Zombies, gore, romance, humor, a hobo and a redhead -- "Return of the Living Dead 3" has got it all.
Tweaking the formula a bit, this third entry in the series started by the late, great Dan O'Bannon plays almost like a zombie-fied Romeo and Juliet. Curt (J. Trevor Edmund) and Julie (Melinda Clarke) are two teenagers madly in love. Although Curt's father -- a prototypical over-bearing authority figure -- doesn't approve, the two seem to have a great life together ahead of them, that is, until tragedy strikes, and the experimental toxin from the previous two films is used to bring Julie back with mixed results. In short, this girl is hungry for love and lusting for blood.
In many ways, this is an improvement over the tepid sequel that preceded it. You can chalk that up to director Brian Yuzna ("Bride of Re-Animator"), whose sci-fi and horror credentials suit the film perfectly. Rather than merely re-hash or dumb down what made the original work so well, Yuzna's film takes chances and has a feeling of freshness that still lingers even today. The characters are just credible enough to sell the romance angle, and the gore, while slightly restrained in the R-rated cut currently on DVD, is as wild as ever. Sure, it has a tendency to sag in its third act, but overall, "Return of the Living Dead 3" is an enjoyable if somewhat tragic thrill-ride that is unlike anything else you'll come across. Unfortunately, the series would continue in the form of two underwhelming made-for-TV movies that failed to live up to this superior sequel.
Tweaking the formula a bit, this third entry in the series started by the late, great Dan O'Bannon plays almost like a zombie-fied Romeo and Juliet. Curt (J. Trevor Edmund) and Julie (Melinda Clarke) are two teenagers madly in love. Although Curt's father -- a prototypical over-bearing authority figure -- doesn't approve, the two seem to have a great life together ahead of them, that is, until tragedy strikes, and the experimental toxin from the previous two films is used to bring Julie back with mixed results. In short, this girl is hungry for love and lusting for blood.
In many ways, this is an improvement over the tepid sequel that preceded it. You can chalk that up to director Brian Yuzna ("Bride of Re-Animator"), whose sci-fi and horror credentials suit the film perfectly. Rather than merely re-hash or dumb down what made the original work so well, Yuzna's film takes chances and has a feeling of freshness that still lingers even today. The characters are just credible enough to sell the romance angle, and the gore, while slightly restrained in the R-rated cut currently on DVD, is as wild as ever. Sure, it has a tendency to sag in its third act, but overall, "Return of the Living Dead 3" is an enjoyable if somewhat tragic thrill-ride that is unlike anything else you'll come across. Unfortunately, the series would continue in the form of two underwhelming made-for-TV movies that failed to live up to this superior sequel.