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My problem with the Return of the Living Dead films

post #1 of 15
1/17/05 at 4:37pm
Thread Starter 
I posted this in another thread, but no one commented on it, so I don't know if anyone saw it. I'm interested in you guys' opinions.

In all of the Return movies the zombies couldn't be killed by anything short of total immolation. However, I never liked this aspect, that the zombies couldn't be killed. This removes all the dramatic tension. In Romero's movies (and Shaun to some degree), the tension comes from the fact that a group of people could have survived if they worked together, but some inherant flaw in humanity makes this impossible. I think it's the fact that they could have made it that makes it terrible when they die. In the Return films, it never impacts me when a character dies because I think "Oh well, they were dead from the beginning". Anyone agree or disagree?
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post #2 of 15
1/17/05 at 6:20pm
It's never really bothered me perhaps because it's a comedy. Though the same could be said about Shaun and they did use it to good effect, as you said. However, Shaun also had significant amounts of drama and the creators actually aspired to something "more," which Return did not. Return's just a fun romp through zombie-land. Maybe, I guess. Anyone else have a take?
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post #3 of 15
1/17/05 at 6:23pm
Isn't that like complaining there's no dramatic tension in AIRPLANE?
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post #4 of 15
1/17/05 at 6:36pm
If there is any series of films that I am not looking for dramatic tension from, it is probably the ROTLD films.

That' said, I never had a problem so much with what it took to destroy the zombies in these films cuz....well, I dunno, it's there own little universe and the rules can be made up as they will.

You still wouldn't want to have your brains eaten if you were there (in the ROTLD universe) would ya? That's some tension right there.

But as comedies, these are definetely more on the goofy side (at least the ones I've seen).

A better item to ponder imo is: "If that damn acid was so potent, how come Freddie only had his eyes and the skin around them burned and not his whole face, head, shoulders, etc. melted to hell?"
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post #5 of 15
1/17/05 at 6:41pm
haha! The most important question of humanity.
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post #6 of 15
1/18/05 at 4:22am
Hi Rabid,
Costa Mesa here.

I think the first Return of the Living Dead movies was a romp. I enjoyed it. It was good to see that guy with no arms and legs I'd seen on Venice Beach make some cash as a zombie too. This movie was clearly everything it wanted to be. It made me laugh out loud on several occasions. Same with 2 with all the same basic dialogue in the beginning and all . Three was different, but I enjoyed the new twist. If there's a 4, I've yet to see it.


If I were to have a beef with this franchise, it would be the 'brains' thing that has wormed it's way into the psyche of the non-discriminating horror viewer as the zombie archetype. How many times have I been talking about NIGHT, DAWN, or DAY and someone will say "BRAINS!!!.....BRAINS!!!!!!!......"? One hell of a lot, that's how many. Way TOO many.

BTW, I had the original John Russo written paperback of RETURN back in the late seventies or early eighties.
For the life of me I can't remember a damn thing about it.
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post #7 of 15
1/18/05 at 10:42am
Thread Starter 
I've actually heard people (I thought on these message boards) defend the ROTLD movies as serious horror movies, with comedic elements. Kinda like Shaun. However, I've never seen the first two as anything but comedic farces. I can't see any kind of dramatic tension at all, and I was wondering how anyone else could. Good to see I wasn't totally off the mark.

However, the third does attempt to be a serious movie (at least I thought so), and I've heard that the fourth and fifth do (or will) as well. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think these movies would work seriously. Their charm lies in that they are comedies. Thoughts, comments?
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post #8 of 15
1/18/05 at 7:01pm
they're certainly lacking in gore.... at least the first one was....
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post #9 of 15
1/18/05 at 10:30pm
"However, I've never seen the first two as anything but comedic farces."
Same here. Don't get me wrong, I love them to distraction but they are comedies, and make no attempt at being a serious horror film or actually scaring the viewer. Which is fine, because they both are very funny films.
"SHaun", on the other hand is trying to be both funny and scary, and suceeds at both.
My love for the "ROTLD" franchise stops after #2. #3 stunk and I have not bothered with #4.
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post #10 of 15
1/20/05 at 2:29pm
ROTLD part 1 was a decent comedy/horror movie, but I thought that part 2 was a little too stupid. It had the same two co-stars as the first (even though they died, -1 point for continuity) one and I just didn't like it at all.

Part 3 however, had a more serious tone too it. Yeah it was definately creepy enough to sit through a few times. Plus Melinda Clarke was hot. (Even though she was a zombie)

I'm going to have to look for my VHS of that movie..... ahh the nostalgia.
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post #11 of 15
1/21/05 at 4:53am
Although i don´t like zombies that are able to talk and run i really like Return of the Living Dead 1, it´s the ultimate proof that punk is dead.
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post #12 of 15
1/21/05 at 4:46pm
I liked Return of the Living Dead 1 and 2. Both were very entertaing, I don't remeber being a 3 and 4. Was three had the psycho looking chick on the cover with blades for fingers??
Shaun of the Dead was funny as all get out. It had a lot of moments to refer night, day, and dawn which I thought was cool how that did that.

Did you see previews for the new Zombie movie coming out? Undead I saw some previews reminds me of night of the living dead vs matrix vs Beverely Hillbillies
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post #13 of 15
1/21/05 at 11:57pm
Return of the Living Dead 4 has not been released yet. They wrapped up shooting parts 4 & 5 a couple of months ago.

The first ROLD is a great comedic horror. Do I watch it to get scared? No. Do I watch it for laughs? Of course. Do I watch it is for a naked Linnea Quigley? Yes! Yes I do. But serious is not a word I would associate with ROTLD. More like campy, cheesy, enjoyable, '80s horror, that entertains.

Lap_Monkey, part of the charm of the second one WAS the fact that they had James Karen and Thom Mathews in it. They played different characters in part 2 from the first one. That's why Thom Mathews utters the line about being in some weird dream and being thru it before. I give that a +1 for inside humor. When I saw it back in the theaters in '88, I was amazed how a few of my buddies that went with me didn't get it as well.
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post #14 of 15
1/23/05 at 2:07pm

ROTLD Novel --- **SPOILERS**

Quote:
Originally Posted by EOD

.....

BTW, I had the original John Russo written paperback of RETURN back in the late seventies or early eighties.
For the life of me I can't remember a damn thing about it.

It was basically a rewrite of Night with a couple of different elements thrown in. It took place in the country and people had begun to make brain destruction/ decapitation a standard practice. A couple of the characters were fugitives and it's also where we excounter the first (that I know of) zombie newborn. Not great but still a fun read.

Slightly OT, but you might want to check out "The Rising," by Brian Keene if you haven't already.
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post #15 of 15
1/25/05 at 4:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mahduk
It was basically a rewrite of Night with a couple of different elements thrown in. It took place in the country and people had begun to make brain destruction/ decapitation a standard practice. A couple of the characters were fugitives and it's also where we excounter the first (that I know of) zombie newborn. Not great but still a fun read.

Slightly OT, but you might want to check out "The Rising," by Brian Keene if you haven't already.

Thanks, this isn't the first time someone has recommended Keene to me. I should get off my rump and get something by him. At the moment I'm on a big Michael Marshall Smith/Joe R. Lansdale/Jack Ketchum kick. I started with MORE TOMORROW, then MUCHO MOJO, then HIDE AND SEEK, then SPARES, then CAPTAINS OUTRAGEOUS, then RED, now I'm reading THE STRAW MEN (and I've got RUMBLE TUMBLE, and JOYRIDE on queue). I'll try to seek out something by Keene (or Lebbon, who also comes highly recommended).

Dang, I wish Kathe Koja still wrote horror. THE CIPHER and BAD BRAINS are two of the best horror novels I've ever read.
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