Forty years ago, writer/director Dan O’Bannon delivered one of the most highly entertaining zombie movies of all time with The Return of the Living Dead, and while the film reached theatres on August 16, 1985, many of its fans will be watching it today or tomorrow, as they do every year, since the film begins with text on the screen showing that its events begin at 5:30pm Eastern time on July 3, 1984 and stretch on into the morning of July 4th. To celebrate the film’s 40th anniversary (and the 41st anniversary of the events depicted in the film), Bull Airs has announced that they will be accepting pre-orders on two different limited edition Return of the Living Dead-inspired shoes: the Punk Caddy short horn low top and the Tarman short horn low tops. You can see images of the shoes at the bottom of this article. They’re expected to start shipping out at the end of this year or in the first quarter of 2026.
Bull Airs has previously made shoes that were inspired by Puppet Master, the Friday the 13th NES video game, and the lead character in A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge. They’re also currently selling an Attack of the Killer Tomatoes shoe.
Night of the Living Dead alums Rudy Ricci, John A. Russo, and Russell Streiner crafted the initial story for The Return of the Living Dead, intending for it to be a follow-up to Night. Then O’Bannon got involved and did a complete overhaul, telling the following story: When foreman Frank shows new employee Freddy a secret military experiment in a supply warehouse, the two klutzes accidentally release a gas that reanimates corpses into flesh-eating zombies. As the epidemic spreads throughout Louisville, Ky., and the creatures satisfy their hunger in gory and outlandish ways, Frank and Freddy fight to survive with the help of their boss and a mysterious mortician. The film stars Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Thom Mathews, Beverly Randolph, Miguel A. Nunez Jr., John Philbin, Jewel Shepard, Brian Peck, Linnea Quigley, Mark Venturini, Jonathan Terry, and Allan Trautman.
Will you be buying a pair of Return of the Living Dead shoes from Bull Airs? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
