Guilty Pleasures: Return of the Living Dead

This horror spoof was made in 1985.Directed by Dan O'Bannon, it starred Clu Gulager, James Karen, and Don Calfa among others. George Romero and John Russo made the modern dead zombie genre one of the most popular in the world of horror movies with their original "Night of the Living Dead". This creation of Russo was an irreverent sendup of their original work that is one of my 5 favorite movies of all time. While it pays homage to Romero it goes way over the top in both gore and dark humor. One of my favorite lines is when Wilson chops up a corpse and then wants his embalmer friend to cremate the bagged remains. When pressed on what was in the bag, Wilson paused and then in a hushed voice proclaimed "Rabid Weasels!" The whole movie has this tongue-in-cheek attitude. The punk rock music fits the movie perfectly.

Before you get the DVD, be warned that it is not for children. There is nudity, language, and enough gore to put the Texas Chainsaw films to shame. Still, the acting is brilliant and the warped sense of humor will appeal to anyone who loves that type of thing. I get it out and watch it at least a couple of times per year and can not recommend it enough! It has often been imitated but never equaled in its brilliance. Yes, it is a guilty pleasure but one that I never get tired of seeing.