The Return of the Living Dead (Collector’s Edition): Blu-Ray Review
Arriving on Collector’s Edition Blu-ray this week is 1985’s “Return of the Living Dead”, courtesy of Scream Factory. Arguably the most beloved zombie-horror-comedy in existence, “Return of the Living Dead” has become a cult classic in the three decades since its’ release. The film still manages to sell out midnight retrospective screenings all across the world. The reason for this is simple. “Return of the Living Dead” is just awesome and a whole lot of fun. Thankfully Scream Factory realized this and put out one hell of a collector’s release. There are tons of bonus features in this two-disk set, including a new 2K transfer that looks beautiful.
When Freddy (Thom Mathews) and his boss Frank (James Karen) accidentally release a toxic gas from a canister storing a body, the cadavers in the building start coming back to life. To make matters worse, the gas is making them ill. When they try to cremate the zombies at the funeral home across the street, things get even more out of control. The ashes mix with the rainfall, which reanimates the every buried body in the graveyard next door. Freddy, Frank, as well as their boss Burt (Clu Gulager) and Ernie the mortician (Don Calfa) aren’t the only ones dealing with the living dead. A group of teenagers having some late night fun are also caught in the crazy mess. Linnea Quigley has never looked better, and she alone is worth this HD upgrade.
If you have never seen “Return of the Living Dead”, shame on you. This is the release to rectify that void in your life. If you love the film, this Collector’s Edition is a must buy.
Bonus Features
DISC 1:
- NEW 2K Scan Of The Interpositive
- NEW Audio Commentary With Gary Smart (Co-author Of The Complete History Of The Return Of The Living Dead) And Chris Griffiths
- NEW Audio Commentary With Actors Thom Mathews, John Philbin And Make-up Effects Artist Tony Gardner
- Audio Commentary With Director Dan O’Bannon And Production Designer William Stout
- Audio Commentary With The Cast And Crew Featuring Production Designer William Stout And Actors Don Calfa, Linnea Quigley, Brian Peck, Beverly Randolph, Allan Trautman
- The Decade Of Darkness – Featurette On ’80s Horror Films (23 minutes)
- Theatrical Trailers
- TV Spots
- Still Gallery – Posters, Lobby Cards, Movie Stills And Behind-The-Scenes Photos
- Still Gallery – Behind-The-Scenes Photos From Special Make-up Effects Artist Kenny Myers’ Personal Collection
- Zombie Subtitles For The Film
- In Their Own Words – The Zombies Speak
DISC 2:
- NEW The FX Of The Living Dead With Production Designer William Stout, FX Make-up Artists William Munns, Tony Gardner, Kenny Myers And Craig Caton-Largnet, Visual Effects Artists Bret Mixon And Gene Warren Jr. And Actor Brian Peck (Expanded Version) (30 minutes)
- NEW Party Time: The Music Of The Return Of The Living Dead With Music Consultants Budd Carr And Steve Pross And Soundtrack Artists Dinah Cancer (45 Grave), Chris D (The Flesh Eaters), Roky Erickson, Karl Moet (SSQ), Joe Wood (T.S.O.L.), Mark Robertson (Tall Boys) Plus Musicians Greg Hetson (Circle Jerks) And John Sox (The F.U.’s, Straw Dogs) (Expanded Version) (30 minutes)
- NEW HORROR’S HALLOWED GROUNDS – Revisiting The Locations Of The Film
- The Return Of The Living Dead Workprint – Includes 20 minutes Of Additional Footage (In Standard Definition)
- More Brains: A Return To The Living Dead – The Definitive Documentary On The Return Of The Living Dead (120 minutes)
- A Conversation With Dan O’Bannon – His Final Interview (28 minutes)
- The Origins Of The Living Dead – An Interview With John A. Russo (16 minutes)
- The Return Of The Living Dead – The Dead Have Risen – Interviews With Cast Members Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Brian Peck, Thom Mathews, Beverly Randolph, Linnea Quigley And More… (21 minutes)
- Designing The Dead – Interviews With Writer/Director Dan O’Bannon And Production Designer William Stout (15 minutes)
By: Marc Ferman
Order: The Return of the Living Dead (Collector’s Edition): Blu-Ray