The Return of the Living Dead
They're Back From The Grave and Ready To Party!
1985 | 91m | English
Popularity: 4 (history)
| Director: | Dan O'Bannon |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Dan O'Bannon, John A. Russo, Russell Streiner, Rudy Ricci |
| Staring: |
| When foreman Frank shows new employee Freddy a secret military experiment in a supply warehouse in Louisville, Kentucky, the two klutzes accidentally release a gas that reanimates corpses into flesh-eating zombies. As the epidemic spreads throughout the town, and the creatures satisfy their hunger in gory and outlandish ways, Frank and Freddy fight to survive with the help of their boss and a mysterious mortician. | |
| Release Date: | Apr 25, 1985 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Dan O'Bannon |
| Writer: | Dan O'Bannon, John A. Russo, Russell Streiner, Rudy Ricci |
| Genres: | Comedy, Science Fiction, Horror |
| Keywords | cemetery, crematorium, punk rock, undead, zombie, paramedic, attic, warehouse, night of the living dead, walking dead, louisville, louisville, ky |
| Production Companies | Hemdale Film Corporation, Fox Films Ltd., Cinema 84 |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $14,241,310
Budget: $4,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 04, 2025 (Update) Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Clu Gulager | Burt |
| James Karen | Frank |
| Don Calfa | Ernie |
| Thom Mathews | Freddy |
| Miguel A. Núñez Jr. | Spider |
| Brian Peck | Scuz |
| John Philbin | Chuck |
| Linnea Quigley | Trash |
| Beverly Randolph | Tina |
| Jewel Shepard | Casey |
| Mark Venturini | Suicide |
| Jonathan Terry | Colonel Glover |
| Cathleen Cordell | Colonel's Wife |
| David Bond | Radio Corpse #2 |
| Derrick Brice | Gunnery Sergeant |
| Paul Cloud | Cop #2 |
| Michael Crabtree | Riot Cop #2 |
| Robert Craighead | Cop #1 |
| James Dalesandro | Paramedic #2 |
| Drew Deighan | Paramedic #1 |
| Leigh Drake | Dispatcher |
| John Durbin | Radio Corpse #1 |
| Ed Krieger | Riot Cop #3 |
| Bob Libman | Tac Squad Captain |
| Allan Trautman | Tarman |
| John Stuart West | Riot Cop #1 |
| Terry Houlihan | Yellow Cadaver |
| Robert J. Bennett | Headless Tarman |
| Jerome Coleman | Legless Corpse |
| Cherry Davis | ½ Lady Corpse (voice) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Dan O'Bannon | Screenplay, Director |
| John A. Russo | Story |
| Russell Streiner | Story |
| William Stout | Production Design |
| Allan A. Apone | Makeup Effects |
| Erik Cord | Stunt Coordinator, Stunts |
| Gene Hartline | Stunts |
| Kim Robert Koscki | Stunts |
| Joel Kramer | Stunts |
| Paula Moody | Stunts |
| Bernie Pock | Stunts |
| Spiro Razatos | Stunts |
| Josh King | Second Assistant Director |
| Mark Helfrich | Additional Editor |
| Matt Clifford | Original Music Composer |
| Jules Brenner | Director of Photography |
| Robert Gordon | Editor |
| Ken Kaufman | Set Decoration |
| Rudy Ricci | Story |
| Stanzi Stokes | Casting |
| Robert Lucas | Set Decoration |
| Robert Howland | Art Direction |
| Robin L. Neal | Key Makeup Artist |
| William Munns | Makeup Effects |
| Blair Burrows | Stunts |
| Hank Calia | Stunts |
| Michael Carr | Stunts |
| Fernando Celis | Stunts |
| Monty Cox | Stunts |
| Gardner Doolittle | Stunts |
| Ralph Garrett | Stunts |
| John Gillespie | Stunts |
| Gary Jensen | Stunt Coordinator, Stunts |
| Bruce W. Morgan | Stunts |
| Byron Quisenberry | Stunts |
| Ray Saniger | Stunts |
| Ethan Wayne | Stunts |
| Brian J. Williams | Stunts |
| David Zellitti | Stunts |
| Michael Bennett | Production Manager |
| David M. Robertson | First Assistant Director |
| Scott Javine | Second Assistant Director |
| Clayton Hartley | Assistant Art Director |
| Michael Gastaldo | Leadman |
| Sara Lee Wade | Set Dresser |
| Barbara Benz | Property Master |
| Frederick B. Van Brunt | Assistant Property Master |
| Ed Nielsen | Camera Operator |
| Robert L. Blatman | Assistant Camera |
| Rory Flynn | Still Photographer |
| Julie Feiner | Assistant Editor |
| John Penney | Assistant Editor |
| Barbara Pokras | Additional Editor |
| Ron Judkins | Sound Mixer |
| Robert Jackson | Boom Operator |
| Dale Johnston | Supervising Sound Editor |
| Adam Johnston | Assistant Sound Editor |
| Ray West | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Bob Minkler | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Chris Carpenter | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Robert Randles | Music Supervisor |
| Emilie Robertson | Music Editor |
| Yvette Bliss | Makeup Artist |
| Wendy Hogan | Makeup & Hair |
| Kenny Myers | Special Effects Makeup Artist |
| Craig Caton | Special Effects Makeup Artist |
| Larry Odien | Special Effects Makeup Artist |
| Tony Rupprecht | Special Effects Makeup Artist |
| Douglas J. White | Special Effects Makeup Artist |
| Lesley Levin | Assistant Costume Designer |
| Robert M. Amerian | Gaffer |
| Marty Carrillo | Best Boy Electric |
| Timothy 'Guido' Magaraci | Electrician |
| Ronald J. Pure Jr. | Electrician |
| Richard Mall | Key Grip |
| Andreas Crawford | Grip |
| Jesse Tango | Grip |
| Christena Alcorn | Script Supervisor |
| Karen Altman Morgenstern | Production Coordinator |
| Belinda Vidaurri | Production Secretary |
| Alexander Hendrie | Location Manager |
| Richard Lorenzana | Production Accountant |
| Lucien Jervis | Casting Assistant |
| Pattison Newberry | Set Medic |
| Richard Padgett | Transportation Coordinator |
| Bob McCarthy | Special Effects Supervisor, Special Effects |
| Gene Warren Jr. | Visual Effects Supervisor |
| Pete Kleinow | Visual Effects Supervisor |
| Vivian Hengsteler | Negative Cutter |
| Dan Muscarella | Color Timer |
| Bob Stephens | Stunts |
| Kevin McCarthy | Special Effects |
| Julio Macat | Assistant Camera |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| John Daly | Executive Producer |
| Derek Gibson | Executive Producer |
| Tom Fox | Producer |
| Graham Henderson | Co-Producer |
| Grahame Jennings | Associate Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 33 | 48 | 25 |
| 2024 | 5 | 37 | 52 | 24 |
| 2024 | 6 | 29 | 35 | 22 |
| 2024 | 7 | 40 | 64 | 27 |
| 2024 | 8 | 39 | 61 | 21 |
| 2024 | 9 | 30 | 50 | 22 |
| 2024 | 10 | 36 | 76 | 24 |
| 2024 | 11 | 30 | 50 | 22 |
| 2024 | 12 | 29 | 49 | 23 |
| 2025 | 1 | 32 | 42 | 23 |
| 2025 | 2 | 21 | 36 | 4 |
| 2025 | 3 | 9 | 31 | 2 |
| 2025 | 4 | 16 | 70 | 3 |
| 2025 | 5 | 13 | 90 | 3 |
| 2025 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 3 |
| 2025 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| 2025 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| 2025 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | 495 | 732 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 | 494 | 768 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | 510 | 727 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | 306 | 681 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 878 | 935 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 238 | 739 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 940 | 961 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 883 | 931 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 147 | 700 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 12 | 781 | 781 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 11 | 726 | 828 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 10 | 512 | 771 |