The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

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Director: Dan O'Bannon

Writers: Dan O'Bannon, story by Rudy Ricci & John Russo & Russell Streiner

Stars: Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Thom Mathews, Linnea Quigley, Beverly Randolph, John Philbin, Jewel Shepard



The dead rise when misplaced top-secret Army chemicals are accidentally released from a medical supply warehouse, forcing the employees and a group of punks to deal with the outbreak. 



This is a great horror film.

 


I was lucky enough to see it on the big screen when it was first released, and it has held up over the years. 



The kids playing the punks are a little bland, but old pro character actors Clu Gulager, James Karen, and Don Calfa steal the show.

 


Along with the gore and the thrills come plenty of laughs that work because they rise organically from the situation rather than being some silly attempt to “punch up” the script.





























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