☆ ☆ ☆ ½
The
Return of the Living Dead (1985) – D. O’Bannon
I saw this sometime closer to its release
date and Ayako reports that she saw it during its release in Japan. We own the DVD but hadn’t put it on for a long
time. I never realized that it was directed
by Dan O’Bannon (writer of Alien and Dark Star). It is a superior zombie film, definitely of
its time (1980s) with a number of punk rock characters and fashion and music to
suit (not always punk but definitely 80s).
I think we can agree that this is a comedy rather than a horror film,
although the action and effects are as aggressive and gory as anything you would
see contemporaneously. Unlike in George
Romero’s classic films (Night of.., Dawn of…, and so on), these zombies move
quickly and have a degree of intelligence (“Call More Paramedics!”). The plot:
Two inept guys working at a medical supply warehouse accidentally spill
some tin drums of military origin stored in the basement. They release a gas which brings the dead back
to life (and also infects them).
Unfortunately, the warehouse is located next to a huge cemetery. Some punk kids are hanging out there. The whole group escape to a nearby mortuary
with the head of the medical supply company (Clu Gallagher) and attempt to
defend themselves. No real social
commentary here (of the kind offered by Romero) but just some fast-paced gruesome
fun with a light dose of cynicism (at the end).
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