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The Return of the Living Dead: What idea did the zombie comedy movie invent?

“What’s the weirdest thing you ever saw in here?”

As part of our list of the best zombie comedies, we included the 1985 movie The Return of the Living Dead. Bumbling employees at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release a deadly gas into the air, the vapors causing the dead to rise again as zombies.

The movie has been credited with introducing one of the main concepts of the genre—zombies focusing on eating brains.

Called a “smorgasbord of fun” by the L.A. Herald Examiner, The Return of the Living Dead was written and directed by Dan O’Bannon in his directorial debut. The movie also starring Clu Gulager, James Karen, Thom Matthews, and Don Calfa. The film’s soundtrack also featured several Los Angeles-based deathrock and punk rock bands.

In the video playlist below, watch the official trailer, and you can also go behind the scenes of the making of the Return of the Living Dead

Buy or rent Return of the Living Dead!

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Monster Complex playlist: The Return of the Living Dead

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