The Return of the Living Dead
A reckless warehouse mistake unleashes brain-hungry corpses in a punk-charged, relentlessly irreverent zombie nightmare.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- irreverent
- grotesque
- frantic
- halloween party
- late night cult movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as a stylish and gleefully grotesque horror-comedy whose broad performances and cheap thrills occasionally blunt its sharper ideas.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The cemetery sequence and young characters are strongly associated with punk styling and subculture, while the film's horror is played for mordant laughs.
The reanimated dead explicitly seek brains as their favorite food, making hunger a recurring grotesque joke and plot engine.
The warehouse relics and the behavior of the reanimated dead expand familiar zombie conventions, including their distinctive appetite and persistence.
The film was nominated for a Saturn Award for makeup and centers its appeal on visibly decayed, reanimated corpses.
Films like The Return of the Living Dead, and why
Night of the Comet
Shares irreverent zombie horror, grotesque practical effects, and dark comedic energy.
Dead Alive
Combines punk-inflected youth culture, comedic horror, and fast-moving undead chaos.
Shaun of the Dead
A landmark zombie comedy with genre satire, ensemble panic, and escalating undead mayhem.
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
Shares gleefully grotesque horror-comedy, practical gore, and a self-aware approach to zombie conventions.
Movie Details
- Director
- Dan O'Bannon
- Release Date
- 1985-04-25
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (2370)
Cast
- Clu Gulager
- James Karen
- Don Calfa
- Thom Mathews
- Miguel A. Núñez Jr.
- Brian Peck
- John Philbin
- Linnea Quigley
- Beverly Randolph
- Jewel Shepard
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Return of the Living Dead about?
- A reckless warehouse mistake unleashes brain-hungry corpses in a punk-charged, relentlessly irreverent zombie nightmare.
- What is The Return of the Living Dead like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Return of the Living Dead as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Return of the Living Dead violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Return of the Living Dead as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Return of the Living Dead?
- Critics broadly regard it as a stylish and gleefully grotesque horror-comedy whose broad performances and cheap thrills occasionally blunt its sharper ideas.
- Which films are like The Return of the Living Dead?
- Films with a similar feel include Night of the Comet, Dead Alive, Shaun of the Dead, and Tucker & Dale vs. Evil.
- How long is The Return of the Living Dead?
- The Return of the Living Dead runs 91 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Return of the Living Dead?
- In United States, The Return of the Living Dead streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus.
