Two clueless, medical supply company workers (James Karen, Thom Matthews) accidentally open a canister containing a zombie-making gas. Soon the supply company owner (Clu Gulager), a mortician (Don Calfa), and a gang of punks (Linnea Quigley, Mark Venturini, Beverly Randolph, Jewel Shepard, Miguel Núnez, Jr.) are fighting for their lives, and doing it to rock-n-roll.
After Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, three of his partners (Rudy Ricci, John A. Russo, Russell Streiner), with as much ownership of the rights as Romero, wrote their own take on the next step in zombies. Dan O’Bannon (screenwriter of Alien) took their story and lightened it, to avoid recreating Romero’s work.
Not a sequel to Romero’s Living Dead films, but winking at them, Return of the Living Dead is a campy relative that has created as many of the zombie paradigms as its much more serious cousins (the zombies keep mumbling “braaains!”). Don’t look for deep themes here. It’s all gore, nudity, and humor. This is exploitation at its best. There is a nude scene in the cemetery—not some cheap topless bit, but full frontal nude dancing from Linnea Quigley—for no reason other than many people like to see beautiful naked girls. There’s extra blood and gore for the same reason. The acting is decent, the jokes are funny more often than not, and it is almost scary from time to time. The ’80s pop-punk rock gets old quickly, but doesn’t hurt the mood much. This is a perfect Halloween party movie.