O’Bannon had already written Alien (1979) and worked on Star Wars: Episode IV (1977) in the visual effects unit when he was brought on to direct Return of the Living Dead. As one of the branches of the “Living Dead” universe and a follow-up to the first Romero film, Return of the Living Dead was incessantly compared to Romero’s second follow-up, Day of the Dead (1985) and created a great debate about which was better.
O’Bannon’s punk comic horror is brash and loud and a lot of fun – centering on the CIA releasing a brain-hungry zombie and a warehouse owner who has to deal with the chaos with the help of some teenage punks. The soundtrack mirrored all that energy, featuring psychobilly and punk bands like The Cramps and T.S.O.L. among many others. (Dan O’Bannon, US, 1985, 91min)
“Script writer O’Bannon directs with a relish for the tasteless, and cannot help getting carried away at times. But, what the hell – from the punk rock party in the graveyard to the apocalyptic climax, it’s all good gory fun.” – Film4
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