The Return of the Living Dead [Blu-ray]

Rework, remake, homage, tribute, call Return of the Living Dead (1985) whatever you'd like, I just think it's a damn good film which achieves something not a lot of movies of its kind manage to do in successfully mixing two genres, those being horror and comedy, to create a third, which I call a `hormadey' (look at that, I just invented a new word right before your eyes...patent pending...quick, call the people at Webster's...I bet they pay good money for new words)...Sam Raimi did it in Evil Dead II (1987), although he called it `splatstick', Peter Jackson did it in some of his early like films Bad Taste (1987), and even more so in Braindead (1992) aka Dead Alive, and Stuart Gordon did it in Re-Animator (1985), just as Dan O'Bannon has done so with this film. Co-written and directed by Dan O'Bannon (Alien, Dead & Buried, Blue Thunder), the film features an excellent cast including Clu Gulager (McQ, A Force of One), James Karen (Poltergeist, Apt Pupil, Superman Returns), Don Calfa (Chopper Chicks in Zombietown, Weekend at Bernie's), and Thom Mathews (Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, Alien from L.A.). Also appearing is Beverly Randolph, John Philbin (The New Kids, Point Break), Jewel Shepard (Hollywood Hot Tubs), Miguel A. Núñez Jr. (Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, Carnosaur 2), scream queen Linnea Quigley (Creepozoids, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama), Mark Venturini, who sadly passed away in 1996, and Brian Peck, the only actor to appear in all three Return of the Living Dead films.As the film begins, we find ourselves at the Uneeda Medical Supply company `You need it...we got it'. It's Freddie's (Mathews) first day as a stockboy, and co-worker Frank (Karen) is showing him the ropes, along with the prosthetics, bedpans, skeletons, and yes, cadavers (man, they weren't kidding about having what I need, particularly in a nice bedpan). A curious Freddie inquires as to what's the weirdest thing Frank has ever seen during his long tenure at the company to which Frank relates a fantastic tale about how some years ago, a chemical created a chemical for the military that had a strange side effect, namely, it brought the dead back to life. The resulting mess was cleaned up, and the reanimated corpses were stuffed into sealed containers. Many of the supposedly true events were then turned into a film that we know as George Romero's Night of the Living Dead (nice acknowledgement), although a number of facts were changed to avoid litigation. Anyway, due to a military snafu, some of the containers were accidentally shipped to Uneeda, and have been sitting in the basement ever since, undisturbed...until now...while showing Freddie the containers, Frank slaps the side of one, a seal breaks, and the gas squirts out all over the two men knocking them out, and also into the air ducts, which, in turn, revives the corpsicle in the freezer. The boys begin to freak, and decide to call the owner Burt (Gulager), figuring he'll know what to do...after some debating, then end up hacking the lively decedent into parts, stuffing the parts into garbage bags, taking said bags across the street to the crematorium and asking the resident mortician Ernie Kaltenbrunner (Calfa), who Burt's been friends with for a long time (get it? Burt and Ernie? Ah well...) to burn the evidence. Ernie finally agrees, and the parts do burn into ash, but an unforeseen result is the smoke from the burning of the body is released through the chimney. This, coupled with the quickly approaching thunderstorm, causes the fumes to seep into the ground, causing a...reaction among the long dormant residents of the graveyard, the same graveyard Freddie's friends are hanging out at while waiting for Freddie to get off work...well, I think you can put two and two together and surmise, like the South, the dead shall rise again, and they do...and they're hungry...for juicy, juicy brains...I think this is a great movie, for someone who can appreciate it...one of the best aspects of the film are the colorful and distinctive characters, played very well by the actors. There isn't a whole lot of development, but they're still interesting enough to keep you watching. Perhaps my favorite character of the film was that of Burt, the boss and owner of the medical supply company played by Clu Gulager. His pragmatism played off extremely well off the exponentially growing horror of the animated corpses, and created a sort of bizarre sense that he was more worried about how all this was going to affect business, rather than for his own mortality. Eventually he does realize the grievous nature of the situation, but up until then it was pretty funny, particularly because he didn't overplay it...my favorite scene involved the sequence after Burt and the boys hacked up the spastic corpse and then brought it across the street to the mortuary, in an effort to get Burt's friend Ernie to get rid of everything by burning it up in his crematorium. At first Burt tries to explain the wiggling bags as a shipment of rabid weasels, rather than tell Ernie the truth. After awhile, and many questions from Ernie, Burt finally does come clean, but his initial attempts at subterfuge are hilarious. A couple of other great performances are given by James Karen as Frank, the long time warehouse employee seeming happy to have a new apprentice, even to the point of showing off a little, and Don Calfa as Ernie, the gun toting mortician who develops a scientific interest in the corpses. Thom Mathews also did very well, especially near the end of the picture, as the sickness from inhaling the noxious gas earlier finally overtakes him. The walking dead were much more lively and active in this film, more so than I had seen in films previous, which added a nice spin to the notion that the reanimated dead are only capable of lumbering about. In terms of special effects and make up, the detail in the corpses was most excellent, especially that half woman corpse the group captures and Ernie questions in the latter half of the movie. Also, the Tarman corpse, the one that was released from the military container, was exquisitely detailed and the actor who played the part had his movements down perfectly, or at least in terms of how I thought a recently released from his barrel, rotting, festering, slimy corpse would move about. Everything worked so well together here, the directing, the script, quotable dialog, the humor, the nasty bits, the acting, all tied together with a carefully chosen soundtrack featuring bands like, among others, T.S.O.L, The Damned, The Flesheaters, Roky Erickson, and The Cramps. All in all, a completely harmonious balance and truly fun entertainment for the sick and twisted. Oh yeah, there's a couple of great nekkid bits featuring Jewel Shepard, who plays a punky girl obsessed with all things gruesome and morbid.This DVD release features both the widescreen (1.85:1), enhanced for 16X9 TVs, along with a fullscreen version, both looking sharp and clean. The Dolby Digital audio also comes through very well and clear. As far as special features, there is an audio commentary track with director Dan O'Bannon and production designer William Stout (I was kinda surprised they didn't get any of the actors involved), along with a featurette titled `Designing the Dead' (13:37), conceptual artwork by William Stout, TV spots, and both an G rated and R rated trailers for the film.Cookieman108

The Best movie ever. Everything as promised and arrived two days before it was bue.

This is the movie that invented zombies eating human brains. No other film had done it previously. And no film has done it better since. This is one of the finest films ever created. The soundtrack is so good and the story is just perfect. Special effects are amazing after all these years they still hold up. One of the greatest movies ever.

Unlike last months MGM/Fox BR + DVD Combo of Escape from New York (Which was a Great HD Transfer But, it was Bare with all The Great Extras nowhere to be found?!?!?!?!)This BR + DVD Combo is Nothing Short then How every BR Disc should be (You get the Fully Loaded 2nd Print DVD of ROTLD along with The HD BR Transfer with every Extra too!Return of the Living Dead is without a Doubt the Best American Non George Romero Zombie FilmClu Gulager said it best ROTLD is more Than a Horror Film it is Art!This Film holds allot of Memories Growing up.The 1st time i seen it i was Young 6yrs old or so (And it Scared me allot) Didn't help I lived maybe 150ft from a cemeteryYears later i would Catch it on tv and fall in love with it as A Close to Perfect Film That does so much more then typical Horror Movies.I've owned almost every Commercial Release (VHS, Both DVD Cuts now the BR) Could never find the Rare LaserDiscDan O'Bannon's Return of the Living Dead is such a stand out filmThat is Perfect in so many ways.The Story/Script is very smart tips a Hat at "The Godfather of the Dead" George A. Romero but, in no way Rips of his Vision.And creates a New Set of Rules! Fast Moving Zombies (Few Films Can pull of Fast Moving Corpses! Nightmare City, ROTLD, 28Days Later and "Remake of DOTD are the few that come to mind.Zombies that talk, Ect.The F/X are extremely good! Allot of Practical Effects that Still to this day Holds up and gives the film a Real Quality to itThe soundtrack is a Perfect fit (From the Opening Scene with James Karen & Thom Mathews getting blasted in the face with the Chemical the music comes in at the Right Place and it sets up the Pace of a Wild Fun Ride!IMO the Best Horror Soundtracks are Phantasm, Dawn of the Dead, Suspiria, Halloween, and ROTLDThe Cast is so Good (I'd say its one of the Best Film Cast of the 1980'sYou have 3 Veteran actors Clu Gulager, James Karen, and Don Calfa with a Group of Young Actor's Thom Mathews, Beverly Randolph, John Philbin, Jewel Shepard, Miguel Nunez, Brian Peck, Linnea Quigley, Mark Venturini. The Young Cast Members having to look like they walked from Sex Pistols Concert!Another New Unique thing Punk Rock Teens vs The UndeadEach actor Brings so much to this Film. The Scenes between James Karen and Thom Mathews are wonderful the 2 Click and Really Hold nothing back those 2 do the most heavy lifting since they have to Change Mentally and Physically and they Sell it!You truly feel bad for them 'Cause you are watching them die and you know what they are gonna become!ROTLD also has one of the Most Iconic Zombies of all TimeThere are 2 Actor's That Really know how 2 Play dead it would be (Romero's Day) Sherman Howard as Bub andAllan Trautman as Tarman Both of them Really showcase what fine Actor's They are Cause they are doing allot of Physical things without using DialogThe BR + DVD Combo Pack might comes Close 2 The Ultimate Collection (But, it is Missing all the Workprint Footage including the Original Ending)I've read a few reviews of the HD Picture Quality. IMO the PQ is very good. Some Scenes Look Flawless and pop out, Crisp and Clean.... Some scenes not the best But, It's going in the right step(Compared to the Dreadful HD Transfers of Robocop, The Terminator, and the 1st Print BR of Predator)PQ 9/10Audio (Getting a DTS Track finally) 9.5/10Extras 10/10Over All A True Must have Zombie Masterpiece That gets a very Awesome BR Collection 9.5/10

Entretenida y buenos efectos de maquillaje

Must have

Bought this move when it 1st came out on the old vhs video tape.Tape got lost though the years so got it again on much improved bluray.Still enjoyable after all these years.

genial edición de el regreso de los muertos vivientes,el diseño del DVD esta padrísimo,y el audio en su idioma original es impecable,algo chistoso,y que es digno de resaltar es que,trae un pequeño cuadernillo para iluminar al zombie tarman,que la verdad se me hizo muy chistoso,y le da un valor extra a esta edición,la verdad si vale la pena comprarla.contiene varios idiomas,y para mi sorpresa viene el doblaje al español latino,con voces de los actores de doblaje que mas admiro como pati acevedo,y monica Manjarrez dándole la voz a la sexy trash.me tardo un poco en llegar,ya que me la enviaron directamente de u.s.a. y estaban por resurtir el stock,pero valio la pena la espera,llegando bien empaquetada y en maravilloso estado.

Quick delivery, 4k movie in excellent condition and reasonable price!!!!