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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Watchlist

71%

117 Reviews

Tomatometer

79%

50,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

117 Reviews

79%

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).

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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Theodore L

Mar 22, 2019

Best zombie movie ever made

Feb 25, 2019

My favorite zombie movie

George W

Jan 12, 2019

An awesome movie, the effects, acting, story, and the characters we're all very well done.

Luke R

Nov 15, 2018

A good mix of campy fun and some genuinely creepy moments thanks to the Tarman.

George L

Jul 14, 2018

A classic. Very silly and funny and a killer soundtrack. More brains!

Kylo L

Apr 12, 2018

A fun and brilliantly gory zombie romp that has the shades of satire present in Romero's zombie movies.

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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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