The Return Of The Living Dead (1985) Dir: Dan O'Bannon
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Dan O'Bannon's 1985 zombie classic may work as an unofficial sequel to George A. Romero's 'Night Of The Living Dead', but it works on its own quite brilliantly. As readers of some of my previous reviews will know, I'm often partial to a zombie film, especially when it's done well.
I really enjoyed the soundtrack that accompanied this film, it was so groovy, and even though it wasn't exactly a horror soundtrack, it fit so well. It was perfect for the film's visual aesthetic too, which was so 80's horror, and even reminded me of the 'Thriller' music video, at times. The zombies look somehow both great and terrible, but that all just adds to it.
The story may have been fairly simple, but it worked excellently. It brought together a random and amusingly stereotypical and over-the-top set of characters and put them in an end of the world scenario, which I found hilarious and entertaining in abundance. Honestly, I found it really enjoyable, and the film utilised tropes of the genre to great effect.
The ensemble cast were all very entertaining, and definitely got the message to be as dramatic as possible - it was honestly great. I thought that the best performances came from the likes of Don Calfa, Miguel A. Núñez Jr., Clu Gulager and James Karen. Of these, I'd say Núñez Jr. was my favourite, for what it's worth.
That said, I don't think anyone gave an outright bad performance. Some of them were pretty goofy, but they all provided some form of entertainment, I felt. I'll give mentions to Thom Mathews, Beverly Randolph, Brian Peck, Jonathon Terry, John Philbin, Jewel Shephard, Mark Venturini and Linnea Quigley, who, bless her, spent most of her time naked for some bizarre reason.
Overall, I have to say, I thought this was great! It had a really good mix of humour and horror that makes for some of my favourite zombie films. I would happily watch this film again, and I hope I can watch the sequels soon, especially if they're anything like this one.
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