Return of the Living Dead a Retrospective

Dave Brown

Back in 1985, Dan O'Bannon had the vision to produce a sequel to Night of the Living Dead with George Romero.  The problem was that the script was seen as too violent and too much for audiences at the time.  With that in mind he put his helm behind a rewritten somewhat less controversial script.  This is a basic retelling of the background behind Return of the Living Dead.  

This has become a movie that stands as one of the pillars of zombie movie fandom right beside Night of the Living Dead or in some cases recent movies like Shaun of the Dead. There is just the right balance of violence, gore and slapstick humor.  This was the movie that gave zombies the reasoning to know what they wanted and the means with which to get it.  Compared to the Romero zombies the ROTLD zombies were more stylized and more cunning. They were more memorable and had more personality.  

Now more than 20 years later, we are starting to see a comeback.  The newest DVD release of this classic came earlier this year when it was released by Second Sight in the U.K. This release encompasses a two disc format, with the first having the feature and a small plethora of special features. Many of these include interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.  The second disc is where the real action comes in with a two hour documentary called "More Brains: A Return to the Living Dead". If you have ever wanted to know about much of the background behind the story and everything from location scouting to the zombie makeup, this is the documentary for you. Here is a little sampling of what this edition has to offer:


• MORE BRAINS! TWO HOURS OF KILLER BONUS FEATURES
A conversation with Dan O’Bannon: The Final Interview
They Won’t Stay Dead: A Look at Return of the Living Dead Part 2
A Love Beyond The Grave: A Look at Return of the Living Dead 3
Stacey Q Live: Exclusive ‘Tonight’ music video
Even More Brains: Deleted documentary interview
Return of the Living Dead in three minutes
Resurrected Settings: The Filming Locations Today
• THE ORIGINS OF RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD – with John A. Russo
• THE FX OF THE LIVING DEAD – with production designer William Stout and FX make-up artists William Munns and Tony Gardner
• PARTY TIME – with music consultant Steve Pross and 45 Grave singer Dinah Cancer

The sound and picture quality on this DVD are just amazing and as always, the story is one that is fast paced and timeless. While some of the soundtrack may be outdated, I would argue that it does nothing more than to put you in the mood for this fast paced movie. Besides who can resist a movie where one of the main zombies is "Tar-Man".  The movie is great and the special features make this a must own for any fan of great zombie movies.  If you would like to pick this up just make not that it is Region B so if you don't live in the UK then you will want to make sure you have a region free player.  This is one movie release that you will want to get your hands on today!

Send More Muppets: Fright-Rags Exclusive

Matt Boiselle

The creative masterminds at the horror t-shirt company Fright Rags have done it again. In conjunction with the 27th anniversary of the zombie horror-comedy classic, The Return of the Living Dead, a limited-edition series of t-shirts & hoodies have been emblazoned with a design that is sure to send chills (and some laughs) down your spine.

 While numerous ROTLD shirts have been spit out with drab graphics over the years by many other t-shirt makers, only Fright Rags could provide a design that can capture the essence of the movie that surely launched MANY fans into intently viewing other undead projects on the big (and little) screen for years after. Oh yeah, and did we mention.....the cast of the movie has been replaced by The Muppets ?? That's right ! - Those goofy little multi-colored showmen that infected movie and TV screens for many of us during our youth, have taken over key roles on this shirt ( and does it EVER look cool !)

    The focal point of the shirt centered across a graveyard is The Tarman himself, flanked by both Bert & Ernie playing from the movie.....well, Bert & Ernie. Other main characters like Suicide, Trash & Freddy are also depicted in full color and let me tell you, this little beauty will be sure to sell out quickly ! Pre-orders are being accepted on www.fright-rags.com right now for both mens and womens sizes s-5xl - and hoodies are also available, but be warned - this pre-order is only going to be offered until this Sunday, July 8th at 11:59 pm SO HURRY UP !!!!

Return of The Living Dead: More Brains ! Documentary DVD

Matt Boiselle
Many movies have come and gone with the undead brand attached to them, some noteable, many forgettable. But I will go on record and say that my favorite of all time without a doubt is The Return of The Living Dead. I first saw this movie in the Summer of 1987 on VHS with my brother and from that moment on I was hooked: gore, humor, storyline, great characters, excellent atmosphere. a killer soundtrack....and Linnea Quigley !!

Now - 26 years later, Mike Perez entertainment has released More Brains ! A Return to The Living Dead - The Definitive Documentary. This 2 hour DVD is stuffed to the limit with never before seen footage complete with over 30 brand new interviews with cast and crew from the first three movies. You also are showered with tons of deleted scenes, bloopers, special effects testing shots, and a bunch of special features to make even the most hardcore fan beg for more.

Have you made up your mind yet ? Here's another selling point for you, if you order this DVD by December 20th, 2011 ( Limited time only) - shipped separately from the disc will be a 12x18 poster of the DVD artwork created by Carl Ramsey ( the artist for the original Return of The Living Dead poster) - signed by 3 original cast members : Beverly Randolph ( Tina), James Karen ( Frank), and Brian Peck ( Scuz). This at a convention alone would cost you 60 bucks just in autograph fees ! And to top it all off, the cost is only 19.95 - with NO shipping costs to U.S residents - what more could you possibly want ? So head on over to Getmorebrains.com and order 1 for that special person this holiday season, or be greedy and just get one for yourself - either way this is an insane deal considering what you get for the bucks. Believe me after watching this, you too will be screaming for " More Brains" !!

Home Grown 'Return of the Living Dead' Trioxin Can Prop

Sometimes, the efforts of one are just too cool to not share with the many.  Case in point - this 55 gallon Trixon drum straight from Return of the Living Dead.  This weathered replica was precision-made by Dave Little and even features working red and blue lights! 

When I first started I painted the 55 gallon barrel green, I had the barrels from Return of the Living Dead Part 2 and 3 mixed up. The barrel from Part 2 was black and some of the barrels from Part 3 were green. I decided to make my barrel all rusted, it ended up being my version of a 2-4-5 Trioxin container. I figured since I couldn't match the barrel from Part 2 I might as well make my own version.  My barrel has the same access instructions and info stenciled on the front as the barrel from Part 2.