{"id":21346,"date":"2016-07-07T04:41:49","date_gmt":"2016-07-07T08:41:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=21346"},"modified":"2017-08-16T09:42:23","modified_gmt":"2017-08-16T13:42:23","slug":"the-return-of-the-living-dead-1985-collectors-edition-blu-ray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2016\/07\/07\/the-return-of-the-living-dead-1985-collectors-edition-blu-ray\/","title":{"rendered":"The Return of the Living Dead (1985): Collector\u2019s Edition [Blu-Ray]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"rotld\"<\/a>It\u2019s not often that filmmakers strive to set themselves apart from what\u2019s been widely embraced by the horror community and manage to properly redefine a subgenre. Before \u201cReturn of the Living Dead”<\/a> fans accepted the walking dead shambled slowly toward you and ate flesh, but Dan O\u2019Bannon transformed his zombies in to undead crack heads. Said undead crack heads bolted toward their prey like lightning, were devilishly clever, and craved human brains as a source of nourishment. Though \u201cReturn of the Living Dead\u201d has a remarkable sense of humor and will inspire a lot of uneasy laughs from the audience, it\u2019s through and through a creepy horror thriller about groups of people fending off undead monsters from every corner while trying to escape Kentucky as it\u2019s ravaged by brain eating ghouls.<\/p>\n

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O\u2019Bannon further sets the movie apart by depicting zombies that seem pulled right out of the pages of EC Comics, resembling decrepit fiends, rather than walking corpses. This adds to the novelty of the horror and comedy, depicting some truly original and now iconic movie monsters like the enigmatic Tarman, Trash, and the half corpse. O\u2019Bannon works toward drifting from \u201cReturn of the Living Dead\u201d feeling like a Romero clone and it\u2019s a very successful launch of a unique formula, where our monsters have reason, drive, wit, and a reason for existing beyond mere social and political subtext that Romero injected in his own films.<\/p>\n

These zombies just want to eat brains, and you\u2019d better run as fast as you can, because nothing is going to stop them. Along with a brilliant cast of genre veterans like Linnea Quigley and Clu Culager, \u201cReturn of the Living Dead\u201d moves quick and fierce with a pulse that is the mesmerizing soundtrack that O\u2019Bannon enlists. Bands and singers like 45 Grave and Stacey Q will leave a mark on the viewers long after the film has ended, making O\u2019Bannons masterpiece a sensory experience for the eyes, ears, and brain.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m very proud of myself for holding out when MGM released their grubby DVD and Blu-Ray versions of \u201cReturn of\u2026\u201d back in 2010 to placate the fans. I saved my money hoping someone better would give the movie the deluxe treatment it deserved, and lo and behold, Scream! Factory came along six years later. Scream Factory alters \u201cReturn of\u2026\u201d to their liking offering a new bolder print that compliments the film\u2019s horror comedy aesthetic, along with doing their best to offer the original audio. There\u2019s also a new slip cover with fantastic new art for this edition, as well as a reverse cover for vintage collectors. Along with these perks, fans get two discs worth of hours of entertainment that dig in to the brilliance of the film. Among the wealth of audio commentaries, there are two tracks ported over from earlier releases.<\/p>\n

The first is with director Dan O\u2019Bannon and production designer William Stout, both of whom have a good time examining the production specific scenes, and their experience working on the film, all the while having a good time with jokes and raucous conversation. The second commentary is with Stout once again as he contributes with cast members Don Calfa, Linnea Quigley, Brian Peck, Beverly Randolph, and Allan Trautman, respectively. The group has a good time with the commentary even if they aren\u2019t as bouncy as Stout and O\u2019Bannon are. They compensate with a lot of conversation and there\u2019s rarely a moment of silence. The third commentary meets author Gary Smart who talks with filmmaker Chris Griffiths. Both men discuss their love and adoration for \u201cReturn of\u2026\u201d offering an energetic, enthusiastic, and informative track that fans will be interested to hear since both men love the movie as much as we do.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Decade of Darkness\u201d is a twenty three minute look at the amazing decade of the eighties where horror flourished and was bolder and much more creative. \u201cZombie Subtitle Stream\u201d is a separate subtitle track to view when the zombies are groaning; it\u2019s odd but a novelty. \u201cIn Their Own Words: The Zombies Speak\u201d is another attempt at comedy with the zombies offering some of their own commentary for the movie. There are still galleries, and a collection of trailers. Scream! Wisely collects \u201cMore Brains! The Return of the Living Dead\u201d a wonderful full length documentary released years ago, which details the making of the movie, the history and influence of the film, and how it all came together to create one of the best horror movies ever made.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a fun work print version of \u201cThe Return Of\u2026\u201d that\u2019s admittedly poor quality, but is a nice bonus to compare to the final film. \u201cThe FX of the Living Dead\u201d is a half hour collection of interviews with cast and crew, all of whom discusses the look of the zombies, and the concepts of the walking dead. \u201cParty Time\u201d is a great half hour look at the excellent soundtrack for the film offering interviews with Dinah Cancer of 45 Grave, and Greg Hetson of Circle Jerks. There\u2019s a final interview with Dan O\u2019Bannon clocking in at a half hour; the filmmaker shares his thoughts on the production of the film.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Dead Have Risen\u201d is a twenty minute short retrospective with the cast members, \u201cThe Origins of the Living Dead\u201d is a fifteen minute interview with John A. Russo who helped invent the premise for the film, there\u2019s \u201cDesigning the Dead\u201d a fourteen minute interview with Dan O\u2019Bannon who talks about how he started in the industry, how he came across the script, and why he changed the movie in to a comedy. Finally, there\u2019s \u201cHorror\u2019s Hallowed Grounds\u201d with Sean Clark of Horrorhound Magazine, who takes on a tour of the various shooting locations for the film and how they look today.<\/p>\n