66. RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD

66. RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD
(1985)
Directed by Dan O'Bannon

Where does one begin when singing the praises of this accomplished piece of cinematic kicks? Well, I guess you could start with the sick humor ("It's not weasels in the bags", "Send more paramedics" etc.) and then continue by mentioning that there's naked graveyard dancing, punks getting devoured by zombies and punks in turn wasting zombies (glorious 1980's punks, might I add, including the black cat with a Rick James mullet), and if you can get past the mostly cheeseball 80's soundtrack (songs by the Cramps and Roky Erickson being two big BIG exceptions) then what you have is a zombie movie that just can't lose. As a sequel to "Night of the Living Dead" this movie succeeds because it refuses to be serious, even when characters are moaning through the pains of rigor mortis on their way to zombiehood. It's pure high octane comic book entertainment (an approach that also worked well in another sequel with a daunting predecessor released the following year, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Part Two"). "Life is short and it's filled with stuff, so let me know, baby, when you've had enough..."