return of the living dead

THE FLICK: Comedy is tough. Horror-comedy is even tougher. And a film like “Return of the Living Dead” has the odds stacked against it before the credits even roll. Maybe that’s why writer/director Dan O’Bannon (“Alien,” “Darkstar”) lets the audience get a taste of what’s to come with a pre-credit set-up that lays down the ground rules – George Romero’s zombie films were based on a true story, which was covered up by the government. Most of the remaining “undead” were bottled up like toxic waste and shipped to a secure location, but a few were accidentally routed to the Uneeda Medical Supply Company in Louisville, Kentucky. That’s where two bumbling warehouse workers turn them loose and contaminate the graveyard next door with reanimating gas, setting the stage for a zombie apocalypse! The script sounds like total cheese, but O’Bannon molds it into a colorful tribute to E.C Comics, with equal parts gross out effects and wink-wink-nudge-nudge horror humor. Where later films like “Evil Dead 2” chose an over-the-top visual style to jazz up a tired genre, “Return” instead bounces off its quirky characters, including a gang of jaded punk rockers, a bug-eyed mortician, and lots of expendable paramedics. Every frame is packed with Mad magazine style details and it’s obvious O’Bannon and crew believed they were making something better than another low-budget gore fest. THE FEATURES: One of those “wouldn’t it be nice to have on DVD?” movies. And the wait paid off, with a handful of cool features you’d never expect for the low price and even lower profile of the film itself. “Designing the Dead” features interviews Dan O’Bannon and production designer William Stout, who brings along conceptual artwork he made for the principal corpses like “Tar Man.” This artwork is also presented full screen as another feature on the disc. O’Bannon and Stout are also reunited for a running commentary track that enthusiastically covers the making of the film. Although O’Bannon doesn’t go into much depth on the film’s backstory (Tobe Hooper was the first choice for director), he does discuss many of his dramatic choices – such as having the zombies run (his producers preferred the undead to be slow and lumbering) and Linnea Quigley’s not-so full frontal nudity (she was fitted with a unisex crotch to avoid an X-rating). Also included are several theatrical trailers and TV spots. FINAL SCORE: “Return of the Living Dead” is a cult film even within the cult community. Perhaps because O’Bannon had higher aspirations than simply continuing Romero’s zombie trilogy. But what he delivers instead is just as effective in its own way – a wickedly funny and inventive B-movie that never lets up! And the DVD release is one heck of a sweet package.