The Return of the Living Dead

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The Return of the Living Dead

R

1985

1h 31m

Horror

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

117 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

When foreman Frank (James Karen) shows new employee Freddy (Thom Mathews) a secret military experiment in a supply warehouse, the two klutzes accidentally release a gas that reanimates corpses into flesh-eating zombies. As the epidemic spreads throughout Louisville, Ky., and the creatures satisfy their hunger in gory and outlandish ways, Frank and Freddy fight to survive with the help of their boss (Clu Gulager) and a mysterious mortician (Don Calfa).

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Critics Consensus

The Return of the Living Dead is a gleefully grotesque horror-comedy, though its broad performances and cheap thrills sometimes detract from its sharper moments.

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Jay Scott

Globe and Mail

Oct 8, 2025

It's one of the funniest films of its kind ever made.

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Joe Kane

New York Daily News

Sep 12, 2025

"Return" has its fair share of memorable junk movie moments.

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Archer Winsten

New York Post

Aug 13, 2025

All movies about the "living dead" strain for the same effect: pit-of-the-stomach disgust. In that respect The Return of the Living Dead rates near the top.

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Tom Atkinson

Flickering Myth

Oct 24, 2025

4/5

Brash, bloody, and knowingly ridiculous, but also smart enough to reinvent an entire sub-genre with a smile. For all its decaying flesh and flying limbs, it’s a film that’s very much alive.

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Gavin Spoors

FILMHOUNDS Magazine

Sep 30, 2025

5/5

Arrow Video provides the best way to watch one of the best horror films in cinema. The Return of the Living Dead plays just as well as it did when it originally came out forty years ago.

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Robert Sellers

Radio Times

Aug 31, 2025

3/5

A must for horror fans.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 10, 2026

The Return of the Living Dead = a *4* star Movie...

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Jasmine W

@jasniquejewels Sep 3, 2026

80s punk, zombies, and nudity a campy, creepy, cool classic zombie flick.

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B P

@Bradster69 Sep 1, 2026

Definitely Recommend It

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Elaine E

@Cookie1965 Aug 22, 2026

Soooo funny! I was lmao 🤣. This one wins hands down as the Best zombie comedy!!! Must see!!!

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Andy B

@AndyB21 Jul 11, 2026

One of the definitive zombie greats. Horror and humour in equal measure with fantasic practical effects that have aged very well.

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Walter W

@RT71869229 Jun 23, 2026

As someone who is a big fan of the Zombie film sub genre I can’t believe I haven’t watched "Return of the Living Dead" (1985) before now. An accidental military gas leak in a Kentucky warehouse reanimates the dead, triggering a localised outbreak that forces survivors to contend with an insatiable, agony-driven hunger while the US military prepares a containment solution. "The Resurrection Funeral Home" Medical Examiner, Don Calfa as "Ernie" packs a gun, but it won’t do him much good against the creatures from "Resurrection Cemetery". They’re back from the grave and ready to party! And these are not slow moving, dumb George Romero undead, but they are hungry for brains to cure the pain of being dead! "The Return of the Living Dead" successfully blends zombie horror and dark comedy with great SFX. If this film feels like an edition of the comic "Tales From the Crypt" that’s because the director, the late Dan O’Bannon, was inspired by them and horror films.

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Dan O'Bannon

Director

Clu Gulager

Burt Wilson

James Karen

Frank

Don Calfa

Ernie Kaltenbrunner

Thom Mathews

Freddy

Beverly Randolph

Tina

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Synopsis

When foreman Frank (James Karen) shows new employee Freddy (Thom Mathews) a secret military experiment in a supply warehouse, the two klutzes accidentally release a gas that reanimates corpses into flesh-eating zombies. As the epidemic spreads throughout Louisville, Ky., and the creatures satisfy their hunger in gory and outlandish ways, Frank and Freddy fight to survive with the help of their boss (Clu Gulager) and a mysterious mortician (Don Calfa).

Director: Dan O'Bannon
Producer: Tom Fox
Screenwriter: Dan O'Bannon
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Cinema 84, Hemdale, Greenberg Brothers Partnership, Fox Films Ltd.
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 16, 1985, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Runtime: 1h 31m

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