4K Ultra HD Review – The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

      The Return of the Living Dead, 1985.

      Written and Directed by Dan O’Bannon.

      Featuring Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Thom Mathews, Beverly Randolph, John Philbin, Jewel Shepard, Miguel Nunez, Brian Peck, and Linnea Quigley.

      SYNOPSIS:

      When two clumsy workers at a medical supply warehouse unintentionally release a lethal gas into the atmosphere, the fumes cause the dead to come back to life as zombies.

      The year 1985 was one of those remarkable moments when cinema was in full swing. Movies like Back to the Future, Brazil, The Breakfast Club, and The Goonies each captured a vibrant aspect of pop culture. Among these films, The Return of the Living Dead stood out with its more anarchic tone, joyfully disregarding the established rules of zombie narratives and mocking George A. Romero’s serious end-of-the-world themes. Now, four decades later, Arrow Video’s new 4K restoration has shown that Dan O’Bannon’s cult classic still vibrates with the same playful energy, now presented in a vivid clarity unseen in previous VHS versions.

      Written and directed by O’Bannon, who was best known as the screenwriter for Alien at the time, Return combines elements of comedy, horror, and punk attitude. It begins in a medical-supply warehouse where employees Frank (James Karen) and Freddy (Thom Mathews) inadvertently release a military gas that resurrects the dead. As the gas spreads, a group of punk teens celebrating in a nearby graveyard find themselves caught between the contaminated warehouse and the newly awakened corpses beneath them.

      Right from the opening scenes, O’Bannon makes it evident that this is not a direct sequel to Night of the Living Dead but rather a spirited take on the genre. The film recognizes Romero’s original as “based on a true story,” only to discard its rules. These zombies do not shuffle—they run, talk, strategize, and negotiate. They even use radios to demand “Send more paramedics.” The Tarman zombie, oozing with black sludge and cunning intelligence, exemplifies the art of rubber suit horror: grotesque, humorous, and unforgettable.

      It’s easy to understand why Return became a staple of midnight screenings. O’Bannon maintains a brisk and relentless pace throughout the film. Not a moment is wasted in its 91-minute runtime, as the chaos escalates from darkly comic blunders to apocalyptic despair. The performances balance perfectly between genuine panic and absurdity. Karen and Mathews excel at depicting the painful transformation from hapless employees to sentient corpses with an unusual poignancy. Clu Gulager and Don Calfa provide a grounding dry wit amid the film’s frenzy, while Linnea Quigley’s punk icon Trash makes one of horror cinema’s most infamous entrances, undressing in a graveyard before reanimating as a fang-toothed, pink-haired zombie.

      The endurance of Return lies in its precise tonal balance. It’s riotously entertaining but also genuinely disturbing. When a captured zombie calmly states that consuming brains “makes the pain go away,” the film touches on a grotesque yet tragic theme. O’Bannon’s true skill is in creating empathy—his monsters experience pain, and the humans often act in monstrous ways. Beneath its punk bravado lies an oddly humane apocalypse.

      Arrow’s new 4K Ultra HD release is simply the best presentation of the film to date. The restoration retains the grain and texture of the 35 mm film while enhancing the richness of the colors. The toxic greens and morgue blues now radiate with renewed vibrancy. The mono and 5.1 audio tracks perform splendidly; the dialogue is sharp, the screams are still piercing, and the punk soundtrack (minus The Damned’s “Dead Beat Dance,” unfortunately lost due to rights issues) blasts through the speakers.

      The bonus features are as thorough as any devoted fan could wish for. Four audio commentaries explore every facet of the production, and the full-length documentary More Brains! presents a brutally honest and often humorous account of the behind-the-scenes chaos. Interviews with O’Bannon, production designer William Stout, make-up artist Tony Gardner, and several cast members, along with archival featurettes on effects, music, and filming locations, are also included.

      Arrow’s packaging is impressive, complete with reversible artwork, a poster, and a collector’s booklet, treating the film with the dignity of a minor classic rather than merely a cult curiosity.

      Experiencing The Return of the Living Dead in 4K is a grand event. It offers an opportunity to rediscover its rebellious spirit: bold, bloody, and self-awarely ridiculous, yet also clever enough to reinvent an entire sub-genre with a smile. Despite its decaying flesh and flying limbs, it remains a film that is very much alive.

      Flickering Myth