The Return Of The Living Dead Scene Horror Fans Can't Stop Rewatching
Dan O'Bannon's "Return of the Living Dead" series is one of the most influential, rewatchable set of films in the zombie movie canon. Hungering for brains? Long-buried corpses waking up? Talking zombies? That all comes from "Return of the Living Dead."
The first film in the series came out in 1985. It's a punk rock horror comedy that sees a group of teens trapped in a cemetery when a deadly gas reanimates the dead. These zombies distinguish themselves by being somewhat sentient — they're aware of their condition and they don't like it. Being dead hurts, and the only thing that keeps the pain at bay is eating human brains. The film stars Linnea Quigley in the role that cemented her scream queen status, as well as Clu Gulager, James Karen, Thom Matthews, and Jonathan Terry. The soundtrack features '80s punk classics from The Cramps, T.S.O.L., The Damned, and SSQ among others.
Fans love "Return of the Living Dead" for its morbid humor, retro fashions, and its perfect blend of scares and laughs. The film's first zombie, the Tarman, has become an icon of '80s horror. But one scene remains utterly rewatchable.
Fans love the film's opening exposition
A Reddit user singled out the film's opening scene for being a masterful balance between tension and exposition. "Not only does it set the stage for what's to come and provide the connection to 'Night of the Living Dead,'" they wrote, "James Karen is just a great storyteller."
"Return of the Living Dead" is kind of a spin-off franchise from George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" series. As explained on Den of Geek, "Night" co-writer John Russo retained the rights to movies with the "Living Dead" appellation. That's why Romero's second movie isn't called "Dawn of the Living Dead" but plain ol' "Dawn of the Dead." Russo wrote a novel that O'Bannon adapted into the horror-comedy we know today.
In the movie's cold open, veteran medical supply company worker Frank (Karen) explains to newbie Freddy (Matthews) that the events of "Night of the Living Dead" really happened. Some trioxin leaked into a Pittsburgh hospital morgue, and the dead came back to life. Romero was pressured by the military to change enough details to cover up the story, but a real-live (undead?) zombie is downstairs right now. "I always loved this scene too, you're right there on the edge of your seat with Freddy," wrote one Redditor. "What a great twist on the whole zombie idea, so ahead of [its] time."