The Return of the Living Dead | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

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Where to Watch The Return of the Living Dead What to Know Critics Reviews Audience Reviews My Rating Cast & Crew More Like This Related Movie News Photos The Return of the Living Dead

91%

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46 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

When foreman Frank (James Karen) shows new employee Freddy (Thom Mathews) a secret military experiment in a supply warehouse, the two klutzes 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).

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The Return of the Living Dead

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Critics Consensus

A punk take on the zombie genre, The Return of the Living Dead injects a healthy dose of '80s silliness to the flesh-consuming.

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Critics Reviews

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The Return of the Living Dead | Rotten Tomatoes (1)

Chris Hewitt (UK)

Empire Magazine

Essential, enormous fun.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 6, 2012

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The Return of the Living Dead | Rotten Tomatoes (2)

Simon Abrams

House Next Door

The Return of the Living Dead is in fact the real deal.

Feb 25, 2011

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The Return of the Living Dead | Rotten Tomatoes (3)

Variety Staff

Variety

O'Bannon deserves considerable credit for creating a terrifically funny first half-hour of exposition, something in which he is greatly aided by the goofball performance of James Karen as a medical supply know-it-all.

Mar 26, 2009

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The Return of the Living Dead | Rotten Tomatoes (4)

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The makeup effects are tremendous, and Calfa and especially Karen are hilarious as working stiffs (no pun intended).

Rated: 3/4

Feb 15, 2023

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The Return of the Living Dead | Rotten Tomatoes (5)

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Part spoof comedy, part kitschy horror, The Return of the Living Dead was tailor-made to achieve cult status.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 9, 2022

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The Return of the Living Dead | Rotten Tomatoes (6)

Chris Plante

Polygon

The Return of the Living Dead is the most 1980s zombie movie ever made and I say that as a compliment. Mostly.

Nov 2, 2021

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Audience Reviews

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Madden S A killer sound track, fun cast, fabulous practical effects and some genuinely scary moments, The Return of the Living Dead is one of the greatest movies of all time and a must for for the spooky season. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/07/24 Full Review Christian K An all time killer score and setup. Great, gory, and silly fun throughout. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/27/24 Full Review Jay H Linnea Quigley can't act. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/23/24 Full Review Tam W One of my favourite zombie movies of all times. Absolutely fantastic. Entertaining from star to finish with some great special effects and even the score. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/15/24 Full Review Audience Member Absolutely love this movie!! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/30/24 Full Review Leonardo A Tan buena como la recordaba cuando la vi en el 87 - 88 a mis 7-8 años en betamax jejeje Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/27/24 Full Review Read all reviews

The Return of the Living Dead

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Cast & Crew

Dan O'Bannon Director Clu Gulager Burt Wilson James Karen Frank Don Calfa Ernie Kaltenbrunner Thom Mathews Freddy Beverly Randolph Tina

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The Return of the Living Dead

The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

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Synopsis When foreman Frank (James Karen) shows new employee Freddy (Thom Mathews) a secret military experiment in a supply warehouse, the two klutzes 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).

Director: Dan O'Bannon
Producer: Tom Fox
Screenwriter: Dan O'Bannon
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Hemdale, Greenberg Brothers Partnership, Fox Films Ltd.
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 16, 1985, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Runtime: 1h 31m