Man, Dan O’Bannon’s 1985 zom-com RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD seriously kicks more ass than Manny Pacquiao. As far as horror comedies go, this shite easily sits atop the pantheon of all-time greats like GHOSTBUSTERS, SHAUN OF THE DEAD, EVIL DEAD 2, etc. I mean, when you’ve got Don Calfa bitch-slapping an hysterical Miguel Nunez (replete with Jheri curl mullet) – done so from the man who inked the original ALIEN (and credited for the characters in each entry thereafter) – you know you’re in for a helluva time.
As for the 4 sequels, well that’s largely another story. Sure merit can be found in any number of said installments, namely RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD II which saw an unceremonious DVD release last year. And it’s that kind of under-appreciation that lead us to the gist of this post.
It appears a comprehensive, 300 page book covering all 5 ROTLD films is being assembled (over 200 never seen photos), with a timely target release of next year (to coincide with the original film’s 25th anniversary). The book is entitled “The Complete History of Return of the Living Dead” and is co-written/designed by Gary Smart. And he wants all of our help!
So how can we aide the man? Well we can all sign a petition right here, which will hopefully/eventually sway Warner Bros. to grant permission the use of exclusive frame enlargements, stills and posters for RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD II to compliment the text of the book. Currently Warner has balked at the project, despite allowing other franchises (FRIDAY THE 13th) the use of similar materials.
So all the real fans please stand up, or at-least navigate your way to the ipetition and show your support for all things RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD!
One of the all time great scream queens: Ms. Linnea Quigley!
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