The Return of the Living Dead

The Return of the Living Dead centres on a medical supply warehouse where a young employee, Freddy, is shown the ropes by his older colleague Frank. Frank reveals that a shipment of army canisters stored in the basement holds the truth behind a well-known zombie film, and that the story was real. When a canister is accidentally breached, a toxic gas escapes and drifts to a cemetery next door, where the dead rise and go after the living. A group of young people spending the night in the cemetery, along with the warehouse staff, a mortician and a funeral director, end up facing the outbreak.

Dan O'Bannon directed and wrote the film, his first time in the director's chair; he went on to direct again in 1991. The cast includes Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Thom Mathews, Miguel A. Núñez Jr. and Brian Peck, with thirty credited performers and ninety-nine credited crew members. It was made for about four million dollars and took roughly fourteen million worldwide, a strong return relative to its cost.

On TMDB it holds a 7.2 rating from over two thousand votes, indicating a widely liked film. Blending comedy, horror and science fiction across ninety-one minutes, it was released in April 1985.