Disc Reviews
The Return of the Living Dead 4K Review
The dead return once again in Dan O’Bannon’s hugely entertaining and batshit crazy horror comedy from the mid-80s. Yes, it’s zombie time again, and one of the better classics from the genre lands on Arrow 4K this October.
Horror fans have their options about the Zombie sub-genre and which are the classics to watch, which are throw-away fodder, which are essentially there just for the laughs or the thrills, and those which are the low-rent rent cheap ass knock-offs that either fall into the cult category or should be buried on a pyre and never spoken about again. The Return of the Living Dead carries over several of these. It’s certainly not the Romero type of zombie film, which perhaps has something to say about society, but it certainly is here for the laughs and the thrills and has attained cult status as a result. This largely comes down to how black the comedy can get, and also the very impressive practical effects on display that match any of the Romero work, if not outclass it in places!
So, what’s up Arrow’s sleeve in terms of extras? Four Commentaries – including actors, the director and other behind-the-scenes heads (including production design and effects work). There are various featurettes on the first disc, including one on the locations of the film by Sean Clark, a featurette on the soundtrack and some archival press materials.
On disc 2 there is More Brains (the definitive 2017 documentary feature on the film), and this is the one to go to if you skip everything else (but the filmmaker commentaries are highly recommended). They get just about everyone for the documentary and it’s a hoot to watch.
There are more extras. Added interviews, archival materials, deleted materials and so on. A very worthy package for anyone seeking for that upgrade, and well worth it if it is your first pass at the film. It’s sets like this that make physical media worth investing in.
Steven Hurst
4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Orlando Arocena
• Perfect bound collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Gary Smart and a preview of the forthcoming sequel comic Revenge of the Living Dead
• Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Orlando Arocena
DISC ONE – FEATURE (4K ULTRA HD)
• 4K restoration from the original negative
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original★ lossless mono audio plus DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Audio commentary by writer-director Dan O’Bannon and production designer William Stout
• Audio commentary by Stout and actors Don Calfa, Brian Peck, Linnea Quigley, Beverly Randolph and Allan Trautman
• Audio commentary by actors Thom Mathews and John Philbin and make-up effects artist Tony Gardner
• Audio commentary by fans and filmmakers Gary Smart and Chris Griffiths
• The Origins of the Living Dead, an archive interview with author John Russo
• The FX of the Living Dead, an archive featurette on the special effects
• Party Time: The Music of Return of the Living Dead, a featurette on the film’s soundtrack
• Horror’s Hallowed Grounds, an archive tour of the locations by Sean Clark
• The Dead Have Risen, an archive featurette with Calfa, Peck, Quigley, Randolph, Trautman, Clu Gulager and James Karen
• Designing the Dead, an archive featurette with O’Bannon and Stout
• The Decade of Darkness, an archive featurette about 1980s horror classics
• Deleted scenes from a VHS workprint
• Theatrical trailers and TV spots
DISC TWO – MORE BRAINS! (LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE BLU-RAY)
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of the 2017 feature-length documentary about the making of the film, featuring extensive interviews with cast and crew
• A Conversation with Dan O’Bannon: The Final Interview
• Deleted scenes from the documentary
• Return of the Living Dead in 3 Minutes
• Resurrected Settings: The Filming Locations Today
★ The song “Dead Beat Dance” by The Damned has been replaced due to rights issues beyond our control
The Return of the Living Dead is out on 4K Blu-Ray on October 13th.