Return of the Living Dead 2 (DVD)

I grew up on b horror movies in the 80's, and the first two return of the living dead movies were always ones that stood out to me. Growing up I never forgot some of the scenes, like the graveyard dance in the first one, the whole speech, unforgettable and hilarious. I find it amusing too that watching interviews from the directors/writers that the humor in the first movie was actually unintentional! Part two could actually stand alone as it didn't strictly follow the first movie, and in fact brought back two cast members from the first film in completely different roles. I know even into my teens I found myself renting these two movies over and over. I'm glad that the first one has finally gone bluray, I can only hope they do the second one as well, but for now I'm satisfied to at least own it on DVD. Watching it cleaned up after all those old vhs rentals really is great. If you haven't seen the movies, and aren't too tired of the zombie flicks, and want to see one of the first movies that actually linked zombies to the eating of brains in specific, then give part one and two a go. The installments afterwards just don't feel the same, even though two of them did try to use some of the same actors in different roles. These movies aren't too serious, but rather creative. The characters stand out, heck if you know who Linea Quigly is she's the graveyard dancing punk girl who runs around nude through half of the first one. She kills me with her delivery of those lines "Do you ever fantasize about dying..." Anyone who's seen it know's what I'm talking about. Part two, on of my favorite moments has to be the zombie head someone has stuck "get that dang screw driver outta my head!" Overall a lot of fun.

GREAT Price & GREAT Movie!.

1988's "Return of the Living Dead Part II" is nowhere near the landmark 1985 classic "Return of the Living Dead" in terms of quality. The original film which was directed and written by Dan O'Bannon was a horror film punctuated by comedy that arose naturally from the situations that the characters found themselves in. The sequel on the other hand which was written and directed by Ken Wiederhorn veered much more to straight up slapstick comedy. I actually hated the sequel for a while but over the years have warmed to its at times misguided approach. Don't go into it expecting the classic original and you can have a good time. Scream Factory brings "Return of the Living Dead Part II" to blu-ray in a fully loaded collector's edition. It had previously only been available on DVD with a strangely altered soundtrack instead of the original theatrical audio. Scream Factory did a new 2K transfer from the interpositive which looks fantastic. Presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the transfer gets a lot of room to breathe on a dual layer disc as the bit rate stays around 35 mbps throughout. Detail is superb, no digital scrubbing or sharpening was done, colors are nicely saturated and contrast levels correct with no black crush occurring during the numerous night scenes. Simply put this is quite possibly the best the film has ever looked. On the audio side, thankfully the original theatrical audio has been restored in 2 channel master audio. (The controversial altered audio track from the DVD edition is also included which is nice from a completionist angle.) Some people have complained online that the original audio track is a bit thin sounding and might have been sourced from the VHS audio or a similar analog type due to a weird slight audio anomaly that is heard at the 52:45 mark which reminds some of when a VHS tape's tracking got slightly off. I personally don't really have a problem with it as having the original theatrical audio makes me happy due to the altered DVD track was horrible with the numerous changes which were made. Extras are plentiful and as follows per Scream Factory's site: NEW Audio Commentary With Actress Suzanne Snyder NEW Audio Commentary With Gary Smart (Co-author Of The Complete History Of The Return Of The Living Dead) And Filmmaker Christopher Griffiths NEW Back To The Dead: The Effects Of “Return Of The Living Dead Part II” – Including Interviews With Special Make-up Effects Creator Kenny Myers And Special Make-up Effects Artists Andy Schoneberg And Mike Smithson NEW The Laughing Dead – An Interview With Writer/Director Ken Wiederhorn NEW Undead Melodies – An Interview With Composer J. Peter Robinson NEW Interview With Actor Troy Fromin Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Ken Wiederhorn And Co-star Thor Van Lingen They Won’t Stay Dead: A Look At Return Of The Living Dead Part II Including Interviews With James Karen, Thom Matthews, Brian Peck, Kenny Myers, Susan Snyder, Michael Kenworthy, And More… Archival Featurette – Live From The Set Archival Interviews With Ken Wiederhorn, James Karen, Thom Matthews, And Kenny Myers Behind-the-scenes Footage Theatrical Trailer And Teaser Trailer TV Spots Still Gallery Of Posters And Stills Still Gallery Of Behind-the-scenes Stills From Makeup Effects Artists Kenny Myers And Mike Smithson Fans of this film can finally rejoice that it has finally made it to blu-ray in a loaded edition that contains fantastic new extras along with all prior extras from the DVD release as well as the segment from the "More Brains!: A Return to the Living Dead" documentary DVD release pertaining to Part II. With parts 1 and 3 already having received their own fully loaded special edition blu-rays courtesy of Scream Factory and Lionsgate respectively, you cannot go wrong picking this edition of Part 2 up. Highly recommended and would someone please get that d@mn screwdriver out of my head!

"Return of the Living Dead” is one of the precious few films that managed to walk that tightrope perfectly, and caused audiences of both the horror and comedy genres to recognize it for the fun, unique lightning in a bottle experience that it was. Sadly, it’s unfortunate “sequel” – “Return of the Living Dead II” – doesn’t come close to living up to the high bar set by its predecessor, being – at best – a mildly entertaining, if instantly forgettable, diversion. The primary issue with the sequel is for all intents and purposes “Return of the Living Dead Part II” is an inferior remake of the original. This time around, writer/director Ken Wiederhorn (taking over from Dan O’Bannon) creates a film that’s less focused and tightly scripted, falling squarely on the comedy side of the genre – going into full goofy territory at times – neutering any potential scares that this follow-up could have had. The film’s basic plot of toxic waste that turns people into the brain craving living dead being released into a small town is beat-for-beat a rehash of the original. Wiederhorn took everything that was special about the Dan O’Bannon original and muted it to the point of mundanity, bringing no original ideas, characters or concepts to his movie. Admittedly, there are a few bright spots within the runtime. James Karen and Thom Mathews are back from the original, more or less playing the exact same roles, albeit with different names. Their buffoonery is (fortunately) a well-oiled machine no clunky script could stop. Also of note, Dana Ashbrook as the younger lead does well with the “hero” role and shows even in the 80’s he was vastly underutilized. The main attraction is the zombies and for the most part, the makeup FX work is impressive. The biggest problem is Wiederhorn’s script and direction is that the undead are never made to be believable as a threat. O’Bannon’s original had the perfect balance of humor with the zombies and truly horrifying and disgusting moments. Here, the FX work just goes to waste in favor of silliness, such as a Michael Jackson zombie doing the moonwalk. Groan. Regardless of my thoughts on the movie itself, the new 2K Scan from the interpositive looks great, showing off the work of then-relatively unknown cinematographer Robert Elswit. Despite the lackluster film, Scream Factory has amassed an impressive assortment of thoughtful special features that address the criticisms I had. Rarely, does one see special features actually address the shortcomings of a film and what specifically went wrong. A huge round of applause to Scream Factory, MGM, and the disc producers for going this very thoughtful and interesting route with the production of these special features. The set begins with three, count ‘em, three audio commentaries. The archival commentary features Wiederhorn and actor Thor Van Lingen. This is a standard conversational commentary with Wiederhorn and Van Lingen doing more casual production anecdotes more than anything else. The first newly recorded commentary by Suzanne Synder is similar to the Wiederhorn and Van Lingen commentary, casual production anecdotes. The best of the three commentaries is the last of the newly recorded ones with critic Gary Smart and filmmaker Christopher Griffiths. Both are fans of the film but Smart having, literally, written the book on the Return of the Living Dead series is the key to this commentary as both men discuss the sequel(s) and original in detail. It’s a lively, informative commentary. Other extras of note include: - “Back To The Dead: The Effects Of “Return Of The Living Dead Part II” is a 25-minute featurette exploring the work done by Kenny Myers. The documentary is fascinating because none of the participants hold back on their dislike for the finished product. Myers particularly details the years of anger at this production and how tonally wrongheaded he felt it was. It’s a great piece because of the honesty of all participants. - “The Laughing Dead” is an 18-minute interview with writer/director Wiederhorn. The interview is interesting because Wiederhorn, whether he realizes it or not, accounts for the film’s issues. The director admits to what Myers said in two other featurettes on the disc, that he “hates horror” and wanted a “goofier” tone. Even now, people will be surprised the director has no concept of what made the first film so great. - “Undead Melodies” is a 12-minute interview with Studio Session Keyboardist turned composer J. Peter Robinson where he discusses his work on the sequel and how quickly it came together. - “They Won’t Stay Dead: A Look At Return Of The Living Dead Part II” is a 30-minute making-of documentary and possibly the crown jewel of the set. This doc doesn’t hold anything back regarding the troubles with the production and also with the film itself. Most of the major parties participate in the featurette. From Dan O’Bannon’s non-involvement to the goofy tone to the Michael Jackson Zombie, to the lack of gore. All is covered and with a fair amount of honesty. This making-of makes for a more compelling watch than some of the film because of how much truth is actually being told. Great, great documentary and worth the price of the Blu-ray alone. - And much more. Ultimately, “Return of the Living Dead II” is nowhere near as fun and fresh as the first film. It starts off decently enough before devolving into a painful comedy of constant errors. The story is a weak retelling of the first’s, made marginally redeemable by strong cinematography and a blue, foggy atmosphere that suggests (and that’s about it) horror. “Return of the Living II” (the movie) only leaves the viewer wanting to rewatch the original to be reminded of everything that made it so good, but as far as the Blu-ray goes, Shout Factory continues the high standard for its “Collector’s Edition” releases – great transfer, bountiful extra features, honest interviews, and more. For non-fans, this Scream Factory set is still a curiosity as the special features do enlighten one on what exactly went wrong with a sequel to such a beloved film. For non-fans however, you might want to pass this one. Recommended – for true fans only.

Très bon film des années 80 , juste un petit souci avec la jaquette est pas en français, le film y est par contre. Bon film fantastique et humour noir. Je recommande pleinement.

great

Un clásico del cine de terror con una edición bien lograda.

Perfect sequel movie, best zombie Comedy

Het verhaal sluit niet meteen aan op waar zijn voorganger eindigde maar geeft eerder een "andere draai" aan het gegeven. Dit gegeven zorgt ervoor dat men de twee films los van elkaar kan bekijken, al wordt er wel een referentie gemaakt naar zowel het voorgaande deel als naar de film "Night of the Living Dead" uit 1968.