Barrybgb

Here is the story - We learn that George Romero's classic "Night Of The Living Dead" was based on real events. The bodies of the zombies it was based on were sealed up, with this toxin gas, into these barrels. Some of these barrels are stored in this warehouse, where two guys work. One is released, and when they try to cremate the body in a mortuary in a cemetery just across the street, the gas from the remains rains down on the cemetery and....well, you should know the rest. Of course, a bunch of punk kids are partying in the cemetery.



Trailer:




Many fan favorites including James Karen, Clu Gulager, Linnea Quigley, Don Calfa and Thom Matthews star.

AutumnColorsღ

Thats awesome I never thought I would see a thread for this movie, I love it.

Barrybgb

Lol. Yeah, it deserves one!. Maybe even Part II!. I have a number of others in the pipeline.

I just love this one. It's just pure zombie fun!.

AutumnColorsღ

Whats your favorite scene and character in the movie?

Barrybgb

I always get a kick out of the zombies attacking the paramedics and the one zombie gets on their radio and tells the dispatcher to send more out. Lol. Plus, the lady zombie head with her spinal cord that they have strapped to the table?. Geez!. Unforgettable!.

My favorite character?. Not real sure.

What about you?

AutumnColorsღ

"Get that d**n screwdriver out of my head"

That talking zombie head in the 2nd film always cracked me up, and the ending where its like "okay okay you win,no more brains ...for now".

I gotta say I love Frank/Freddy and than when they return in the sequel as Ed/Joey. I like when Joey says "I feel like we've been here before. You... Me... Them!"

Barrybgb

Lol. Yeah. It was kinda odd that they used the same two actos in both films. I mean, I don't think it could of been coincidence!.

AutumnColorsღ

I think they just liked those two so much that they decided "hey wanna be in the sequel too"

Barrybgb

Lol. Probably. I will have to look into it and see if there is a story behind that.

AutumnColorsღ

Heres some trivia stuff to read, they are always fun.

Return of the living dead

Tobe Hooper was originally slated to direct and it was supposed to be filmed in 3-D.


The two heroes of the movie are names Burt and Ernie, obviously an ironic reference to the popular "Sesame Street" (1969) characters, right? Wrong. Turns out Dan O'Bannon didn't know he was using the names of the two beloved children's show's puppets (from liner notes in the Collector's Edition DVD).


The nuclear cannon at the end of the film was actually a WWII German Howitzer.


The eye-test poster (seen most clearly after Frank and Freddy run into Burt's office after hearing the first re-animated cadaver) in Burt's office actually reads "Burt is a slave driver and a cheap son of a bitch who's got you and me here" if you put the letters together.


Director Dan O'Bannon was originally supposed to play Frank and he wrote the part with himself in mind, but when 'James Karen (I)' came in to read for another part, O'Bannon was simply blown away and hired him on the spot.


The executive producers attempted to contact George A. Romero several times in order to offer him the choice of producing the movie, but he never answered.


John A. Russo wrote a script called "The Return of the Living Dead" at the same time that George A. Romero was doing Dawn of the Dead (1978). An independent producer, Tom Fox, bought Russo's script. He set up production and gave the script to Dan O'Bannon. O'Bannon refused to direct it as it was written. He felt that it was too much of a serious attempt at making a sequel to Night of the Living Dead (1968), and did not want to "...intrude so directly on Romero's turf." It was re-written with more humor.


Some of the zombie extras were paid more to eat real calf brains in the film. Dan O'Bannon didn't want the actors to do anything he wasn't willing to do and ate some raw calf brains first in front of them.


The cemetery is called "Resurrection Cemetery".


The combination to the lock on the freezer door is 22 (right) - 4 (left) - 10 (right).


After the "rabid weasels" are brought into the Resurrection Funeral Home and the tarp is removed, what is actually in the bags are those motorized toy monkeys that have the cymbals. The cymbals were removed for obvious reasons.


In the early 1990s, a longer work print version of the film surfaced that ran 24-minutes longer that the released version.


The film's German title is "Verdammt, die Zombies kommen", which is roughly "Oh Crap, the Zombies Are Coming" and the Danish title is "Ligene er ligeglade" which is roughly "The Dead Don't Care" -- playing up the comical aspect of the film.


Linnea Quigley (Trash) wore a crotch-covering, flesh-colored prosthetic during her strip scene.


On the back of Freddy's jacket, in the theatrical version, the words "**** You" are displayed. After realizing that the shot could not be used in case it was ever shown on TV, a second jacket was made that says "Television Version" and can be seen in the TV version of the movie.


When Frank and Freddy are carrying the "rabid weasels" into the Resurrection Funeral Home (before Burt removes the tarp), Clinton Hartley, brother of assistant art director Clayton Hartley and future brother-in-law of actress Beverly Randolph, is actually under the tarp lying on the stretcher to give credibility to the weight of the body parts.


Director Cameo: [Dan O'Bannon] The homeless man that the crew walk past after arriving at the warehouse. He also voices the helicopter officer.


Richard P. Rubinstein of Laurel Entertainment didn't want people to think this film was part of George A. Romero's "Living Dead" series. He even got an injunction to stop them from using "Living Dead" in the title. But the MPAA arbitrators ruled in favor of the movie's producers.


The character Ernie (Don Calfa) is thought to be a Nazi due to him sharing his name with Ernst Kaltenbrunner among other indications in the film (such as the character listening to the German Afrika Corps march song "Panzer rollen in Afrika vor" on his Walkman while he embalms bodies, carrying a German Walther P38 and having a picture of Eva Braun in his morgue). Dan O'Bannon, in the DVD commentary, mentions that Ernie was intended to be an escaped Nazi in hiding.


In an unprecedented move, a fan of the film started an internet campaign to get the movie released on DVD. Going beyond simple fan petitions, Michael Allred created a web page consolidating every bit of news relating to the film, and contacted many of the film's principals including the writer and director Dan O'Bannon. He went on to put O'Bannon in touch with MGM (the studio that owned the film) and work began on getting the film released on DVD. O'Bannon and others who worked on the film credited Allred and his campaign for getting the movie released on DVD.


The glass breaking on top of the chemical drum during the "melting tarman" scene at the beginning of the credits wasn't planned at all. It just happened to shatter due to the heat of the effects at the perfect time.


On the DVD commentary, Dan O'Bannon claims he was surprised at how many women were in the initial audiences and said if he'd known he'd have such a large female following he would have shown Suicide (Mark Venturini) naked as well.


The lead pipe that Clu Gulager uses in the movie is actually made of rubber. He initially used a real pipe but the crew snuck it away from him and replaced it with a rubber one as Dan O'Bannon was worried about Clu's frequent angry and sometimes violent outbursts.


In the tradition of previous zombie movies, the word "zombie" is never mentioned - except once, by Spider (he also coins the term "tarman" for the creature from the tank).


~~~

Return of the living dead 2

Thom Mathews and 'James Karen (I)' nearly duplicate their roles from Return of the Living Dead as a pair who are sickened by zombie gas. In both films they have the exchange, "Listen kid, if you like this job..." "Like this job? Like this job!"


The music score on the DVD release is almost completely different to the original theater, laserdisc and VHS versions. This is widely said to be because of difficulties obtaining the rights to use the original score. However, the original score can be heard on the French audio track.


Writer/Director Ken Wiederhorn was trying to get out of the horror genre at the time Lorimar Productions bought his script. Once the film was released he received nothing but horror-comedy directing opportunities.


The cemetery and storm drain were complete outdoor sets. The mausoleum, hospital, meat packing factory, and interior houses were also purpose-built sets.


The set for Jesse's bedroom is the same one used for Billy's. Posters and furniture were re-arranged to change the look.


The telephone number 311-555-8674 printed on the zombie canisters was a real life number at the time of production. The line was reserved for "Non-emergency special applications".


The street where Jesse and his family live was in fact a tract housing development still under construction.


The fictional town the film is set in is called Westvale.


The MPAA would have granted this film a PG-13, if the scene at the hospital where the zombie is shot in half was toned down.


The blue electrocution lines in the final sequence were all hand-drawn frame by frame and cost over $50,000.


The dialog from the operator on the Special Army Emergencies telephone line is word for word exactly the same as in The Return of the Living Dead (1985), complete with "Hold the line Mr Wilson, you are being transferred", thereby tying this films hero, Jesse, with Burt Wilson (Clu Gulager) of the earlier film.


Near the very end of the electrocution scene, a Michael Jackson impersonator zombie can be seen -- a direct reference to his Thriller (1983) (TV) music video.


Thor Van Lingen (who plays trouble maker Billy) originally auditioned for the main role of Jesse.


The script was not originally written as a sequel in the "Living Dead" franchise. Producer Tom Fox was interested in Wiederhorn's story, but would only finance it if he agreed to make it a part of the series.


At the end of the original VHS tape, there is a commercial for a number that you can call to order clothing from the movie. This was a limited time offer from the company Movie Tees. You could order a white tank top, a black or white t-shirt, and a black and white sweatshirt with 3-4 different designs.


'Brian Peck' is the only person to have a role in the first 3 movies in the 'Return of the Living Dead' franchise. Playing the role of 'Scuz' in the first, many of the closeup zombies in the second ('Pussface', ''Thriller', 'Jaw', 'Eye-Pop', 'Zombie on Car Roof') and finally 'Ballistics Technician' in the third.


James Karen's character, Ed, says "I'm gonna get me cremated." This is how his character eventually dies in the previous film, The Return of the Living Dead (1985).

Barrybgb

Wow!. That was some work!. Some very interesting things there!. I have to get the DVD of the original. I know they came out with a special edition.

The 'Burt' and 'Ernie' thing was interesting because I was just reading something about that the other day with another movie. I remembered that it was about "It's A Wonderful Life"(a departure from the living dead here, ) but a cop and cab driver in the movie were named Bert and Ernie and everyone assumed that Jim Henson got those names for the puppets from the movie. Everybody has denied this. Lol.

Anyways, great stuff there. I really want to go back and watch these again right now.

AutumnColorsღ

I liked the music alot that they played in the film. the scene were the redhead dances naked, thats a good song and the theme song in the beginning when the zombies start coming up.

Warning: Contains some mild language

AutumnColorsღ

Melis

Not sure if I'd like zombie movies.

CloudDancer

The title to this thread made me laugh. It's been a long time since I saw this one.