In 1985, horror-comedy, The Return of the Living Dead made its cinematic debut. The film – positioned as a very loose sequel to George A. Romero’s 1968 movie, Night of the Living Dead – followed the story of a group of people caught up in a zombie uprising, following the release of a gas which can reanimate the dead.
Upon release, The Return of the Living Dead was a box office hit, and proved popular with horror fans. As such, the film was soon followed by a sequel, appropriately titled Return of the Living Dead Part II.
This second film wasn’t as popular as the first, nor was it as financially successful, but it did enough business at the box office to ensure more entries would follow. And that’s exactly what happened, with further sequels popping up in the 1990s and the 2000s.
But how many Return of the Living Dead movies are there and what is the order of the films? All those questions and more are explained below.
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What is the connection between Night of the Living Dead and The Return of the Living Dead?
Before I discuss the Return of the Living Dead movies, I need to explain how this film series connects to classic black-and-white horror movie, Night of the Living Dead. The two films and their respective sequels are separate entities, but they do share a link of sorts.
In 1968, Night of the Living Dead was released in cinemas. George A. Romero was the director and co-writer of the picture, while John A. Russo was on board as the other co-writer.
Following the release of Night of the Living Dead, despite having a hit on their hands, Romero and Russo disagreed about how to handle the sequels for their movie. After much discussion, they eventually came to an agreement, where they would step away from each other and do their own thing.
Romero would create a series of sequels to Night of the Living Dead, using the word ‘Dead‘ in each title (Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, etc), while Russo would develop his own projects using the words ‘Living Dead‘ in anything he produced. Russo then went on to write a novel called The Return of the Living Dead, which was subsequently developed into the 1985 horror movie of the same name.
When The Return of the Living Dead hit cinema screens it was not directly connected to Night of the Living Dead (as such), however, in the story it is suggested the events of Night of the Living Dead were real. So, The Return of the Living Dead was a sort-of follow-on to Night of the Living Dead in some respects, but only very loosely.
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How many Return of the Living Dead movies are there?
As noted above, the first entry in the Return of the Living Dead series was released in 1985, and following its success it went on to spawn a collection of sequels. To date, there are five entries in the Return of the Living Dead movie series.
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
The first film takes place over the July 4th holiday, and begins with Frank and Freddy, two employees at a medical supply warehouse, accidentally releasing a toxic gas known as Trioxin. Unbeknown to them, this gas has the ability to revive the dead, and once it is released it brings a cadaver back to life.
After taking the reanimated body to a nearby mortuary to dispose of it, the corpse is incinerated. However, the gas that is released from the cremation contaminates the air, creating acid rain which falls to the ground and reanimates further corpses in a cemetery close by.
Return of the Living Dead Part II
Due to the popularity of the first movie, a sequel was soon put into production under the title Return of the Living Dead Part II. In this film, Trioxin is once again responsible for a zombie infestation, after a US military truck carrying the gas loses a barrel of it mid-journey.
The barrel is discovered by three pre-teens, who eventually open it and release the toxic gas. This in turn spreads to a nearby cemetery, and zombies are soon stalking the night.
Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993)
Although Return of the Living Dead wasn’t as well-received as its predecessor, a third film followed in 1993. The movie – titled Return of the Living Dead 3 – told the story of a young man called Curt Reynolds, who reanimates his girlfriend, Julie, after she is killed in a motorcycle accident.
In the film, Curt reanimates Julie using Trioxin gas. This brings Julie back to life, but at a cost, and soon she has to battle with her ongoing hunger for human flesh.
Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis (2005)
After the release of Return of the Living Dead 3, the ‘Living Dead‘ movie series went on hiatus for 12 years, before being revived via two made-for-television sequels. The first of these films was Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis.
Set ten years after the events of the third movie, Necropolis begins with a trip to Chernobyl, to retrieve the last barrels of Trioxin. From here, zombie madness soon follows.
Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave (2005)
Shot back-to-back with Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis, Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave is the fifth and final entry in the ‘Living Dead‘ series. The film sees Trioxin turned into pills, which in turn has the ability to cause humans to reanimate as zombies.
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Are all of the Return of the Living Dead movies part of the same series?
All five entries are part of the same series, with events told in chronological order. The films don’t tend to retain many cast members, but the use of Trioxin is a common link across the series.
The order of the Return of the Living Dead movies
The viewing order for the Return of the Living Dead movies is as follows:
- The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
- Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988)
- Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993)
- Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis (2005)
- Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave (2005)
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Who are the cast of the Return of the Living Dead movies and are all of the movies the work of the same director?
Notable actors in the Return of the Living Dead movie series include Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Linnea Quigley, James Karen, Mitch Pileggi, Allan Trautman, Melinda Clarke, J. Trevor Edmond, Sarah Douglas, Peter Coyote, Cory Hardrict, John Keefe, and Jana Kramer.
In terms of the directors, the Return of the Living Dead movies are the work of different directors throughout the series.
- Dan O’Bannon directed The Return of the Living Dead
- Ken Wiederhorn directed Return of the Living Dead Part II
- Brian Yuzna directed Return of the Living Dead 3
- Ellory Elkayem directed Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis and Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave
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What is the best Return of the Living Dead movie?
The Return of the Living Dead is generally considered the best entry in the ‘Living Dead‘ movie series. The film was well received upon its debut and has continued to maintain a loyal following ever since.
The IMDb ratings for the ‘Living Dead‘ films are as follows:
- The Return of the Living Dead (1985) – 7.3/10
- Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988) – 5.7/10
- Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993) – 5.9/10
- Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis (2005) – 3.3/10
- Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave (2005) – 3.3/10
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