Looks like we are dealing with zombies again on the kill count with "return of the living dead" series with the 1st film & Note (only saw "Return of the living dead 4 thur 5) so let's strap in & get to the kills!
It's amazing that this movie is relatively unknown by the mainstream population, yet almost everyone has probably quoted "Braaiiiinnnsss!" at some point in their life while mimicking a zombie.
now that i think about it the only zombie media where the zombies say brains is in "plants vs zombies" which could be a (probably unintentional) reference
Yeah, a ton of people seem to think the whole brains thing was from night of the living dead. The "Braaaaiinnnsss" line became the defacto war cry of the zombie in pop culture and Romero is the name everyone associates with Zombies. I think this one often gets overlooked or put on a lower tier of zombie media because, unlike Romero's efforts, this doesn't tackle any larger themes about society or people. A lot of the great Zombie media is kind of pretentious (In a good way) and this only aspires to be a horror comedy. It's also VERY 80's where as Romero's stuff has a timeless quality to it. I personally think this is up there with the all time great Zombie flicks but I get why, as time has gone on, it's begun to become less known despite it's enduring impact in pop culture by giving zombies their catchphrase.
Im pretty sure Freddy and Frank die the moment they get hit by the gas. Thats why the yellow cadaver completley ignores both of them and runs straight to Burt. Same as why they go through the the stages like cramps and the muscles locking up throughout the film. At least that's how I interpreted it
I always felt ROTLD had the scariest depiction of zombies. The fact you feel the pain of death but can never die is really some horrifying stuff. I'd eat brains too if it was the only thing that gave me relief from that torture.
I would too but I'd do my best to only go after morally questionable people and maybe even animals. Tbh It always bugged me that go after humans without a second thought and don't seem to feel any guilt or remorse despite clearly retaining their intelligence and even memories.
One thing you didn't note was Trash's foreshadowing of her death: During her "ways you can die" speech, she mentions that her candidate for the worst would be "being eaten by old men." And, well, then she gets eaten by cemetery zombies.
@@jeffreycarey1680 Well, there was a crunch sound and pretty much all of the reanimated corpses had teeth, otherwise they'd be outright harmless, unless they felt like pulverizing their victims with objects.
The Librarian on TH-cam has a theory about that I found chillingly convincing. *SPOILERS BELOW for their video "Why Return of the Living Dead is Scarier Than You Think"* 245 Trioxin doesn't restore consciousness, just movement. ALL dead people in RotLD's universe are conscious and can feel themselves rot. Zombies can just do something about it. Like Ernie said, "It... hurts to be dead."
The zombies in this movie are the scariest to me for this reason. Bad enough that they are fast, indestructible, and can think well enough to talk and plot somewhat, but the added heaping of post-mortem dread makes them so much worse.
The zombies in this film are one of the most underrated and terrifying zombies ever. They're intelligent, can coordinate, communicate, and are much harder to kill than any other zombie.
And the worse of all? You REALLY dont want to become one of them, as their nervous system somehow still works and they feel their body decomposing, ans this is so maddening they let their instincts take over if it means a brief moment if tranquility.
These zombies are the ones to truly scare me, I might've been 17 or 18 when I watched it on TV super late night with my brother, let's just say that I got some vivid nightmares after that. Nowadays, it's one of my favorite zombie movies of all time.
I'm from KY myself, and the thing about this movie being set in Louisville is it's completely fitting with our local culture: Weird nasty warehouse in the middle of nowhere. Old Army stuff they either forgot to destroy or want to keep but don't know how or why it'd ever be used. A couple of bored local guys cause havoc through their own stupidity instead of maliciousness.
The fact this episode got a content warning because one of the characters is named Suicide is just golden. There's no depictions of self-harm, that's literally just his name.
The process of Frank and Freddie’s “zombification” is the scariest version of it in my opinion, like most of the time it’s just that a person gets bitten and turns a bit quickly then boom zombie, but here they’re still fully conscious when their bodies “die” and they feel all of it happening, like when they discover that rigor mortis has set in. Then you start craving brains to stop the pain of dying. It’s terrifying to imagine honestly 😱
As a forensic scientist I very much love the little detail of how painful they find rigor mortis. It would be, it’s something akin to advanced tetanus probably, but worse I’m sure. To be fair, it doesn’t make sense that the morgue zombie who exposure that would be experiencing rigor, but it’s a nice semi-scientific explanation for fresh zombies.
I have a theory about why Trash turned when no one else turned. During the acid rain scene in the car when the roof was leaking she is shown to actually ingest/drink some of the rain. I believe this is the reason she turned.
@@jomamafr She was attacked in the cemetery but shows no sign of actually having been eaten. The "old men" must have realized she was already turning once they got to her. Return of the Living Dead makes a point to break a lot of zombie rules but "the undead don't eat each other" isn't one of them.
The headlight reveal at 16:53 is has to be one of the most memorable in all of horror history. First I ever saw it in promos and what-not it was equally creepy and cool. There's something about zombie women in fancy dresses.
It's so creepy how they're just waiting there for him to switch the lights on, like the world's worst surprise birthday party. In most zombie media that'd be a nitpick but these ghouls are smart enough that it makes sense for them to do that!
I couldn't look at Spider (who ended up as my favorite character; he just seems like a really decent guy and friend) without thinking, "If the zombies don't get him, the damn enchiladas will."
My parents worked with James Karen, lovely man. My mom represented him. They had a story, where Karen, in full zombie make-up, came to visit my mom in the talent agency office. When he passed by the front desk, the front desk guy later told my mom "that man did not look good." Rest in peace James Karen
Absolutely love this movie, the torso zombie saying they eat the brains to dull the pain of being dead always stuck with me. For such a kinda dumb & fun movie - it's such a good little conversation and is just one of many ways this movie punches way above its weight imo.
The horror part is pretty strong. One of my favorites. And the fact that they subverted the way punks were shown in media at the time made me love even more.
@@Chuck_EL Not only tragic, but actually a hopeless situation, because unless you turn them into ashes, you can't get rid of this type of zombie. And also the fact that they are concious for the whole time and are almost as intelligent as they were before the trioxin. In enough time it would be the end of humanity
Tarman is literally the best zombie design I've ever seen. In fact, he even came back in the sequel, which is where he delivers this gem; 'Okay, no more brains, you win!' Had to redo this comment because of a disgusting UTTP member replying to it. Ugh
@@jesusromanpadro3853 Unfortunately, they are, and commented again. On the actual comment, I agree, It’s one of the most unique designs for a undead villain!
He terrified lil 12yo me. I had to walk home alone after and I STG I nearly had a heart attack. I couldn't even look at him for years. I'm 51 now and he STILL gives me a bit of a shiver lol!
@Joseph_14144 Who the bloody hell are you? context: Some weirdo with a mr. beast pfp was talking about laughing at a woman who's dog was put down and Daisy's Destruction
Fun fact I’m a barista and Thom Matthew’s son came into my coffee shop one time. I have both a Camp Crystal Lake button and a Return of the Living Dead button on my apron and he saw them and told me his dad was in both and I made the connection. ROTLD has a very special place in my heart it was one of the first horror movies I ever watched in middle school. Seeing Linnea Quigley blew my middle-school mind. I also watched it my last day before starting my barista job. Been waiting on this one for a while!
It's so radical to see Tommy Jarvis got infected so early on in Return Of The Living Dead. He could at least go fight against Jason Vorhees one last time.
When I saw this movie for the first time, most terrifying thing was how smart these zombies were. Being able to call for backup on the radio and waiting in the darkness to attack all together rather than just walking around and following whatever moves and makes noise
He didn't really seem annoyed at Spider and Skuz seeing how one is black/Dominican Republican and one is Jewish Then he consoled Spider when he broke down when he screamed "Make it stop!!" To the Torso Zombie screaming brains
@@Chuck_ELbecause he's keeping his identity hidden, he was paranoid of the secret service coming after him throughout the whole movie, always had his Walther gun at ready and quick with the draw, and paired with the name kaltenbrunner it's a dead giveaway
Personally I think he is one of the best parts of this movie and people read way too far into him. It doesn't make sense for him to be an SS officer cause why tf would an SS officer be in the middle of Kentucky and practically right outside of Louisville. Not to mention he's an embalmer, that's usually a government job and the only Germans America was scooping up before that period were scientists. And to add the cherry on top, he was nice to literally everyone in the movie and even mercy killed Tina to spare her the fate of being eaten by her boyfriend. These people are just pulling stuff out of their ass.
Trash definately didn't deserve the dull machete as it was foreshadowed in the scene where she talks about dying, where she says her personal worst way of dying is to be swarmed by a group of old men
James: What's the death toll of that downtown nuke? Movie: It's under 4000. James: Under 4000? That can't be right, can it? Whatever, we'll call it 3999.
I just want to thank you because before finding this channel I didn't watch any horror movie because I thought they were full of bad jumpscares and lazy plots. This channel opened my eyes to the genre and I must say I enjoy them so much now. So many times I see that a kill count is coming and I watch the movie beforehand to be prepared 💀👻. Thanks James and team! Be good people!
Babe, wake up! A cult classic kill count just dropped! Edit: Also thanks for choosing Beetlejuice as the next kill count. Bro, I never thought I would see the day 😃
For people commenting, the warning at the start is literally just because one of the characters is called Suicide, because TH-cam is really strict about this stuff. It’s not a sign that the video is better than others
In an interview, Miguel Nunez said that he was watching when Beverly filmed the scene with the breakaway step and he said that she was (justifiably) in a bad mood for the rest of the production.
I believe they were dating at the time and Dan was annoyed at how much they were hugging on set and how it seeped into the movie from what I remember Beverly saying
@@Chuck_ELno they absolutely were NOT dating I don’t know where you got that from. Beverly was single and actually started dating one of William Stouts art department assistants and to this day they are still married.
I make the mistake of downloading 45 Grave's original version of that song after seeing this movie. The lyrics are VERY different. Look them up if you wish, but don't say I didn't warn you. It's grim stuff.
@@jeffreycarey1680 hahah I know the lyrics! I prefer the version from the movie which is shortened and gets right to the point. I know exactly what you mean with the lyrics though, definitely bizarre.
One of my favorite movies, not just horror, of all time. It's quotable on a Princess Bride-level, has legit chilling scenes, tons of tiny details most people miss, and so much more. Thank you for finally covering it!!!! Would also love to see a KC for ROTLD3 at some point, as it's A LOT better than most people give it credit for.
A bastard skelly in the "to the numbers" bit? I'm proud of James for moving past his long time feud with them, even if he won't count them. Nature's truly healing and all it took was acid rain and rock music
Had the immense pleasure of meeting James Karen on the Turner Classic Movies Cruise. They sadly didn't play living dead, but they did play Poltergeist. He was as humble and kind as you could hope. Easily one of my favorite guests.
Finally appreciation for this movie! And FINALLY Mr. Stout gets recognized in a video on this! I'm personal friends with Mr. Stout so when he's not mentioned in videos on this I get rather sad. Also in speaking with him I have a fun fact for ya! Firstly that zombie luring in the cops was actually the first cop that showed up, the one with the revolver that kneels over the paramedic. He was zombified, and the reason they did this was because they wanted to give the gentleman portraying him more screentime. The person playing him was a real cop and had been hired as on set security so when they needed an extra cop they offered him the job, they ended up liking him so much that he ended up getting zombified and thus is why he's leading the other cops in! "Send more Cops!"
I feel like it could be argued that Freddy and Frank died the second that toxin came out of the barrel. They never get bit or anything, but they start changing slowly so it could be argued that when they got “knocked out” by it, it actually killed them and they’re just slowly decaying throughout, since it is said that the zombies feel themselves decay, but there definitely is a more definitive turn later.
@@clarkness77 OH YEAH! I didn’t even think of that! That makes so much sense. I always thought it was weird that the cadaver lunged at him when the two other guys were right in front of the door. Dang I didn’t even think of that. That’s awesome. If anything that further proves it.
I agree, Miguel A. Nunez Jr. deserves a lot more respect nowadays. My introduction to him was "Kickin' It Old School," but eventually it would lead me to his other roles from "The Return of the Living Dead " and "Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning," which btw I still stand as one of the best follow ups after "The Final Chapter."
something i love about this movie is that its primarily a horror comedy but it works as both a great comedy and a surprising insanely effective horror film, its both extremely funny and absolutely horrifying . its something so rare movies accomplish
Always loved how this is like the only movie that kinda shows being dead or being a zombie is basically being in pain constantly. And the only way to stop it is to eat some good ol brains
It does make me wonder... would other means of pain reduction work on them, like weed or morphine? I haven't seen Part 3 yet and but I know they at least try other methods (which is why the main chick looks like that).
I actually met Linnea last year who was super nice and got to talk to her about Return of the living Dead she loved my Art The Clown costume! :) This movie is my favorite zombie film
This is easily my favorite of the old zombie films, ngl this the first one that stuck with me and sent me on a zombie movie binge. The actors that got infected and kept saying they were cold/burning up really traumatized me as a kid, the zombies were scary but man that slowly dying effect was incredible
Party Time in Return of the Living Dead is peak 80s. I like how Dead Meat is passionate about Zombie films on the channel from the Romero films to the Busan films.
From the band "45 Grave"! The Original lyrics of the song are based on a real life case of a young girl who had some horrible stuff happened to her. The Movie's "Zombie Version" is more fun and less dire in comparison.
As someone who lives in Kentucky, The Return of the Living Dead is my favorite movie of all time! I was born in 1980 so when this movie was released I wasn't even old enough to see it. I know more about this film than any other film in existence. IMDB has an excellent page detailing a lot. There's also videos that compare the differences of the original book to the film. I've been lucky enough to meet a few of the cast members in Louisville, Kentucky at the Days of the Dead horror convention. August 16th, 2025 marks the 40th anniversary.
You can see the Three Stooges slap stick humor influence on the veteran actors like Clu, Don and James Especially the comedic deadpan face Don even admitted it he said he played him "Straight laced" until he broke at the reality of what is going on after seeing that zombie rise up after he shot it and it chased him
You have no idea how much it made my day to see you finally cover this movie. This is a very personal movie for me that gives me some of my favorites of my brother. I loved seeing all the behinds the scens. Thank you for covering this!.
i think o'bannon was the reason why this movie was such a underrated classic the toxic ness on set made it hard to look fondly on unlike romero who everyone praised
I don’t know if this is a mistake or not but at 14:09 James says that in the VHS release, Tarman’s voice was pitched down. I think he accidentally switched the two as in the home video version, Tarman has the higher pitch voice while in the Blu-Ray and theatrical release he has a deeper voice
My favorite zombie movie. I love Night of the Living Dead because without it, this movie would probably not exist. With that said, I think this movie simply beats all the zombie movies. It's not only a time-capsule, but the script, the acting, and the premise is just perfect.
My mom used to take care of don calfa, the actor who plays Ernie in this movie up until he passed in 2016, great personality and very funny even in his old age
He said if you've seen Quiet on Set, you'd know. I don't think he would want to talk about it out of respect for SA victims who watch the channel, considering he doesn't want to cover Jeepers Creepers because the director Victor Salva is a convicted pedophile.
6:47 As a life long resident of Louisville, KY I can confirm Louisville did have a decent size of "punk rock" fans & followers when this movie was released. Favorite bands included (but were not limited to) Misfits, Black Flag, bad brains, Minor Threat/Fugazi & local punk band King's X. When bands that were heavily influenced by punk rock (ie- Nirvana, Pearl Jam, STP, Smashing Pumpkins, etc) exploded in the early 1990s, the punk rock followers multiplied. Now in the year of our Lord 2024, that people who follow or still listen to punk rock in Louisville has dwindled to the point of extinction.
@cgh7337 You are old. Things not always the same. Things change. New band called Knocked Loose. They are from Louisville. They play Coachella & sold out tour while being a hxc band still. Just because YOU don't know the music scene doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Did that help? Maybe work on your reading comprehension.
John Russo and Russ Streiner (the producer for the original Night as well as the 1990 remake) were two of my college professors back in my film school days. I still keep in regular contact with both of them. I only got to know George Romero shortly before his death. John actually spoke positively about this movie, though it didn't follow his vision in the slightest. He talked about how O'Bannon had a vision that, even though he couldn't see it at the time, ended up being the right vision for this movie. This whole discussion was framed as a lesson on differing creative visions and how filmmakers tend to get hung up on those visions for better or for worse, but that when it's all said and done "life is too short to be pissed off all the time". This was one of my favorites growing up and still is to this day. You should check out the book it was based on, if you haven't already. It's...really different than this movie, but I could see it standing on it's own as a film someday.
I remember watching this movie when I was like 8 years old. This and killer klowns from outer space were the first horror movies I ever watched. Scared the crap out of me. So glad to see this nostalgic classic covered on the channel
I’m so glad you covered this movie. Return of the living dead was one of my first horror movies I watched when I was a kid. I hope you do the grudge or ju-on series next. Keep up the good work guys, horror is my favorite genres of movies.
This is in my top 5 favorite films of all time! As a horror filmmaker, I was Facebook friends with both Don and Clu before each of their passing. And I am honored to share an IMDb credit with James Karen, even if his scenes were filmed in Tennessee while mine were filmed in Arizona.
Go to buyraycon.com/deadmeat for 20-40% off sitewide on Raycon products! Brought to you by Raycon.
Bred
Ok
You can see Beetlejuice in Max
Fuuuck no
Looks like we are dealing with zombies again on the kill count with "return of the living dead" series with the 1st film & Note (only saw "Return of the living dead 4 thur 5)
so let's strap in & get to the kills!
It's amazing that this movie is relatively unknown by the mainstream population, yet almost everyone has probably quoted "Braaiiiinnnsss!" at some point in their life while mimicking a zombie.
now that i think about it the only zombie media where the zombies say brains is in "plants vs zombies" which could be a (probably unintentional) reference
@@vihaan7052yeah i was gonna say this too, definitely could be a reference, should check some popcap interviews
"Braaaiiinnnnssss" has been parodied a ton in many cartoons, movies and series in the form of stories within stories types.
true. It spread like the virus itself.
Yeah, a ton of people seem to think the whole brains thing was from night of the living dead. The "Braaaaiinnnsss" line became the defacto war cry of the zombie in pop culture and Romero is the name everyone associates with Zombies. I think this one often gets overlooked or put on a lower tier of zombie media because, unlike Romero's efforts, this doesn't tackle any larger themes about society or people. A lot of the great Zombie media is kind of pretentious (In a good way) and this only aspires to be a horror comedy. It's also VERY 80's where as Romero's stuff has a timeless quality to it. I personally think this is up there with the all time great Zombie flicks but I get why, as time has gone on, it's begun to become less known despite it's enduring impact in pop culture by giving zombies their catchphrase.
Im pretty sure Freddy and Frank die the moment they get hit by the gas. Thats why the yellow cadaver completley ignores both of them and runs straight to Burt. Same as why they go through the the stages like cramps and the muscles locking up throughout the film. At least that's how I interpreted it
Pretty sure that's what it's supposed to be cause they both get "knocked out" and wake back up
Makes sense.
Also why Tarman ignores them both when he exits the barrel
@Joseph_14144 Bot or troll?
@@tsubakiofmelancholy6297bot probably
I always felt ROTLD had the scariest depiction of zombies. The fact you feel the pain of death but can never die is really some horrifying stuff. I'd eat brains too if it was the only thing that gave me relief from that torture.
The fact skeletons can wake up is scary too
I wonder how'd they survive once all the brains are gone. After all, that nuke only spread the gas further.
I would too but I'd do my best to only go after morally questionable people and maybe even animals. Tbh It always bugged me that go after humans without a second thought and don't seem to feel any guilt or remorse despite clearly retaining their intelligence and even memories.
@@dannyboi5887 Sure you would bud.
One thing you didn't note was Trash's foreshadowing of her death: During her "ways you can die" speech, she mentions that her candidate for the worst would be "being eaten by old men." And, well, then she gets eaten by cemetery zombies.
There aren't any bite marks I could see once she reanimated, so what if they were all toothless and fruitlessly gumming her while she drowned?
@@jeffreycarey1680 Well, there was a crunch sound and pretty much all of the reanimated corpses had teeth, otherwise they'd be outright harmless, unless they felt like pulverizing their victims with objects.
@colbylawson5331 in the novel they actually used bricks to break open their victims skulls
And zombie Trash has few errors there aren't any injuries on her head and body nor she's not in pain as the zombies are suffering being dead.
Yeah, but, ALL of them, weren't THAT Old!
i'll never get over how hard the line "I can feel myself _rot_ " goes. how horrifying of a concept!
The Librarian on TH-cam has a theory about that I found chillingly convincing.
*SPOILERS BELOW for their video "Why Return of the Living Dead is Scarier Than You Think"*
245 Trioxin doesn't restore consciousness, just movement. ALL dead people in RotLD's universe are conscious and can feel themselves rot. Zombies can just do something about it. Like Ernie said, "It... hurts to be dead."
I've always theorized that they can't be killed at all so that even when burned to ash they're still conscious of it
This whole comment chain taking this great film and making it like SCP2718 lmao
The zombies in this movie are the scariest to me for this reason. Bad enough that they are fast, indestructible, and can think well enough to talk and plot somewhat, but the added heaping of post-mortem dread makes them so much worse.
Love the Jurassic park refence. "He left us, He left us! But that's not.. what I'm going to do"
Where
@@Papohawkiscool11No.2 around 22:16 into the video
Me too!
@@GonzoTheGreen how is that a Jurassic park reference?
Oh nevermind
The zombies in this film are one of the most underrated and terrifying zombies ever. They're intelligent, can coordinate, communicate, and are much harder to kill than any other zombie.
And the worse of all? You REALLY dont want to become one of them, as their nervous system somehow still works and they feel their body decomposing, ans this is so maddening they let their instincts take over if it means a brief moment if tranquility.
@UTTPYOUROWNER2024-q7m you're copying my comment spam 😡
These zombies are the ones to truly scare me, I might've been 17 or 18 when I watched it on TV super late night with my brother, let's just say that I got some vivid nightmares after that.
Nowadays, it's one of my favorite zombie movies of all time.
Personally to me it goes around to being OP Bullshit
Essentially, humans with rotting corpses and almost-invicible bodies. Tough
I'm from KY myself, and the thing about this movie being set in Louisville is it's completely fitting with our local culture:
Weird nasty warehouse in the middle of nowhere.
Old Army stuff they either forgot to destroy or want to keep but don't know how or why it'd ever be used.
A couple of bored local guys cause havoc through their own stupidity instead of maliciousness.
Plus it gave us Project Zomboid
we love ky representation!!
I’m glad he covered this but it does bother me a little that he pronounced Louisville wrong.
@@daynechrisco9070 I feel like you can't not be outside of KY and pronounce Louisville wrong. It's on the signage at the airport!
@@daynechrisco9070 :(
The fact this episode got a content warning because one of the characters is named Suicide is just golden. There's no depictions of self-harm, that's literally just his name.
That's why I can't download it
Actually, one of the characters does (Spoiler) kill himself, as a zombie.
@joshuakoffman you think i hadn't watched the kill count yet? This comment is a month old
You seem very easily impressed if you call that "golden"
@@notveryniceatall That's because I am
The process of Frank and Freddie’s “zombification” is the scariest version of it in my opinion, like most of the time it’s just that a person gets bitten and turns a bit quickly then boom zombie, but here they’re still fully conscious when their bodies “die” and they feel all of it happening, like when they discover that rigor mortis has set in. Then you start craving brains to stop the pain of dying. It’s terrifying to imagine honestly 😱
As a forensic scientist I very much love the little detail of how painful they find rigor mortis. It would be, it’s something akin to advanced tetanus probably, but worse I’m sure.
To be fair, it doesn’t make sense that the morgue zombie who exposure that would be experiencing rigor, but it’s a nice semi-scientific explanation for fresh zombies.
Such a tragedy.
Agreeing with all of this and also adding Frank cremating himself. It's nuts how such a funny movie can also induce so much existential dread.
I know this isn't the context -
But congrats to being the king whilst also being out, yugi boy.
@@Exorsister if it makes you feel encouraged there are tons of out streamers and gamers, myself included. Things aren’t how they were 10 years ago.
I have a theory about why Trash turned when no one else turned. During the acid rain scene in the car when the roof was leaking she is shown to actually ingest/drink some of the rain. I believe this is the reason she turned.
Good point. Then again why does the Cop come back as a zombie? I'd guess the chemical would eventually dissipate from the rain clouds. 🤔
she was eaten in the cemetary
@@jomamafr She was attacked in the cemetery but shows no sign of actually having been eaten. The "old men" must have realized she was already turning once they got to her. Return of the Living Dead makes a point to break a lot of zombie rules but "the undead don't eat each other" isn't one of them.
They were all exposed to the Trioxin and Trash turned into a zombie cause her body was drenched in the Trioxin rain in the cemetery.
The headlight reveal at 16:53 is has to be one of the most memorable in all of horror history. First I ever saw it in promos and what-not it was equally creepy and cool. There's something about zombie women in fancy dresses.
It's so creepy how they're just waiting there for him to switch the lights on, like the world's worst surprise birthday party. In most zombie media that'd be a nitpick but these ghouls are smart enough that it makes sense for them to do that!
You know the video’s good when they give you a warning at the start.
A quality mark, you could say
I hate how the warning screws up the ad blocker so I have to watch it with ads.
It always doesn’t have the other videos for you to play
@@weirdguy1495 gg on letting youtube know another weak point 😔
FYI James finds these comments annoying as the warnings really hurt the video’s performance
I couldn't look at Spider (who ended up as my favorite character; he just seems like a really decent guy and friend) without thinking, "If the zombies don't get him, the damn enchiladas will."
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Absolute fire commentary!!
I was expecting him to haul ass to the nearest bathroom.
@@quintinwilliams3906 And so were the enchiladas, both going in and coming out.
My parents worked with James Karen, lovely man. My mom represented him. They had a story, where Karen, in full zombie make-up, came to visit my mom in the talent agency office. When he passed by the front desk, the front desk guy later told my mom "that man did not look good." Rest in peace James Karen
Absolutely love this movie, the torso zombie saying they eat the brains to dull the pain of being dead always stuck with me. For such a kinda dumb & fun movie - it's such a good little conversation and is just one of many ways this movie punches way above its weight imo.
The horror part is pretty strong. One of my favorites. And the fact that they subverted the way punks were shown in media at the time made me love even more.
@@aedes947
It's a very tragic movie with comedy
Even as a kid seeing Frank and Freddie in pain on the floor in the church was emotional for me
@@Chuck_EL Not only tragic, but actually a hopeless situation, because unless you turn them into ashes, you can't get rid of this type of zombie. And also the fact that they are concious for the whole time and are almost as intelligent as they were before the trioxin. In enough time it would be the end of humanity
My grandpa Tom Fox produced this, I’m happy you like it lol
@@aedes947And even then, you risk turning a whole lot more corpses into zombies.
There is no winning in this movie.
Tarman is literally the best zombie design I've ever seen. In fact, he even came back in the sequel, which is where he delivers this gem; 'Okay, no more brains, you win!'
Had to redo this comment because of a disgusting UTTP member replying to it. Ugh
The uttp was probably a bot. Report it.
@@jesusromanpadro3853
Unfortunately, they are, and commented again.
On the actual comment, I agree,
It’s one of the most unique designs for a undead villain!
@Joseph_14144eat shit, bot!
What is uttp
@@Gibbypastrami The 'UTUBETROLLPOLICE', who happen to use bots for spreading blackhearted, _evil_ messages.
Tar man is honestly the scariest zombie in any zombie movie
The Tar man jig at 14:22 gives me such unexplainable joy
He terrified lil 12yo me. I had to walk home alone after and I STG I nearly had a heart attack. I couldn't even look at him for years.
I'm 51 now and he STILL gives me a bit of a shiver lol!
Indeed, glad to see my boy tar man enjoying himself
Yay!
@Joseph_14144 Who the bloody hell are you?
context: Some weirdo with a mr. beast pfp was talking about laughing at a woman who's dog was put down and Daisy's Destruction
@@Pneumonia-NakeyJust report them as spam and encourage everyone else complaining to do the same. It eventually works.
Fun fact I’m a barista and Thom Matthew’s son came into my coffee shop one time. I have both a Camp Crystal Lake button and a Return of the Living Dead button on my apron and he saw them and told me his dad was in both and I made the connection. ROTLD has a very special place in my heart it was one of the first horror movies I ever watched in middle school. Seeing Linnea Quigley blew my middle-school mind. I also watched it my last day before starting my barista job. Been waiting on this one for a while!
That is so cool.
It's so radical to see Tommy Jarvis got infected so early on in Return Of The Living Dead. He could at least go fight against Jason Vorhees one last time.
My grandpa Tom Fox produced this movie.
TOM FOX THE PRODUCER WAS MY GRANDPA!! He passed away when I was very young, but I still have some Return of the Living Dead posters signed by him!
Awesome and my apologies for your loss
i love to collect horror memorabilia. is there any chance you plan on selling any of these posters?
Can I have one or buy it from you? Serious question?
That’s awesome!
@@jaxamilllion "do you plan on selling your dead grandpa's memorabilia" Don't think that's gonna happen
When I saw this movie for the first time, most terrifying thing was how smart these zombies were. Being able to call for backup on the radio and waiting in the darkness to attack all together rather than just walking around and following whatever moves and makes noise
That scene where the ambulance driver turns on the headlights and they're all just standing there waiting still creeps me the hell out.
Send more paramedics
Send more cops
Lmaooo
Ernie is also rocking a Walther P38, which replaced the Luger as the Wehrmacht service pistol in WW2, further supporting that he was a Nazi.
Or a Nazi enthusiast
Lot of war trophies came to America in the post-War years.
But, taken as a totality, I don't think he was on "our" side.....
He didn't really seem annoyed at Spider and Skuz seeing how one is black/Dominican Republican and one is Jewish
Then he consoled Spider when he broke down when he screamed "Make it stop!!" To the Torso Zombie screaming brains
@@Chuck_ELbecause he's keeping his identity hidden, he was paranoid of the secret service coming after him throughout the whole movie, always had his Walther gun at ready and quick with the draw, and paired with the name kaltenbrunner it's a dead giveaway
Personally I think he is one of the best parts of this movie and people read way too far into him. It doesn't make sense for him to be an SS officer cause why tf would an SS officer be in the middle of Kentucky and practically right outside of Louisville. Not to mention he's an embalmer, that's usually a government job and the only Germans America was scooping up before that period were scientists. And to add the cherry on top, he was nice to literally everyone in the movie and even mercy killed Tina to spare her the fate of being eaten by her boyfriend. These people are just pulling stuff out of their ass.
I saw this movie in the 80s. The lyrics of "Party Time" from "45 Grave" are horrific: the torture and murder of a little girl by her own relatives.
Yeah, it's more explicit in the non zombie version of the song.
Trash definately didn't deserve the dull machete as it was foreshadowed in the scene where she talks about dying, where she says her personal worst way of dying is to be swarmed by a group of old men
Your description makes imagining her getting mauled at a retirement home.
Love that she acts all tough and into horror but turns into a crying baby when a real threat appears
Huh, damn
Well I mean yeah, you’d be a crying baby if you were swarmed by a horde of zombies
A common mistake horror fans make overestimating their reactions under certain circumstances
James: What's the death toll of that downtown nuke?
Movie: It's under 4000.
James: Under 4000? That can't be right, can it? Whatever, we'll call it 3999.
Must have been a tactical nuke, because 3,999 was less than 1% of Louisville, KY's population in 1984.
I just want to thank you because before finding this channel I didn't watch any horror movie because I thought they were full of bad jumpscares and lazy plots. This channel opened my eyes to the genre and I must say I enjoy them so much now. So many times I see that a kill count is coming and I watch the movie beforehand to be prepared 💀👻. Thanks James and team! Be good people!
Babe, wake up! A cult classic kill count just dropped!
Edit: Also thanks for choosing Beetlejuice as the next kill count. Bro, I never thought I would see the day 😃
LYLE
LYLE
WAKE UP
THEY HIT THE PENTAGON
Bot
I love how the Mr beast bot has more personality than the brain lit who spewed out the original comment.
That's me!!
awake!
Tar man looks so good and still pretty scary! Honestly deserving to be the father of the zombie brains trope, he's iconic
Allan Trautman has a background in mime and you can tell he put a lot of thought into how a body that rotten would move to keep from falling apart.
11:22 he died of leukemia 9 years after this movie came out not after production
Aww
He was my cousin
@@nothx962 I’m sorry
@nothx962 many hugs and love for you. So sorry for your loss.
RIP Venturini😢
For people commenting, the warning at the start is literally just because one of the characters is called Suicide, because TH-cam is really strict about this stuff. It’s not a sign that the video is better than others
That’s so TH-cam
Right that, and the guy who has his humanity started putting himself in the furnace killing himself.
There are also quite a few skinless zombies in here.
Speak for yourself.. it's a great video about a great movie
@@ZDCastle Nobody said is not a great video.
In an interview, Miguel Nunez said that he was watching when Beverly filmed the scene with the breakaway step and he said that she was (justifiably) in a bad mood for the rest of the production.
I believe they were dating at the time and Dan was annoyed at how much they were hugging on set and how it seeped into the movie from what I remember Beverly saying
@@Chuck_EL wait. As in Miguel was dating Beverly? I guess that explains the way Spider hugs Tina throughout the movie
@@Chuck_ELno they absolutely were NOT dating I don’t know where you got that from. Beverly was single and actually started dating one of William Stouts art department assistants and to this day they are still married.
DO YOU WANNA PARTY?!
It’s party time.
Such a classic!! I watch it around Halloween time every year.
I make the mistake of downloading 45 Grave's original version of that song after seeing this movie. The lyrics are VERY different. Look them up if you wish, but don't say I didn't warn you. It's grim stuff.
@@jeffreycarey1680 hahah I know the lyrics! I prefer the version from the movie which is shortened and gets right to the point. I know exactly what you mean with the lyrics though, definitely bizarre.
@@ImWithMe your grandpa is the man! He has my respect! Fuck Brian peck though, that guy is more slimey than the tarman.
I like your style. 😊
@@sarahhenry1845 Thank you! Happy spooky season:)
One of my favorite movies, not just horror, of all time. It's quotable on a Princess Bride-level, has legit chilling scenes, tons of tiny details most people miss, and so much more. Thank you for finally covering it!!!! Would also love to see a KC for ROTLD3 at some point, as it's A LOT better than most people give it credit for.
A bastard skelly in the "to the numbers" bit? I'm proud of James for moving past his long time feud with them, even if he won't count them. Nature's truly healing and all it took was acid rain and rock music
James is a true worker, a professional. He won't let heat with the skellies keep him from getting paid. 🎩🧐
The Tar Man is still one of the best effects in cinema. Love that dude.
"I didn't know that you could have done it fake." tells me we wasn't just *acting* that Himbo energy :D
Starting method acting early!
Had the immense pleasure of meeting James Karen on the Turner Classic Movies Cruise. They sadly didn't play living dead, but they did play Poltergeist. He was as humble and kind as you could hope. Easily one of my favorite guests.
@Joseph_14144 It’s so sad that actual humans make accounts like this
@@SnuggieMaple I have flagged and reported every single comment the bot has made
@@jonathanstmartin W
@@jonathanstmartin damn it’s already gone lmao
@SnuggieMaple don't worry. You weren't missing anything. It was literally a spam bot replying to numerous comments
I'm surprised you didn't give out the coolest corpse Award for best zombie
Here's where the coolest corpse award would go to it will go to Tar man because he's the first one to say the brains line
Finally appreciation for this movie! And FINALLY Mr. Stout gets recognized in a video on this! I'm personal friends with Mr. Stout so when he's not mentioned in videos on this I get rather sad. Also in speaking with him I have a fun fact for ya!
Firstly that zombie luring in the cops was actually the first cop that showed up, the one with the revolver that kneels over the paramedic. He was zombified, and the reason they did this was because they wanted to give the gentleman portraying him more screentime. The person playing him was a real cop and had been hired as on set security so when they needed an extra cop they offered him the job, they ended up liking him so much that he ended up getting zombified and thus is why he's leading the other cops in!
"Send more Cops!"
That’s really cool!!! I love stories like that, they’re always both funny and usually heartwarming, I’m glad this one is both :)
My grandpa produced this movie I’m happy you like it lol. My dad also got to play a zombie when he was a little boy lol.
I feel like it could be argued that Freddy and Frank died the second that toxin came out of the barrel. They never get bit or anything, but they start changing slowly so it could be argued that when they got “knocked out” by it, it actually killed them and they’re just slowly decaying throughout, since it is said that the zombies feel themselves decay, but there definitely is a more definitive turn later.
Also the zombie in the warehouse totally ignores them and goes after burt. Cuz they were already dead
@@clarkness77 OH YEAH! I didn’t even think of that! That makes so much sense. I always thought it was weird that the cadaver lunged at him when the two other guys were right in front of the door. Dang I didn’t even think of that. That’s awesome. If anything that further proves it.
@@clarkness77 also could be argued that’s why the Tarman didn’t attack their bodies or anything.
So glad this was covered. My grandpa was one of the cops who gets eaten later on in the movie
whoa really?? awaome
"I slept with everybody to get the role. I wanted it so bad. Everybody."
And I'm dead. That guy's hilarious. 😂
That came out of nowhere, yet totally fits his sense of humor!
He said what?!
I agree, Miguel A. Nunez Jr. deserves a lot more respect nowadays. My introduction to him was "Kickin' It Old School," but eventually it would lead me to his other roles from "The Return of the Living Dead " and "Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning," which btw I still stand as one of the best follow ups after "The Final Chapter."
He was also on the 80’s TV series Tour of Duty.
@@zombiTrout What's the premise behind that one?
My apologies for the late reply.
something i love about this movie is that its primarily a horror comedy but it works as both a great comedy and a surprising insanely effective horror film, its both extremely funny and absolutely horrifying . its something so rare movies accomplish
Oh god. Tarman terrified the absolute crap outta me when I saw him. Like…HE CAN USE TOOLS! THE ZOMBIE IS SMART ENOUGH TO USE TOOLS!
The way you could see the gears turning in his head when he had that winch in his hands...
Adding to Ernie's "historical Germany" details, his gun is a P38, a very mass produced and respected German sidearm.
My head cannon is that he was a little boy who idolized the real Ernest, and took his personality after the war.
And also used by those guys.
Good catch
I also noticed that he’s pretty into the role I guess
@@Wednesdaywoe1975 makes sense 😂
The sequel to this was my absolute favorite growing up. My dad and I would yell at each other "get that screw driver out of my head" constantly.
Always loved how this is like the only movie that kinda shows being dead or being a zombie is basically being in pain constantly. And the only way to stop it is to eat some good ol brains
It does make me wonder... would other means of pain reduction work on them, like weed or morphine? I haven't seen Part 3 yet and but I know they at least try other methods (which is why the main chick looks like that).
@@jeffreycarey1680 If we get a movie of nodding out zombies, just high as shit all the time drooling on themselves, I'll be pretty happy
I actually met Linnea last year who was super nice and got to talk to her about Return of the living Dead she loved my Art The Clown costume! :)
This movie is my favorite zombie film
Sick makeup in the pfp, love Ghost
18:19 A REAL SKELETON???
Ye
This wasn’t the first zombie movie I ever watched, but it was one of the first and will forever be the one I remember the most. Such an amazing film.
I came to this movie somewhat late but it's my favorite horror movie
Tied with Train to Busan for best zombie flick I've ever seen.
Same
When the video has a warning at the start of the video you know it's going to be a good video
4000 same as dude bro party massacre
@Joseph_14144the authorities need to take your computer
"Beware the Mighty Monarch!"
Instant love for the Venture Bros reference! Excellent impression too.
This is easily my favorite of the old zombie films, ngl this the first one that stuck with me and sent me on a zombie movie binge. The actors that got infected and kept saying they were cold/burning up really traumatized me as a kid, the zombies were scary but man that slowly dying effect was incredible
Party Time in Return of the Living Dead is peak 80s. I like how Dead Meat is passionate about Zombie films on the channel from the Romero films to the Busan films.
When that song came on in the negan episode of TWD season 10 i was so happy
From the band "45 Grave"! The Original lyrics of the song are based on a real life case of a young girl who had some horrible stuff happened to her.
The Movie's "Zombie Version" is more fun and less dire in comparison.
As someone who lives in Kentucky, The Return of the Living Dead is my favorite movie of all time! I was born in 1980 so when this movie was released I wasn't even old enough to see it. I know more about this film than any other film in existence. IMDB has an excellent page detailing a lot. There's also videos that compare the differences of the original book to the film. I've been lucky enough to meet a few of the cast members in Louisville, Kentucky at the Days of the Dead horror convention. August 16th, 2025 marks the 40th anniversary.
"Braaaaiinnss, make paaaiin go awaaay!"
"Guess, it hurts to be dead."
You can see the Three Stooges slap stick humor influence on the veteran actors like Clu, Don and James
Especially the comedic deadpan face
Don even admitted it he said he played him "Straight laced" until he broke at the reality of what is going on after seeing that zombie rise up after he shot it and it chased him
Gotta say, the impression of Beetlejuice at the end was spot on.
The impression of who?
Chelsea's reaction when they found out how good his impression is was great lol
13:58 Suicide lives up to his name
You have no idea how much it made my day to see you finally cover this movie. This is a very personal movie for me that gives me some of my favorites of my brother. I loved seeing all the behinds the scens. Thank you for covering this!.
i think o'bannon was the reason why this movie was such a underrated classic the toxic ness on set made it hard to look fondly on unlike romero who everyone praised
I don’t know if this is a mistake or not but at 14:09 James says that in the VHS release, Tarman’s voice was pitched down. I think he accidentally switched the two as in the home video version, Tarman has the higher pitch voice while in the Blu-Ray and theatrical release he has a deeper voice
27:10 rare footage of James being nice to a bastard skelly
My favorite zombie movie. I love Night of the Living Dead because without it, this movie would probably not exist.
With that said, I think this movie simply beats all the zombie movies. It's not only a time-capsule, but the script, the acting, and the premise is just perfect.
I love how more in depth the kill counts have become compared to 6 years ago shows a ton of growth from James and everyone behind the scenes!
So this is the film that gave zombies their trademark love of brains!
Legitimately one of my favorite movies of all time
My mom used to take care of don calfa, the actor who plays Ernie in this movie up until he passed in 2016, great personality and very funny even in his old age
He also killed Bernie in weekend at Bernie’s! 😂
Fun Fact : Half the budget of this movie went into the Tar Man costume
Half of the budget was well spent.
I believe it. It looks so good!
Don't forget that Scuz "Brian Peck" did the R word to Drake Bell several times when Bell was a minor.
He said if you've seen Quiet on Set, you'd know. I don't think he would want to talk about it out of respect for SA victims who watch the channel, considering he doesn't want to cover Jeepers Creepers because the director Victor Salva is a convicted pedophile.
He mentioned the series when he was talking about the punks
Ugh I can’t even hear Brian’s name without getting incredibly fucking angry. 😡 Fuck that guy to Hell
Can't believe Brand Manager Ben let himself get bitten by a zombie, just to do a sponsor bit. Such amazing dedication!
Truly he deserves a raise 😂
James talking about next week's kill count: "-switching to a ghost: the ghost with the most"
Me immediately: BEETLEJUICE!!!!!
Beetle juice !?!?
Beetlejuice.
BEETLEJUICE
"Gotta be honest. Real glad you said that."
I never knew the movie was kill count worthy. I can only name the Matemens' death, no one else.
27:58 No Coolest Corpse?
Tarman
11:42 sesame street reference, loved it 😅
28:22 Beetlejuice?! Hell ya!!! Freakin love this movie!!
FINALLY IVE BEEN WAITING FOR SO LONG THANK YOU KING JAMES😭😭😭AFTER YEARS OF BEGGING THANK YOU
You know it’s about to be good when there’s a warning
Someone said that all ready
Yup 👍
God the Mr.Beast bot is spamming the comment section like crazy
@@HandsomeBishop Report for spam
Yeah also using Daisy’s Destruction just makes it extra annoying since using dead kids is just low
6:47 As a life long resident of Louisville, KY I can confirm Louisville did have a decent size of "punk rock" fans & followers when this movie was released. Favorite bands included (but were not limited to) Misfits, Black Flag, bad brains, Minor Threat/Fugazi & local punk band King's X.
When bands that were heavily influenced by punk rock (ie- Nirvana, Pearl Jam, STP, Smashing Pumpkins, etc) exploded in the early 1990s, the punk rock followers multiplied.
Now in the year of our Lord 2024, that people who follow or still listen to punk rock in Louisville has dwindled to the point of extinction.
That's literally not true lmao. It just morphs. Have you heard of Knocked Loose jfc lol
@@LivingRequiresMusic Is there a translation for this gibberish?
@cgh7337 You are old. Things not always the same. Things change. New band called Knocked Loose. They are from Louisville. They play Coachella & sold out tour while being a hxc band still. Just because YOU don't know the music scene doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Did that help? Maybe work on your reading comprehension.
@@LivingRequiresMusic No one cares.
@cgh7337 I do and plenty of other people do too :) stop talking about things you don't understand.
The Venture Bros references always make me so happy 7:17
Dude it caught me so off guard haha
Why would you admit to having the mental capacity of a clapping seal? That explains why you enjoy this moronic movie.
@@notveryniceatall uhhh are you alr bud?
John Russo and Russ Streiner (the producer for the original Night as well as the 1990 remake) were two of my college professors back in my film school days. I still keep in regular contact with both of them. I only got to know George Romero shortly before his death. John actually spoke positively about this movie, though it didn't follow his vision in the slightest. He talked about how O'Bannon had a vision that, even though he couldn't see it at the time, ended up being the right vision for this movie. This whole discussion was framed as a lesson on differing creative visions and how filmmakers tend to get hung up on those visions for better or for worse, but that when it's all said and done "life is too short to be pissed off all the time". This was one of my favorites growing up and still is to this day. You should check out the book it was based on, if you haven't already. It's...really different than this movie, but I could see it standing on it's own as a film someday.
15:40 - A simple man after simple pleasures. I dont blame em.
Men are simple creatures
Louisville's the home of math Rock. There may not have been punks, but there were a lot of kids into post-hardcore. This is my generation
Zoran looking at this film: “Heyyyy! They already talk in this! I can’t make an episode with this!”
Love that James is included some of his crew in the ad sketches.
I don’t know why but I like when James is like: “Suicide gets killed by homicide” very clever
“We have a little problem”
“GRRAAAHHHHHHH!” 😂
I love this movie
I remember watching this movie when I was like 8 years old. This and killer klowns from outer space were the first horror movies I ever watched. Scared the crap out of me. So glad to see this nostalgic classic covered on the channel
IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS SINCE I SUBBED.
My 2nd cousin was Mark Venturini aka Suicide. RIP big fella. 🙏 😊 Thanks James! 😁😁😁
For anyone wondering, he passed of Leukemia in the 90s. I was born in 88 so I never got to meet him.
Us: Hey these things don't leak, do they?
James: Leak? Hell no, this thing was made by the US Army Corp of Engineers!
6:10 last week's livestream
So, uh...did James just kinda forget that the "Coolest Corpse" award was a thing, or...?
Ah whatever, good video regardless
Even if he did included it, we all know Tarman would be the winner, it's not even close
I'd give it to Tar Man or Yellow Corpse Dude cuz both of them are absolutely hilarious!
He doesn't do that for every zombie movie, just Romero's.
@@jeffreycarey1680 He did it in Train to Busan.
I’m so glad you covered this movie. Return of the living dead was one of my first horror movies I watched when I was a kid. I hope you do the grudge or ju-on series next. Keep up the good work guys, horror is my favorite genres of movies.
James has really been killing the looks lately
He is dressed like the character in the movie.. although he is rocking it 10 times better
@@CRuduxypegg I know, he’s just been serving lately
You know it going to be good when it give you a warning
Indeed.
@BuddyhollyfeatlilWayneno joke, that first punk who died is literally named suicide
Return Of The Living Dead wins the award for the first and only horror movie to ever take place in Kentucky
Bots are all over this one, damn
Return of the Living Dead always freaked me out as a kid. Tar man was such a great effect
Hearing Venture Brothers references always makes me happy
I’m so glad I’m not the only one that noticed the reference
"Okay, who forgot to feed the butterflies?"
This is in my top 5 favorite films of all time! As a horror filmmaker, I was Facebook friends with both Don and Clu before each of their passing. And I am honored to share an IMDb credit with James Karen, even if his scenes were filmed in Tennessee while mine were filmed in Arizona.
Already age restricted. TH-cam be hating lol
It's because of the self-cremating scene, but it sucks to see that before the video
@@SpencerMiller574also one of the punks is literally named Suicide.
I’m pretty sure it’s because one of the characters’ names is a word TH-cam really does not like.
“Welcome to the unalive count where we tally down the unalives in your favorite horror movies”
It’s because one of the characters is named Suicide which TH-cam gets its panties in a bunch over