The Return of the Living Dead

The Return of the Living Dead (1985) begins in a medical supply warehouse. Two employees accidentally open a drum in the basement and the gas inside escapes. The dead rise, and a group of punks partying in a cemetery are caught in the same night. Its lasting contribution is one line. The idea that zombies specifically want brains comes from this film; in Romero's work the dead eat flesh generally. Wikipedia flags the claim as disputed, but the trope spread from here. The series exists because of a legal split. When John Russo parted from Romero after Night of the Living Dead, he retained the rights to the Living Dead title. Russo built this branch while Romero continued his own with Dawn of the Dead. Tobe Hooper was to have directed it in 3D. When funding at Hemdale was delayed he left for Lifeforce instead. Dan O'Bannon, who co wrote Lifeforce, completely restructured the script and took the chair himself; it was his directing debut. The music comes from the Los Angeles punk and deathrock scene: The Cramps, 45 Grave, T.S.O.L. and The Damned. It was made for between three and four million dollars and took roughly 14.2 million in America. It runs 91 minutes. Good for: horror comedy, eighties punk aesthetics, and practical effects. Less good for: the violence and decomposition effects are graphic. The balance between comedy and dread reads as indecisive to some. Most of the characters are types, and the cemetery scene with the one young woman plays badly now.