Prime Video Adds Beloved Horror Comedy That’s “Campy, comical, and frequently brutal”
George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead set the template for the modern zombie film. It put a fresh spin on the subgenre. Prior to that point, movies depicted zombies as slaves, mindlessly serving a master. Night of the Living Dead eschews all prior conventions and gives the undead a mind of their own, so to speak.
The film proved a breakout hit that remains a pop culture staple more than 50 years later. However, following the success of the first film, screenwriters Romero and John A. Russo couldn’t get on the same page about where to take the action in future series installments. Accordingly, the co-creators split the rights to the IP, with Romero’s sequels using the word ‘Dead’ and Russo’s subsequent installments featuring ‘Living Dead’ in the title.
Both filmmakers have since been involved with noteworthy and influential follow-ups. Romero subsequently released a slick critique of consumer culture via Dawn of the Dead. Whereas Russo went in a more farcical direction with the beloved horror comedy The Return of the Living Dead. Though Russo turned the directorial reins over to Dan O’Bannon for this outlandish follow-up, he is responsible for the original idea and takes a ‘story by’ credit on the project.
Russo’s idea for the pseudo-sequel proved to be quite appealing. Not only that, but it also influenced the future of zombie cinema. Years before 28 Days Later, the film featured fast zombies. Additionally, Return of the Living Dead stands out as perhaps the earliest example of a zombie movie where the undead feast on human brains! Just like Night of the Living Dead before it, The Return of the Living Dead changed the face of the modern zombie.
The setup for The Return of the Living Dead is this:
When foreman Frank (James Karen) shows new employee Freddy (Thom Mathews) a secret military experiment in a supply warehouse, the two accidentally release a gas that reanimates corpses into flesh-eating zombies. As the epidemic spreads throughout Louisville, KY, and the creatures satisfy their hunger in gory and outlandish ways, Frank and Freddy fight to survive with the help of their boss (Clu Gulager) and a mysterious mortician (Don Calfa).
Believe me when I say that I have nothing but love for this trailblazing effort. In fact, I once wrote an editorial praising the picture. The summation of my coverage reads, in part: “Ultimately, the film functions as a loose sequel to Night of the Living Dead but very much stands as its own entity. Return of the Living Dead is campy, comical, and frequently brutal.”
My write-up also explores the film’s portrayal of punk rock culture. The way the characters look and act like actual ‘80s punks, as opposed to a glamorized interpretation of the punk scene, has always impressed me. The flick realistically captures the aggressive style and attitudes of the movement.
If you share my appreciation for the film, you may be pleased to learn that it is currently streaming on Prime Video.
Categorized: Streaming News
