THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD

Unquestionably the finest film to end with the nuclear detonation of Louisville, Kentucky, ALIEN screenwriter Dan O’Bannon’s directorial debut brings George A. Romero’s brain-starved zombies stumbling and groaning into the deathrock ’80s. A toxic gas spill at a medical supply company revives the residents of a neighboring cemetery, leading a cadre of trespassing punk delinquents to hole up in a mortuary in hopes of surviving the night and making it to the Fourth of July. THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD features a veritable banquet of juicy, ingenious kills set to a raucous soundtrack that includes The Cramps, The Flesh Eaters, and 45 Grave, whose “Partytime (Zombie Version)” enjoys a needle drop for the ages.