The Return of the Living Dead was my first proper introduction to the world of zombie movies more than a quarter-century ago, and since then, I’ve considered it one of the best horror movies of all time. So, it’s easy to imagine how excited I was upon hearing that the iconic zombie apocalypse movie was getting a new sequel. But at the same time, knowing about the franchise’s history since the 1985 classic, it’s easy to see why I’m somewhat cautious about this upcoming horror movie.
Come with me as I break down why I’m excited to see Return of the Living Dead and the return of the Trioxin toxic gas, as well as a few reasons I am cautious heading into the release of the upcoming zombie movie. I’m going to go over the good, the bad, and the eventual return of one of my favorite horror movie icons: Tarman!
Excited - The Return Of The Living Dead Is One Of The Best (And Funniest) Zombie Movies I've Ever Watched
A few years ago, I wrote that The Return of the Living Dead was a better zombie movie than Day of the Dead. I know, it feels borderline blasphemous putting Dan O’Bannon’s zombie movie of the late George A. Romero’s 1985 masterpiece, but I still stand by what I said back in 2021. Sure, Day tackled heavier themes and had some of the best zombie effects of the era, but Return, one of the highest-rated zombie movies ever released, found the perfect balance of horror and comedy to create a hilarious and utterly terrifying experience.
I’ll never forget watching this horror-comedy classic on WGN as a kid, not knowing that this moment would have a major impact on the rest of my life and send me down a path of watching scores of undead films over the years. And, I'll also never forget laughing myself silly when the legendary Tarman zombie looked up and said "more brains" to his potential victims.
Not only that, but this gem of a movie helped introduce the whole horror trope of zombies eating brains.
Cautious - There Have Been Four Return Of The Living Dead Sequels, But None Are That Great
Though The Return of the Living Dead is an undeniable classic and one of the most important horror films of all time, the same can’t be said about any of the four sequels that followed. Frankly, that’s the major reason I’m cautious heading into the new Return of the Living Dead movie.
I’ll admit that Return of the Living Dead Part II has a fun story, some tremendous practical effects, and terrifying zombie moments, but the fun pretty much stops after that. Return of the Living Dead 3, feels more like an early ‘90s sci-fi movie than a zombie film with its story involving toxic waste and young love, but still doesn’t feel as bad what came later.
In 2005, a few years before The Walking Dead made zombies mainstream again, Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis nearly sent the genre back to the dark ages. Cheesy but lacking charm, terrible effects, and a regurgitated story that felt like it was trying to be a Resident Evil movie instead of a Return of the Living Dead sequel, this movie stinks. Then there’s Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave, which is so bad I’m not even going to go into anything besides the fact there is a zombie dance party.
Excited - The First Trailer Teases A Christmas Setting, Which Is Rare For Zombie Movies
I have to admit, I wasn’t all that excited when I first heard about the new movie, but the first teaser trailer has me excited for what I hope is a step in the right direction for the franchise. Though the nearly two-minute video doesn’t highlight anything when it comes to specifics about the plot outside of the fact that it takes place 18 months after the events of the first film, it does tease a Christmas setting, which is rare for the genre.
Though George A. Romero had a brief and easy-to-miss run-in as a Santa zombie in Dawn of the Dead back in 1978 (a movie filmed during the holidays), there really haven’t been any Christmas-themed zombie movies over the years. Sure, we have plenty of Christmas horror movies, but no sagas about the dead coming back from the grave to feast on the living. There have been winter zombies (Dead Snow), but nothing like seeing Tarman wrapped up in Christmas lights about to feast on a town of unsuspecting victims.
I’m excited, but also a little shocked that it took so long for a zombie movie to make the holiday season a major part of its story.
Cautious - The Director Seems Relatively New to Feature Films, With Just 3 Directing Credits
I’m not saying this sequel is going to be a bad movie just because the director doesn’t have a lot of movies under his belt, but I am a little cautious about Steve Wolsh, who has directed three movies, rekindling the franchise after 20 years of dormancy. Wolsh’s previous offerings include Muck, Kill Her Goats, and Fog City, none of which have high ratings from audiences. But again, this isn’t making me want to avoid the movie, as Wolsh seems to really care about the franchise.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wolsh is not only directing, but also writing and producing as the CEO of Living Dead Media. Though cautious, I am stoked that someone connected with the property is the one spearheading the project.
Excited - It Looks Like The Movie Is Being Made Without CGI
You know what I really don’t care for in zombie movies? CGI! Unless it’s something like that massive wall of zombies in World War Z, I don’t want to see computer-animated creature effects or blood splatters (Romero’s Land of the Dead had these in 2005 and the technology never really improved). So, I’m excited that Return of the Living Dead is being made “with no CGI and all PRACTICAL FX,” according to the trailer description posted by WithAnO Productions’ YouTube.
The awesome teaser trailer was filmed with no digital effects or greenscreens, which is one of the reasons I think it looked so great. If the movie is going back to the roots of the franchise, then taking a practical approach is the way to go.
Return of the Living Dead is supposed to come out before the end of the 2025 movie schedule, and I will be there day one to see how this plays out.
