Gabe Reviews Horror

This review was originally written in 2022. Gabe's 100 Bucket List Horror Films Review #27: Return of the Living Dead (1985) I watched this film for the first time last year, and of all of the zombie movies I've seen it was the one that took me the most by surprise. After acclimating myself to the subgenre with slower-paced films like Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, this split-off entry was an utter delight with its different take on the zombie experience. This one jumps right into the cheesy 80s action with all of the classic archetypes (like the group of friends that somehow encompasses goth, punk, prep, and more all in the same group), and it spices up every scene with snappy dialogue, witty banter, and twists and turns that keep the story moving. The pacing of this film is INCREDIBLE, to the point where I started this rewatch 100% sure it was going to be two hours or more, because of the sheer amount of scenes and events that I remembered happening. Instead i...

This review was originally written in October 2021. October 2021 Horror Movie Review #4- The Return of the Living Dead (1985) Hooooooly crap I was not expecting this film. I've read about how John Russo and George Romero decided to create two different sequels to Night of the Living Dead, with Romero creating Dawn of the Dead and Russo creating The Return of the Living Dead. After watching Dawn and Day and seeing how so much of modern zombie lore stems from them, I assumed this movie would be a similarly-paced, similarly-themed movie (just with different lore or rules or whatever). Boy was I wrong. Return is big, it's bombastic, it's fast-paced, and it's unabashedly silly. Where Dawn and Day had moments of quiet introspection, and really dealt with the ramifications of living in a world where humanity is slowly being eaten alive (literally) by a mindless untiring threat, Return has a bunch of teens dancing naked in a graveyard while skeletons pop up out of the ground an...