thing is that there were 5 of these things. Let's keep score here. 5 ROTLD movies... 5 GAR Dead movies. How did ROTLD keep getting money to go back to that well?

I thought it was 6 but who's counting. :p

You could also ask the same question about Gar considering his recent offerings. (Original trilogy off limits of course)

:cool:

[bassman]

I thought this might be a good time to bring up my old bitch list about ROTLD. Looking back on this list now there are quite a few of these that I would omit or change because of my biased blind hatred for the film back then, but it's still worth a giggle anyway.:lol:



1. "Based on true events"? Wow....scary. Never heard that one used before.
2. "UNEEDA MEDICAL SUPPLY" Get it? You-need-a? cack cack cack.
3. Is Freddy intentionally dressing like an over-grown and strung-out Dennis The Menace?
4. Punk kids! They're speaking to the youth of the day. How cliched....I mean "hip".(additional note: Is that Juwanna Man?!?)
5. "Did you see that movie, Night of the Living Dead?" - To quote an episode of MST3K: NEVER mention a good movie in your horribly crappy movie.
6. So let me get this straight. 425 Trioxin is this HUGE government cover up....but this old man who works at a medical supply store knows ALL about it just because these few containers were accidentally shipped to them? Did these hazardous containers also come with classified government papers?
7. RETURN of the Living Dead? Where are they returning from? This must be a sequel! Nope....it's another shot at ripping off Romero's classic.
8. *whiny voice* "I just wanna paaaartyyyy"
9. "Burt is a slave driver" on the poster. So Burt made this film? That would make perfect sense.
10. Why is this chick getting naked??? It's pointless. I like tits as much as the next guy, but this is just f*cking sad...
11. Romero rape number 4. "Destroy the brain, right?"
12. WHY THE F*CK DO THEY KEEP CRYING?!?!?!?
13. "You think this is a costume? This is a way of life!" - Daddy forgives you, cliched punk "teenager"....
14. Burt? Ernie? Burt and Ernie? Really? *whistles the theme to Sesame Street*
15. Burt and Ernie don't ever question why the other two are grey and sweating like they've just run a marathon?
16. Smoke from a crematory and rain equal acid rain? I know it's a scifi film....but how does that work....THAT fast?
17. Somehow the rain in this town seeps through 6 feet of dirt much faster than everywhere else....
18. The whole 911 phone call? Kinda pointless isn't it? Trying desperately to reach that 90 minute runtime requirement, Dan?
19. Tarman can pronounce his "B's" really well without having lips or moving his jaw.
20. Why is Tarman slow when the audience already knows that these zombies run?
21. The paramedics didn't seem to notice the acid rain burning their skin...
22. So it's BACK into this acid rain that burns so bad? Good idea, folks.
23. It's nothing but skeleton that comes up through the ground, but somehow it's eyes and eyelids are intact?
24. Paramedics clearly have rain water all over their skin, but still no mention of acid rain?
25. Zombie jumps through an exterior window....but can't do the same through a thin interior door window?
26. "They're all over the cars!" He only saw one.....and it was missing legs...
27. Of course, in the middle of a catastrophy, the phonelines go dead for no apparent reason.
28. "Come in dispatch. Send...more....paramedics!" What the flying f*ck???
29. Burt(the boss) doesn't know what kind of chemical it is....but his employees do?
30. The skeleton pulling the mohawk guy through the window sure is strong. especially with no muscles on her arm....
31. Burt says they're no stronger than humans....but they could dig upward through 6 feet of dirt?
32. Once again, no lips and perfect pronounciation.
33. "The pain of being dead" lol
34. Brains...make pain go away? The rest of the body does nothing to help these things? Wasteful bastards....
35. Maybe I missed it....but when did Trash get buried???
36. Lots of exterior lights around this cemetery wall for it to have been boarded and chained shut in the beginning...
37. "I never did like you, but hold me tight!" Do we really not comic relief? The film is laughably sh*tty enough...
38. As if it wasn't mind-numbingly stupid enough the first time..."Send more cops!"
39. The two UNEEDA employees were "gone" and had full blown rigomortis, but managed to totally change positions in the floor for the next scene?
40. Not only is Freddy dead, but apparently he has a flaming case of the rabbies.
41. "No....I'll drive" "F*CK YOU!". That's it? That's the huge inner conflict of this P.O.S.?...
42. Who closed the cemetery gates?....
43. Frank couldn't move at all a minute ago and now he's able make it to a different room all on his own, get on one knee to pray, and climb into the friggin furnace?
44. "Sounds like the sh*t's really hittin the fan out there" NOW you realize this?
45. The phone is kept right beside the illegal tanks from the government. Convenient.
46. So shouldn't have Frank's smoke started more acid rain and the cops would be feeling it? Once again, no mention.
47. The entire conversation with the head military guy....is all that "What happened then?" "Then what"?, etc, etc really necessary?
48. I can see the conversation now. "How do we end this movie?" "Just blow everyone up! It's quick, easy, and just like the rest of the film, we don't have to really try!"
49. This atomic blast that supposedly hit the cemetary didn't alter the landscaping or tombstones at all?
50. Recycled footage, anyone? Once again, skeleton with perfect eyes and eyelids...

And as a bonus....
WHY DO THEY REPLAY CLIPS DURING THE CREDITS? I JUST SAW THIS GARBAGE AND YOU'RE GOING TO SHOVE IT DOWN MY THROAT AGAIN AS I'M LEAVING/TURNING IT OFF???

[darth los]

I have to disagre with a couple of points on that list but Damn that was funny.

Good job dude. MZ would be proud.

:cool:

[Wyldwraith]

Well,
If you look at them more as "Zomedies" then ROTLD 1 & 2 aren't bad, PER SE. However, Part 3 made me a confirmed RotLD-hater. It began by destroying my suspension of disbelief by establishing in the opening frames that merely being the son of a military officer is sufficient to allow you to come and go as you like from a facility where International Treaty-breaking biological/chemical weapons tests are occurring.

When the kid's hosebag girlfriend died, they'd already telegraphed his bringing her back via surreptious access to facilities and processes he has no real understanding of.

This was followed by an hour of bad acting that makes my Top 10 Most Emo Scenes list, as his now-undead girlfriend somehow continues holding onto her humanity with ever-increasing masochistic self-mutilation.

I can't bear to describe the far more craptastic events that then occur, but suffice to say when the "protagonist" burned himself to death with his zombie girlfriend I actually cheered, shouting "DIE, DIE, DIE!!!!!!!!!!" at the TV.

The only frightening thing about Return of the Living Dead 3? That somehow, despite being awful on a level only achieved since by the likes of Uwe Boll, Rob Zombi,...and of course all three later RotLD films, it's still a masterwork when compared to Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis and Rave to the Grave.

Those last two flicks made me want to murder everyone involved in unleashing their Day-Remake-level vileness on the world.

#'s 4, 5 & 6 on my list of Worst Horror Movies Ever.

Horrible thought: There are people who could actually say they enjoyed Necropolis and Rave to the Grave? If so, HOW?

1,000,000$ question there, because I can't even vaguely conceive of how someone could like them.

[Trin]

I thought it was 6 but who's counting. :p

You could also ask the same question about Gar considering his recent offerings. (Original trilogy off limits of course)

:cool:I can only think of 5. Which means I probably haven't seen one of them. Which means... gasp... I kinda want to.

I think with regards to GAR they stopped giving him money about 2 movies ago.

@bassman - awesome list!!

[wayzim]

I have to disagre with a couple of points on that list but Damn that was funny.

Good job dude. MZ would be proud.

:cool:

The problem is, that if you came in on the joke later, it's like when South Park turned a gag around on it's fans ( the Not Without My Anus episode ) ... and they were POed.
It goes to show, some folks just have a limited sense of humor.
When ROTLD first appeared, it was such a brilliant dead-pan bit of satire, many people still treat it as a straight Horror flick. (Hint, it ain't )
I just had a good time with the premise which turned the entire Zombie genre on it's head. The only other film which did this successfully ( tho even more out of left field ) was Cemetary Man.
ROTLD 2 was just too much goofing without a feel for what made the first film work and the latter films .. way too serious.
The list is fun, but only because it's 2010, not 1985, and what was fresh then is now tired cliche.
Maybe that's the real joke, but it's still a good one.

Wayne Z
"There's nowhere left for you to go. "
The Cramps, Surfin Dead

[Wyldwraith]

Umm no,
ROTLD was not some revolutionary addition to the zombie-movie genre. It was an unimaginative, badly thought out, hideous plotline with more holes than a slice of swiss cheese. The only scary thing about it?

Bassman's List only encapsulates half the reasons ROTLD sucks, both as movie and franchise, despite being one of the most comprehensive gripes about the movie I've ever cheered at.

Intelligent zombies, full of angst because of "the pain of being dead" created a new type of ghoul. The Emo-Zombie. The many, many plotholes that Bassman points out underscore one basic truth. No one involved with the movie cared if their audience held the events of the film in complete contempt.

In fact, the only groundbreaking thing about that movie was being the first example of a zombie flick churned out solely for a paycheck. ANY attempt at quality control whatsoever would've showed, but nothing...

Again, the most damning thing I hold against ROTLD 1 & 2 was their wedging the door open so the visual abominations that are #3, Necropolis and Rave to the Grave.

College kids deciding to ingest an unknown and obviously many years-old chemical, and market said chemical as a Rave Drug. Really? I mean, reading that sentence, is there ANYONE who needs more than that to realize they're about to witness a truly awful movie?

Sorry for the rant, but I just can't stomach the idea that people found anything watchable in the latter 3 ROTLD flicks. I've watched some bad zombie/quasi-zombie movies over the years, but even many of those were far more watchable.

[bassman]

One thing I'll give ROTLD is that it had some decent effects. Some of them, anyway.

I think i'm going to give it another go this weekend. I've noticed that i'm more accepting of films these days, so maybe I can dig on it a bit more. It also doesn't hurt that the misses likes ROTLD a lot, so it could be a fun evening. We'll just have to watch Day immediately after in order to get some good zombie action.:cool:

[Trin]

One thing I'll give ROTLD is that it had some decent effects. Some of them, anyway.

I think i'm going to give it another go this weekend. I've noticed that i'm more accepting of films these days, so maybe I can dig on it a bit more. It also doesn't hurt that the misses likes ROTLD a lot, so it could be a fun evening. We'll just have to watch Day immediately after in order to get some good zombie action.:cool:
Maybe after the movie you can play the incorrigible corpse and she can be the naughty little coroner. She can slather you up with some 425 Trioxin and you can start a'twitchin.

[bassman]

Of course.

"You think this is role playing? This is a way of life!"

[EvilNed]

"You think this is role playing? This is a way of life!"

Correction, "You think this is a costume? This is a way of life!" (EDIT: Oh, I get it now... Sorry)

I love it the way he says "Fuck you, ballbuster!" in that scene. Great movie.

[darth los]

Say what you want about it but i'd wager that the general public would pick Rotld had to watch on a sat night with some friends instead of Land anytime.

:cool:

[bassman]

:lol:

Whenever a member of this board disagrees with another's opinion....they always whip out the better/worse than Land/Dawn04 attack.

[darth los]

:lol:

Whenever a member of this board disagrees with another's opinion....they always whip out the better/worse than Land/Dawn04 attack.


That's a different statement than saying that what I said isn't true. :p

But ya I went there because it is.

:cool:

[bassman]

I just thought it was funny that 5-6 years later we're still using those two films as soft spots during arguments, but how many countless zombie films have been released since then?:p Nothing has split these boards worse than those two films....

And yeah, you're right. Most people would prefer ROTLD. The few of us here that dislike Return never said we were the majority. Quite the opposite, in fact.

[darth los]

I just thought it was funny that 5-6 years later we're still using those two films as soft spots during arguments, but how many countless zombie films have been released since then?:p Nothing has split these boards worse than those two films....

And yeah, you're right. Most people would prefer ROTLD. The few of us here that dislike Return never said we were the majority. Quite the opposite, in fact.



It's like a woman you cheated on that your still with 5-6 years later.

You can bet your balls that when she's losing an argument she'll bring that up. Not that i was losing the argument, but same principle none the less. :lol:

:cool:

[Publius]

College kids deciding to ingest an unknown and obviously many years-old chemical, and market said chemical as a Rave Drug. Really?

Probably based on the fact that some people actually use embalming fluid as a recreational drug. Nothing surprises me when it comes to things people decide to ingest in an attempt to get high.

[wayzim]

Probably based on the fact that some people actually use embalming fluid as a recreational drug. Nothing surprises me when it comes to things people decide to ingest in an attempt to get high.

And when I was first getting into drinking booze, there'd been stories circulating that some beer brands were putting Formaldehyde into the mix (perhaps as a stabilizing agent? ) which is nonsense.

On a side note, former Gov Jesse Ventura was on Real Time on HBO last night. When it was suggested he moved to Baja, California, for the weed Jesse countered (jokingly ) that he'd have to bring it in from the States as we have a better grade of Pot.
Tho I stick to the traditional ( and legal ) stimulations and depressants, this is likely true. (which was also the theme of a classic SNL gag on looking for the Union Label for American Pot Growers )
My generation had the best drug jokes ...

Wayne Z
"Wow, that was some Acid I took last night. " A much younger Jodie Foster hosting SNL (with the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players ) in a Killer Bees skit.

[Wyldwraith]

Ok ok I surrender,
I'll acknowledge that ROTLD 1 & 2 aren't the worst zombie movies I've watched more than once, but I'm standing firm on my opinion of what crapfests #3, Necropolis and Rave to the Grave are.

Hell, I'll go one step further and say that ROTLD: Necropolis is easily the most watchable of those 3 films. Not saying much, but there it is.

I pray to the Spirits of Quality Zombie Flicks that we can all agree Rave to the Grave = Day Remake in terms of having no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

There was a low-budget flick I saw on late night Sci-Fi recently that I thought was all right. Ashamed to admit it, but it was House of the Dead 2..or a loose following of the original's plot-continuity anyways. Female lead whose char. goes by Nightingale, and together with another scientist-soldier type (the male lead) accompany a military unit into an infested college campus in search of a blood sample from the original zombie.

It had a stupid Shaun of the Dead moment where the male protagonist thoroughly smears himself with zombie fluids in order to slip past the zombies that have them cornered in the utility closet of a locker room, but overall it wasn't so bad, relatively speaking of course.

Maybe Bassman is right about becoming more forgiving of the older flicks. Not like we've had an abundance of Survival Horror flicks made recently. Dunno.

[SRP76]

I don't know why time is an issue. I saw Return just about a month ago, and it still sucked. My opinion does not change whatsoever.

But compared to the sequels, it's grade-A. Those are more like "punishment" than "entertainment".

[DjfunkmasterG]

Ok ok I surrender,
I'll acknowledge that ROTLD 1 & 2 aren't the worst zombie movies I've watched more than once, but I'm standing firm on my opinion of what crapfests #3, Necropolis and Rave to the Grave are.

Hell, I'll go one step further and say that ROTLD: Necropolis is easily the most watchable of those 3 films. Not saying much, but there it is.

I pray to the Spirits of Quality Zombie Flicks that we can all agree Rave to the Grave = Day Remake in terms of having no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

There was a low-budget flick I saw on late night Sci-Fi recently that I thought was all right. Ashamed to admit it, but it was House of the Dead 2..or a loose following of the original's plot-continuity anyways. Female lead whose char. goes by Nightingale, and together with another scientist-soldier type (the male lead) accompany a military unit into an infested college campus in search of a blood sample from the original zombie.

It had a stupid Shaun of the Dead moment where the male protagonist thoroughly smears himself with zombie fluids in order to slip past the zombies that have them cornered in the utility closet of a locker room, but overall it wasn't so bad, relatively speaking of course.

Maybe Bassman is right about becoming more forgiving of the older flicks. Not like we've had an abundance of Survival Horror flicks made recently. Dunno.

I will agree 4 & 5 are garbage. I kind of like #3 on a weird level. #5 is total garbage.. that we can both agree on.

[Mr.G]

IMO the first two are classics, the 3rd is hit or miss and the last two are pure crap. ROTLD was one of the first zed movies I watched. It scared the hell out of me as a kid.

[Trin]

IMO the first two are classics, the 3rd is hit or miss and the last two are pure crap. ROTLD was one of the first zed movies I watched. It scared the hell out of me as a kid.
This is where I might've been had I not seen Night, Dawn, and Day previously and thought, "Return of the Living Dead - they made another one? OutFuckinStanding!!" Then I got home and started watching and was like, wtf is this? Government cover-ups? Strange nerve gas? Zombie in a bottle?

[wayzim]

This is where I might've been had I not seen Night, Dawn, and Day previously and thought, "Return of the Living Dead - they made another one? OutFuckinStanding!!" Then I got home and started watching and was like, wtf is this? Government cover-ups? Strange nerve gas? Zombie in a bottle?

This was where the confusion came in, as mentioned in The Zombies That Ate Pittsburgh ( among other sources. )when both Day and Return were released within the same year.
Alot of folks thought Return was a Romero film, and some interviewers even asked George questions about it like it was his movie.
Now if O'Bannon had done it as Russo had written it ( a sequel to NOTLD, set ten years after ... ) the damage would have been much worse ... in my opinion.

Still, both Day and Return count among my favorite zombie pics.

Wayne Z

[darth los]

Now if O'Bannon had done it as Russo had written it ( a sequel to NOTLD, set ten years after ... ) the damage would have been much worse ... in my opinion.


You mean becuse the novel was total shit?

Several elements of the novel were incorporated into Russo's attempt to cash in on the film with NOTLD 30th anny. ( The dead must be spiked! :lol: Nigga please :rolleyes: )

:cool:

[AcesandEights]

IMO the first two are classics, the 3rd is hit or miss and the last two are pure crap. ROTLD was one of the first zed movies I watched. It scared the hell out of me as a kid.

ROTLD Part II was, if I recall correctly, the first zombie movie I ever saw in a theater. It had an interesting duality for me as a kid, so silly yet so scary at the same time (I can still be scared watching zombie films nowadays, back then forget it--even RotLD Part II was scary as hell in parts for me).

I agree the first film in the series is a sort of classic and I have an odd endearment to the second film, even as I note its many faults. Like you I noticed part III was pretty uneven, but the angle of the story/plight of the characters is so very dire it can kind of suck me in at parts. Plus, hot redhead zombie? Hard for me not to like.

[DjfunkmasterG]

Mindy Clarke.... YUMMY :p:D

[bassman]

Why do I often hear people saying things like "Well IF this had been closer to Russo's book it would have been a sequel to Night" or "IF this was a sequel to Night it wouldn't be as good"

Return is a blatant sequel(rip-off, cash in, etc) to night. There are no if's, and's, or but's about it, if you ask me. The film directly references the events that took place in Night and of course uses a typical sequel title. "Return" + "of the Living Dead" = Sequel to the un-copyrighted Night of the Living Dead.

Of course Russo was a part of Night and he has the right to do so, but just because his book wasn't directly translated doesn't make this any less of a "sequel". Hell....Return has more right to claim sequel than Dawn does....

[Trin]

Hell....Return has more right to claim sequel than Dawn does....
Not until Philly comes on and tells us that Return actually comes before Night in the timeline. :lol:

But, seriously, that's a sobering and ground shaking bit of reasoning you've done there. Dawn is not as legitimate a sequel as Return? Wow... that's hard to take. But as you've argued it it's hard to disagree.

[EvilNed]

Return is a blatant sequel(rip-off, cash in, etc) to night.

Ah. I finally see why you don't like ROTLD. You haven't even seen it.

[BillyRay]

Hell....Return has more right to claim sequel than Dawn does....

Actually, It's a prequel to Dawn '04.

There, I said it.

[bassman]

Ah. I finally see why you don't like ROTLD. You haven't even seen it.

No....I've definitely seen it. Look at it this way. The events in Return are a direct result of the "real" events of Night. If there was no Night, there could be no Return. Sure, they could have just dropped the whole night subplot in Return and the basic film would still be there, but my point is that they kept it in there. They even use a relative title that suggests it is a sequel.

Dawn and Day have no mention of Night, really. So in that sense, you could say that Return is more of a direct sequel.:|


Actually, It's a prequel to Dawn '04.


:lol:

And people credit Dawn04 for the modern running zombies. At least Snyder didn't have them talk and order delivery....

[darth los]

No....I've definitely seen it. Look at it this way. The events in Return are a direct result of the "real" events of Night. If there
Dawn and Day have no mention of Night, really. So in that sense, you could say that Return is more of a direct sequel.:|

Well, according to the man himself, none of the films are related anyway, so Bass man has a point there. Just the mention of Night in ROTLD gives it more continuity than GAr ever gave his series.

Now that's a point to ponder. :confused:

:cool:

[Trin]

Dawn and Day have no mention of Night, really. So in that sense, you could say that Return is more of a direct sequel.:|It's inescapable. Unthinkable and yet inescapable.


And people credit Dawn04 for the modern running zombies. At least Snyder didn't have them talk and order delivery....
You're on a roll there.

[wayzim]

You mean becuse the novel was total shit?

Several elements of the novel were incorporated into Russo's attempt to cash in on the film with NOTLD 30th anny. ( The dead must be spiked! :lol: Nigga please :rolleyes: )

:cool:

What I meant was that ROTLD would be like "Never Say, Never Again." was to the Bond franchise.
For those who don't know, "Never. " was a non canon remake of an earlier Bond film (Thunderball. )done by another studio to lure Sean Connery back for a last hurrah as 007. It had nothing to do with the Roger Moore films and just made things really confusing.
As for the novel, it was OK. I like the idea of a ten years later reemergence of the plague, only several times worse. I did think the religious repercussions (including the head spiking. ) was a decent response among the holy rollers. Otherwise the story was all right.

As for the film ... it's dark satire, was always satire, will always be satire of both the Zed genre and Romero. Did O'Bannon do this to deliberately sabotage Day? Well, George didn't think so ( again from Zombies That Ate Pittsburgh ) so I'm not about to beat that Dead horse.

Wayne Z
"Even God has a Sense of Humor. Consider the Platypus. "
Kevin Smith, Dogma

[Cikorpyan]

First off, I will say that ROTLD does not hold up against any of the “original” Romero offerings. To me night, dawn, and day will always hold the top spots for zombie films. Perhaps Romero has another great zombie film up his sleeve before he leaves us, but as it stand now that is unlikely.

I like ROTLD, but I also do not try to dissect it and try to extract more from it than it actually is. I was born in 1981, but I had a sick demented older brother that rented it when my parents were out of town and let me watch it. Therefore, perhaps I view it with a little more nostalgia than critical eye. To me though it is just a fun 80s movie with zombies, boobs, loud music, and random silliness, not to be taken too seriously. The things I enjoy about it could possibly be the same reasons others hate it but here are a few:

1.“Tar-man”: yeah he has his flaws, but goddamn he is a scary looking. Besides the talking, he gets my vote as one of the best zombies in any film.

2.Trioxin/barrels/smoke: I think they did a decent job of making these inanimate objects actual characters in the story. Even to this day, there is just something ominous about bunches of old rusty barrels… although the current state of the world has something to do with that as well. :confused:

3.Silliness: Just about every serious scene contains some crazy outburst from one of characters that makes light of the whole situation. Sure, I would rather have a serious post-apocalyptic zombie film, but that is what we have Romero for. :cool:

[DjfunkmasterG]

I agree about your 3 items.

Tarman is creepy as hell, the barrels were as much characters as Frank Freddy, Burt, Ernie, and Spider. This is why I dig ROTLD because the little things like the barrels... were introcate to the movies plot and horror, especially at that time in the 80's when we were coming off the cold war, and all you heard about was toxic dumping. Going Green was becoming a huge thing... or at least it was gaining steam. There is just so much about ROTLD that reflected pop culture of the time and affected pop culture today.