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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...

The Return of the Living Dead is back with a new requel in spite of previous rights related issues.

On December 13, WithAnO Productions published a brand new teaser trailer for the long-awaited Return of the Living Dead reboot/requel. The film, which is set 18 months after the events of the 1985 original, will ignore the events of previous sequels in the series to offer its own unique spin on the franchise. Return of the Living Dead is currently slated to arrive in theaters in time for Christmas 2025.

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1985's original The Return of the Living Dead was directed by Dan O'Bannon from a script written by John Russo, Rudy Ricci, and Russell Streiner. The film's initial inception began as...

Brains! That's what it takes to make a good zombie movie these days. While the horror genre had a renaissance in the early 2000s, the leg-dragging flesh feasters have waned in popularity recently. Writer/Director Steve Wolsh of Living Dead Media is hoping to turn that around with a holiday twist on the Return of The Living Dead franchise. While details on the production are scant, Wolsh is getting some interesting pieces in order.

Wolsh spoke with The Hollywood Reporter and said that the film won't be a reboot but a sequel to the 1985 original, directed by Dan O’Bannon, and called the installment "a brand new adventure." He also confirmed that this film will use practical effects and real locations instead of greenscreen, which some may argue has robbed the potency and visceral power of the zombie genre in this century. Wolsh reflected on the practical effects teased in the...

Almost 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 (watch it Here)… and in the process, spawned a franchise. There was the goofy comedy of The Return of the Living Dead Part II, the “Romeo and Juliet with zombies” love story Return of the Living Dead ///, and a couple sequels nobody paid much attention to, Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis and Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave. The franchise has been dormant for nineteen years – but last year, it was announced that Muck and Kill Her Goats director Steve Wolsh, who also happens to be the CEO of the company Living Dead Media, was developing a reboot of The Return of the Living Dead. And now, the official website has revealed that a teaser for the reboot will be dropping online tomorrow,...

Almost 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 (watch it Here). A company called Living Dead Media LLC claims to own the copyright to the original screenplay and the underlying script for that film, as well as other trademarks, which is why they announced last year that they’re moving ahead with a reboot. But last month, a new company called Rotld Originals LLC was formed, with Return of the Living Dead cast member Beverly Randolph, a.k.a. Beverly Dawn Hartley, signing the formation document. Judging by Randolph’s social media, it appears that some of her co-stars are involved in this company as well, their mission being to “gain back our rights of our images” and, from the looks of it, launch a website where fans will be able...

Last year, Trick or Treat Studios released an officially licensed 1:6 scale figure of the zombie known as the Tarman from the 1985 zombie horror comedy The Return of the Living Dead (watch it Here). That figure is still available for purchase at This Link, going for the price of $159.99. Now Trick or Treat Studios is accepting pre-orders for another officially licensed The Return of the Living Dead item, one that works as a standalone display or can be used as an accessory for the Tarman figure: a 245 Trioxin barrel set! This one costs $99.99 and can be pre-ordered on the Trick or Treat Studios website.

Here’s the description of the barrel set: Trick or Treat Studios is proud to present the officially licensed, The Return of the Living Dead – 245 Trioxin Barrel Set. This set is a fun standalone and a perfect display accessory for the 1:6 scale Tarman figure. Carefully...

Almost 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 (watch it Here)… and in the process, spawned a franchise. There was the goofy comedy of The Return of the Living Dead Part II, the “Romeo and Juliet with zombies” love story Return of the Living Dead ///, and a couple sequels nobody paid much attention to, Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis and Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave. The franchise has been dormant for eighteen years – but it may be revived very soon. It has come to our attention that Muck and Kill Her Goats director Steve Wolsh, who also happens to be the CEO of the company Living Dead Media, is developing a reboot of The Return of the Living Dead.

The only information on this reboot can...

The 1985 zombie horror comedy The Return of the Living Dead (watch it Here) has some awesome poster art, featuring green-skinned zombies that are “back from the dead and ready to party”. Now the folks at Super7, a company that’s described as being “the premier pop-culture design house and producer of lifestyle-oriented collectibles, toys and apparel”, have taken to social media to reveal that they have turned a couple of those poster zombies into ReAction Figures! These figures will be available for purchase sometime this summer, but for now you can take a look at a picture of them at the bottom of this article.

Written and directed by Dan O’Bannon, The Return of the Living Dead has the following synopsis: 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,...

The 1985 zombie horror comedy The Return of the Living Dead (watch it Here) is one of my all-time favorite movies, and every now and then I like to look up the filming locations of my favorites to see what they look like these days. By watching a Sean Clark video on the locations used to bring The Return of the Living Dead to the screen, I learned that the building that stood in for the Uneeda medical supply warehouse in the movie has been converted into a private residence. So I looked up this address – 698 Moulton Avenue in Los Angeles, California – and learned that the Uneeda-building-turned-private-residence is now on the market! The property is listed on Zillow, with plenty of pictures showing off what the place looks like now that it’s a home with three bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a private pool. And if any die hard fan of...

It’s time for a new episode of The Manson Brothers Show, which is hosted by the writers/stars of the horror comedy The Manson Brothers Midnight Zombie Massacre – Chris Margetis (Stone Manson) and Mike Carey (Skull Manson) – and in this one the boys are ready to party with the 1985 zombie horror comedy The Return of the Living Dead (watch it Here)! To find out what they had to say about The Return of the Living Dead, check out the video embedded above!

Written and directed by Dan O’Bannon, The Return of the Living Dead has the following synopsis: 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...

Recognised as one of the original scream queens and a career spanning over three decades, Debra Lamb continues to work in film both as an actress and writer. I was lucky enough to talk with Debra about working on her upcoming film projects There’s No Such Thing as Zombies and Expresso to Die For, the title of a scream queen title, her short stories and an idea for the delicious sounding vegan dish ‘Lamb Stew.’ Check out part one of this interview right here.

A slightly longer question for you here. Although you have worked in the various genres over the years, your name has been synonymous with the term Scream Queen. There has been some debate recently as to whether the Scream Queen title is still relevant and if it is being overused. How do you feel about the title Scream Queen having been one of the originals along with Linnea Quigley,...

The latest horror flick filled with immense badassery to be added to Shudder's library is the fifth sequel in the Phantasm franchise, Phantasm: Ravager. Also in today's Highlights: details on the Clive Barker Reel Fear Contest, Portland International Film Festival's After Dark program, release details for Slasher.com and The Eyes, a new poster for Atomica, and production news and photos for A Haunting at Silver Falls II.

Phantasm: Ravager Comes to Shudder: "Joining Shudder is Phantasm: Ravager- the final installment of the long-running Phantasm series.

In addition to Phantasm: Ravager, streaming exclusively on Shudder is the remaster of Don Coscarelli’s 1979 classic Phantasm, as well as its sequels Phantasm III and Phantasm IV.

Phantasm was recently restored by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot and Coscarelli, and given both a new 4K remaster and a 5.1 surround sound mix, which will be the version presented exclusively on Shudder."

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Clive Barker Reel...

A bloody good trailer has dropped for the new horror comedy series from Blumhouse Television, 12 Deadly Days. The series will debut on YouTube Red on December 12th. Also: a new exclusive clip from Wives With Knives, acquisition details for Slasher.com, Wizard World's financial partnership with Bristol Investment Fund, Superstition details, and El Rey Network's new focus on "Strivers."

12 Deadly Days Trailer & Release Details: Press Release: "(Los Angeles, CA) -- December 6, 2016 -- YouTube and Emmy Award-winning Blumhouse Television today announced that they have partnered on a new half-hour horror-comedy series called “Deadly Days”. Over the course of a dozen interconnected tales, the residents of Saturn, CA find themselves terrorized by everything from killer carolers and lovelorn vampires to cursed fruitcakes and haunted Christmas trees. The series will debut exclusively on YouTube Red on December 12, 2016.

Blumhouse Television is serving as the studio on the series created by executive producers Chris Cullari...

"Some machines should never be turned on." Gautier Cazenave's Ghosts in the Machine was released on DVD on September 21st in Australia / New Zealand and will hit the shores of the Us and the UK in the coming months. Also in today's Highlights: a red band trailer for Pandorica and DVD and VOD release details for Slasher.com.

Ghosts in the Machine Global DVD Release Dates Announced: "During their summer vacation, six international students discover an old Vcr and a stack of VHS tapes in an abandoned house. When they find out it has magical powers, their attitude towards the machine will determine whether they live or die. Six young people, a curse...

House Of VHS deals with a very traditional set of elements. However, the treatment is unusually character-oriented. The protagonists set off to have fun, but they will all find their destiny in the house: friendship, love, death.

It’s hard to believe that the same year George A. Romero released Day of the Dead, the ultra-gory, ultra-bleak conclusion of the trilogy he began with Night of the Living Dead in 1968, writer/director Dan O’Bannon was spinning Romero’s original classic into a totally new direction with The Return of the Living Dead. Whereas Romero’s film is dark and sober, Return is pure punk rock anarchy—a horror comedy that successfully manages to be equal parts horror and comedy while introducing one of the most significant elements into the zombie mythos since Romero first made them flesh-eaters 17 years earlier.

The film’s ingenious premise—which was “meta” before being meta was really a thing—is that the events of the original Night of the Living Dead really did take place and were covered up, with the zombies locked into airtight drums and left in the basement of a medical supply facility.

We thought Daily Dead readers might be interested in The Return of the Living Dead reunion that’s taking place next week, as it will be the last convention appearance for a certain cast member. The reunion will take place at Days of the Dead in Chicago from November 15-17

There are dozens of horror guests, including the following actors from The Return of the Living Dead: James Karen, Clu Gulager, Don Calfa, Thom Matthews, John Philbin, Linnea Quigley, Jewel Shepard, Beverly Randolph, Allan Trautman, and Brian Peck. It was announced that this will be the last convention appearance ever for James Karen, so make sure to purchase tickets ahead of time if you’re interested in meeting up with him.

The convention will be taking place at the Chicago Marriott in Schaumburg, Il. For more details, visit:

http://daysofthedead.net/chicago/

The post Details on Next Week’s...

As a working actor in the movie business, you have to be open to accepting any job offer that comes your way – whether it's a big time role in a big time movie or a small appearance in a 30 second television commercial. You've gotta do what you've gotta do to pay the bills, and that's why many beloved actors have appeared in commercials over the years – either before, during or after their greatest successes... and our favorite horror icons are no exception. Check out these commercials featuring faces that are sure to be familiar to all fans of horror cinema! Jamie Lee Curtis (Activia) Greek Affair Featuring Jamie Lee Curtis - Activia Greek TV Commercial by advoplica Beginning in 2010, Halloween icon Jamie Lee Curtis teamed up with Activia to promote their healthy poop-inducing yogurt in a series of commercials that are still airing to this day, giving horror fans a...

The Return Of The Living Dead

Stars: Thom Matthews, Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Linnea Quigley, Beverly Randolph, Jewel Shepard, Miguel A. Núñez Jr., John Philbin, Brian Peck, Mark Venturini | Written and Directed by Dan O’Bannon

As beloved as the original Romero zombie trilogy, Return of the Living Dead makes its Blu-ray debut in a new limited edition steelbook from the folks at Second Sight. Comprising of a fantastic new transfer along with five hours of bonus features – including the recent documentary More Brains; an interview with the films creator Dan O’Bannon, original producer John A. Russo (Notld) and FX creators William Stout, Bill Munns and the awesome Tony Gardener; as well as looks at the two well-regarded sequels and a new music video for Stacey Q’s “Tonight”. The review follows our look at the new steelbook in the video below:

Originally released in 1985, Dan O...

When I was asked to write this column, I was beyond thrilled. I called my husband and screamed, “Fango wants me to write a column!” Fangoria, the Fangoria, that Sean and I have been reading since we were horny pre-teens. The Fangoria, whose first issue came out in the year of my birth. The Fangoria that still to this day, almost 100 movies later, I get tickled to know I’m going to appear in it. The Fangoria that has featured horror greats like, Linda Blair, Debbie Rochon, Lance Henriksen, Jewel Shepard, Brinke Stevens, Felissa Rose and Brad Dourif! The Fangoria that I bought 250 copies of to share with family and friends when the 2006 article, “A Wolf in Shepis Clothing” was featured. Fan-f**King-goria!!! I am on cloud 9, beyond excited, totally speechless. The same Fangoria that’s given me so much joy is the same Fangoria, The Fangoria that I now have absolutely,...

When I was asked to write this column, I was beyond thrilled. I called my husband and screamed, “Fango wants me to write a column!” Fangoria, the Fangoria, that Sean and I have been reading since we were horny pre-teens. The Fangoria, whose first issue came out in the year of my birth. The Fangoria that still to this day, almost 100 movies later, I get tickled to know I’m going to appear in it. The Fangoria that has featured horror greats like, Linda Blair, Debbie Rochon, Lance Henriksen, Jewel Shepard, Brinke Stevens, Felissa Rose and Brad Dourif! The Fangoria that I bought 250 copies of to share with family and friends when the 2006 article, “A Wolf in Shepis Clothing” was featured. Fan-f**King-goria!!! I am on cloud 9, beyond excited, totally speechless. The same Fangoria that’s given me so much joy is the same Fangoria, The Fangoria that I now have absolutely,...

We sadly report, for those who haven't heard, the unforgettable Jewel Shepard has been diagnosed with breast cancer. And due to limited health insurance coverage, she is forced to raise a considerable sum of money to pay for the treatment. But this is a great opportunity for us to band together as a horror community and help one of our own. And you can get some pretty cool swag out of it, too.

Jewel, best known for her role as Casey in the classic 1985 zombie masterpiece The Return of the Living Dead, has thought up a great way to raise funds to help pay for her cancer treatment. Jewel and the good people at Dark Delicacies have set up a fundraising page where Jewel is selling some great signed photos and artwork of herself. And tell me, in this day and age where zombies have suddenly become the monster of choice,...

The death of any famous actor is always a sad occasion for many film fans whether it’s a big mainstream star or a popular cult name. But nothing could be worse than the tragic and mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Yvette Vickers.

Vickers found her cult spurs in the fifties as the star of several popular low budget science fiction films. Although more talented than most of the blonde bombshells of that era, she could not escape B-movie typecasting, and despite coming extremely close, failed to attain the major film stardom she was quite capable of achieving. Branching out into other areas of entertainment did not prevent her minor film status from falling into obscurity, and as such, her sad and lonely death illustrates only too well the creepy downside of Hollywood.

Born Lola Yvette Van Vedder in Kansas City, Missouri on 26 August 1936, she moved to California with...

In what is absolutely the strangest, and saddest, story I've reported lately, the mummified body of actress, singer and pinup model Yvette Vickers has been found in her Benedict Canyon home. It is expected she died of natural causes.

Apparently, Vickers, who appeared in 1950s cult faves such as Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and Attack of the Giant Leeches, died a year ago at age 82, but no one realized it until a concerned neighbor, Susan Savage, noticed her mail piling up last week. Savage then forced open a barricaded front gate, scaled a hillside, climbed through a broken window and pushed past piles of "clothes, junk mail and letters" to reach her, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Vickers was discovered by filmmaker Billy Wilder, who gave her a small role in the classic Sunset Boulevard. She snagged a few decent films such as Hud, opposite Paul Newman,...

Up-and-coming convention Saturday Nightmares, which runs this June 3-5, 2011, in East Rutherford, NJ, has quite an impressive lineup. From a live screening of The Birds with star Tippi Hedren to a Martin screening with John Amplas to Barbara Steele introducing The Pit and the Pendulum, it has a little something for everyone.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Along with Tippi, John, and Barbara, guests over the weekend include the following: Bruce Dern, Sid Haig, Karen Black, Julian Sands, Doug Bradley, Lisa Marie, Ken Foree, David Emge, Gaylen Ross, Michael Gornick, Scott Reiniger, Beverly Randolph, Don Calfa, Jewel Shepard, Allan Trautman, Thom Mathews, Linnea Quigley, and many more. In addition, the lovely Ladies of The Evil Dead - Ellen Sandweiss, Theresa Tilly, and Betsy Baker - will be fielding questions following a screening of the film.

All the usual convention festivities will be taking place: Panel discussions, vendors room,...

Exclusive to Dread, here’s a handful of photos from the book signing for The Complete History of The Return of the Living Dead, which just took place at La’s house of horror, Burbank’s Dark Delicacies (3512 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, CA).

Incredibly well attended, the event saw most of the film series' cast and crew members (including J. Trevor Edmond, William Stout, James Karen, Jewel Shepard, Beverly Randolph, Jules Brenner, Stanzi Stokes, William Stout, Jewel Shepard, Brian Peck, Don Calfa, Clu Gulager, John Philbin, Graham Henderson, Williams Munns, Cherry Davis, Robert Craighead, Victoria Slaymaker, Paul Sammon and Dinah Cancer, among others) gathered to speak with fans and lend their Hancocks to the erudite, glossy tome, as compiled by authors Christian Sellers and Gary Smart (order your copy below from Amazon).

Visit Dark Delicacies online here for more information on this signing and others, including their upcoming Hatchet II event.

Return Of The Living Dead

Guest review by Mark Allen

Stars: Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Thom Mathews, Beverly Randolph, John Philbin, Jewel Shepard, Miguel A. Núñez Jr., Linnea Quigley | Written and Directed by Dan O’Bannon

George A. Romero’s output has, for some, been a little lacklustre of late. His last three films, all zombie features – Land Of The Dead (2005), Diary Of The Dead (2008) and Survival Of The Dead – have been fairly pedestrian undead fare, none of them attaining nearly as much critical kudos as his earlier, genre-defining (even, in the case of Night Of The Living Dead, genre-creating) horror pictures. For those disappointed by this and looking for something more substantial from their z-movies, perhaps cult classic Return Of The Living Dead is what you’re looking for…

Taking initial inspiration (and the title) from Romero, the flick is gruesome and hysterically funny in equal measure.

Are you bored of the same old TV shows? Tired of the mainstream? Then check out this round-up of alternative movies and series showing on UK television tonight…

8.05pm Lightning Strikes (Syfy)

A rural sheriff (Kevin Sorbo) faces a seemingly impossible battle when he is forced to defend his small town from a demon riding bolts of lightning and causing mayhem. From director Gary Jones (Boogeyman 3, Spiders).

9.00pm Blade: The Series (Horror Channel)

Slick small-screen adaptation of the popular Blade franchise. Blade and Shen hunt down a notorious vampire serial killer, while Charlotte makes a deal with Chase. Season One, episode 10.

9.50pm Derailed (Syfy)

A secret agent teams up with a cat burglar to stop terrorists stealing a deadly virus being transported on a high-speed train. However, the situation becomes more fraught when the hero discovers his family is also on board. Action adventure, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Laura Elena Harring,...

Are you bored of the same old TV shows? Tired of the mainstream? Then check out this round-up of alternative movies and series showing on UK television tonight…

8.00pm Babylon 5: The Lost Tales (FX+)

Colonel Elizabeth Lochley calls in a priest, Father Cassidy, to come to Babylon 5 to help a maintenance worker, Simon Birk, who appears to be possessed. The entity possessing Birk wants to be released, and is trying to force Father Cassidy to exorcise him. Colonel Lockley figures out that the entity possessed Birk while he was on a visit to Earth, after which Birk had hitchhiked to Babylon 5.

9.00pm Boo (Horror Channel)

A group of young friends spend Halloween in a dilapidated hospital, and soon find trouble-a-plenty in the ghoulish form of a psychotic spirit intent on escaping the dank wards. Sinister scares directed by Fangoria’s Anthony C. Ferrante.

10.00pm The Rock (Sky...

This unassuming, multitalented film-maker, who has died aged 63, was best known as the brain behind Alien. But he was so much more

Yesterday, following a short battle with an undisclosed illness, Dan O'Bannon sadly passed away aged 63. While his name should be vaguely familiar to cinemagoers as the writer and creator of Alien, to fans of genre films it should be tattooed somewhere on their person. O'Bannon was part of the fabric of genre films, a fixture. Though his star never rose above a certain elevation, in his own unassuming fashion he was a game-changer in more ways than Avatar will ever manage.

I've always had as much an interest in the nuts-and-bolts technical and artistic side of the movie-making process as in the finished films themselves. In the 1980s I wasn't alone: there were plenty of magazines, such as Cinefantastique, Fantastic Films and Starburst that were full of interviews with behind-the-camera workers.