F.A.Q.
- Where can I get "The Trioxin Theme"?
"The Trioxin Theme" was not released anywhere at any time.
-
I heard a member of Yes/Genesis/Rolling Stones played on the soundtrack?
Matt Clifford, a British keyboard session player, who has performed with those bands, composed the unreleased score, heard in the background of the film.
- Is there any video footage shot on set or a documentary?
No, unfortunately. Just a gag reel.
- Were any scenes cut?
About twenty minutes worth of footage was. Too much to get into here. Check out the VERSIONS Page or obtain the work print and see for yourself. There was no extra gore in it however.
- Why was Freddy's jacket blurred out in TV
showings-what did it say?
Fuck You. Seriously that's what it said.
- Was there a TV version shot?
Yes (but not finished). And a special jacket was made for that shoot. It said TV Version on the back. Again, no joke.
- When was it ever shown on TV?
HBO first ran it in October 1986. Cinemax aired it throughout summer 1987 after midnight only, trading it off with HBO throughout 1988 and 1989. USA Network aired it prime time for their Saturday Night Movie April 30th 1994 and May 16, 1996.The Sci-Fi Channel aired the same print Sat. April 15, 1995 re-airing the film on May 16th at 8 P.M. USA’s Up All Night was next (Friday Oct. 25, 1996 and May 10, 1997). Linnea Quigley kept Joe Bob Briggs company when it was broadcast on TNT May 1, 1999 on Monstervision. His assessment: "Ten breasts. Two zombie breasts. 125 zombies. Nineteen dead bodies, plus fragments. Mummy dogs. One-half zombie dog. Ten gallons blood. Gratuitous embalming. Nekkid punk-rocker fondue. Gratuitous midget zombie. Torso S & M. Four stars. The greatest zombie comedy of all time."
In the USA and TNT broadcasts, Freddy’s jacket, emblazoned with "Fuck You" in cursive, is blurred out. The version they used is the Hemdale Video reissue with the unknown music replacing The Damned’s "Dead Beat Dance" in the railroad scene. The stripdown scene is removed entirely for obvious reasons. In the scene where Ernie, Spider and Burt confer in the mortuary hall after speaking to the half corpse, the TV editors inserted the shot of the crematory firing up, as Burt describes burning them until there’s nothing left to come after them. Because of the violent clips which play under the end titles, they were re-formatted with white credits scrolling on a black background.
The Movie Channel ran the DVD print (basically the Hemdale version) July 5, 2002. Mystery Channel picked it up the same year. George Romero even had to *acknowledge* and introduce it (he never likes to) when he was hosting Mystery's Scarathon 2004. He said "sounds like MY type of movie!"
- What did TV Guides say
about it?
Return of the Living Dead (1985)
R: Strong language, graphic
violence. Famished and seemingly
indestructible ghouls prey on humans.
Burt: Clu Gulager. Frank: James Karen.
(1 hr. 35 min. H H)
Oddly, the film was rated THREE STARS in the TV Books of some of the nation's newspapers (in their movie captions) - then they deducted a star a few years later when they revised their ratings. One Guide gave it two and half stars. Also note the diminishing capsule size as TV Books got pressed for space.Return of the Living Dead
H H H (1985, Horror) Clu
Gulager, James Karen. Punk
rockers and employees of
Uneeda Medical Supply take note
when cadavers rise up and go
looking for brain food. (R)
Violence. (1:30)Return of the Living Dead
H H (85, Horror) Clu Gulager.
Punk rockers, cremator and
medical supply workers have
zombie problem in Kentucky.
R. (1:30)Return of the Living Dead
(85, Horror) Clu Gulager.
Medical workers confront
zombies. R. (1:30)
- If you say the UK cut is unedited, why is it 87 minutes instead of the full 91 minutes?
MOVIE "Return of the Living Dead"
(1985)Clu Gulager, James Karen. The
accidental leakage of a toxic chemical into
the Louisville, Ky. sky gives life to an army
of brain-munching zombies. 'R'
Because PAL formats are projected about 3-4% faster. No cuts or extra scenes.
- I heard Vanity was on the soundtrack of some alternate cut?
Not in the final print but in the work print, "Nasty Girl" was used as a temp track in the scene where Trash strips.
- Why did Dan O'Bannon call the company Uneeda?
Diane O’Bannon says: It was a throwback to the days when businesses were Uneeda this or that; "You need a tire? Come to Uneeda Tires." .
No. The presskit reported there was a music video, but no
one involved in the film recalls one. Plus I have the largest collection of privately
owned music videos in the world (10,000), with the most obscure clips ever made for movies like
Killer Klowns, Ghoulies II, Trick Or Treat, etc. and the collectors I have traded with
have never seen one for ROTLD. That said, there is a Partytime video 45 Grave
did in 1984 that I have.
Try www.ebay.com for used apparel which pops up every now and then but also
ask
collectors or movie memorabilia dealers.
No. The film gives story credit to Russ Streiner and Rudy Ricci as well. The three
originally worked on George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead in 1968, and decided a
few years later to write a treatment for a sequel they called Return of the Living Dead.
Well, George had started working with other filmmakers and was planning his official Night
sequel called Dawn of the Dead. So, Russo finished a novel and a script about flesh-eating
zombies roaming the Pennsylvania countryside set ten years after the original
"Night" and was looking to sell it. A new producer Tom Fox bought it and the
title rights, anticipating a similar success to Romero’s independent smash Dawn of
the Dead, backing it with his investor pals at Orion. He wanted Tobe Hooper to direct,
after his work on Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Poltergeist. Then Fox, aware that Romero was
doing a new film (Day of the Dead), decided the script resembled his films too closely and
needed a major rewrite. When Hooper committed to Lifeforce, and recommended a new
director-Dan O’Bannon, a new script was born. Dan only used two elements from the
original script: the name Burt Wilson. Everything else was his imagination. Russo then
attached his name to the project again shortly before its release, novelizing
O’Bannon’s script. Last names were invented by Russo, and a KGB subplot was
thrown in, among other things. The filmmakers ignored this book in the posters, ads, etc.
If you need to know how the details differed, read the Original
Novel and Script Dept.
Most medical skeletons do. For example, Carolina Biological Company sells
imported
human bones from India. At least at one time they did. More
about this on the MGM DVD commentary.
That comes exclusively from
Russo's novel which I disregard completely. Anyone who considers those last names as the
actual
last names have not seen the actual O'Bannon scripts where very few people are given last names.
If fans think that lends authenticity to the film, fine, but they may as well
accept the KGB subplot in Russo's universe too which along with other elements, makes the
ROTLD novel even more lame.
The original script reported the case as 1966. NOTLD began
shooting in 1967 but didn't catch on as a cult film widely until 1969. In
production, Dan felt it would be better if Frank's facts sounded more unreliable, the way
people really are, not remembering dates that well. Maybe the tanks came to the warehouse
years after the fact. It was merely Frank's rough recollection.
Probably because Tar Man and other such zombies want
"live brains" and Frank and Freddy were dead on the floor from chemical
poisoning.
The blood is removed for less mess during medical
dissection.
That is the *brilliant* work of Bill Munns, whose makeup
work got him fired after that exact 'effect'. Darrow
is based on Dow Chemcial Company, a real organization. Herbert Dow started this
company which is now the world's leader in agricultural and medicinal chemical
development.
Yes.
Yes! The non 2,4,5 variety still has "deadly"
uses: it's a mortician's restorative chemical (repairs cells and maintains the corpse's
contours after postmortem tissue constriction). Another form of Trioxin is a dangerous
by-product of industrial waste (tightly regulated by the EPA). It is related to dioxin, a
toxin found in Agent Orange, that causes birth defects. It is formed by
burning chlorine based compounds by hydrocarbons.
Rigor mortis loosens up after a while like Ernie says. It actually does
within a day so that the muscles are normal again. Plus a bottle of Trioxin helps to
loosen up those tissues. Why do the dead
run anyway? The decision to make them run was in keeping
with the idea to make them as different from Romero’s as possible.
Producers thought it was a bad idea initially - but ultimately thought it
worked best. Why do the limbs still come after
you? It’s not their brains that are back to
life, it’s all their nerves in every part of the body. It’s like when a headless
chicken that still runs for a while. These zombies are super-charged.
Simply to distinguish them from Romero’s well-known flesh eating variety. When
Fox
and O’Bannon discussed making it different from the Romero films, they wanted to
explain why they ate any human parts at all. Dan knew he had to make it seem as if
Romero’s movies were telling their own story not the real story. Humans targeted the
brains of the corpses in the Romero movies when the truth was human brains were the
targets of the walking corpses. Dan figured that the brain, containing the central nervous
control would be a logical meal – literally brain food, to keep these dead bodies
wired. It would also make the film less viscerally gory.
No. This was a myth started by incorrect info submitted to International Movie Data
Base (IMDB.com)...I believe it has since been corrected. Though it mostly takes place in
Kentucky, it was shot entirely in California. Apparently someone confused the film with
George Romero’s Day of the Dead which was partly lensed in Sanibel in
1984.
The locker doors Tar Man pulls weren’t steel - they were lead. Likewise,
the chapel doors were made of white pine - with painted veneers emulating finer woods..
According to Brian Peck and Bill Stout, this was pure coincidence.
Hescox Waste Elimination - refers to Richard Hescox, an artist/colleague of William Stout‘s.
The second paramedics to arrive - the second one tackled - was injured during the tackle. He was sent to the hospital where they discovered his spleen was ruptured.
After pushing through the attic, Thom Mathews split his head when the attic latch fell back down on him.
William Stout wrote the note posted on the Uneeda door (about “no cash in safe after 5 PM“) when Tina first goes looking for Freddy. On the DVD commentary he admits he was in err, saying he was “in a hurry“.
Script was written in 1983. They shot it in 1984, Bill is mistaken.font>
"Für Elise" by Beethoven. It is used differently in UK prints.
Different music is on the MGM DVD.
I’Thanks to Tony Gautier we have solved this one - it's by the hardcore band Straw Dogs, "Young Fast Iranians" (1985) appearing on Restless Records' Variations release. It was not one of the changes made or authorized by Dan O'Bannon for the DVD because the music was changed for home video as early as 1990, as it appears on the Hemdale Video version in 1991.
Positively. Dan O'Bannon picked that name because it was a
real person. The real Ernst Kaltenbrunner (b. 1903 in Austria) was an anti-semite
relishing his rank as SS Chief of Intelligence between 1942-45. He supervised the Gestapo
and concentration camps, endorsing the use of lethal gas to liquidate the Jews. He was
captured by U.S. troops in 1945, indicted in Nuremberg trials for war crimes and sentenced
to hanging in 1946. According to Don Calfa, it's "When the Panzers Go
Rolling Along". The actual name is "Panzer Rollen in Afrika Vor", a Nazi
anthem. Panzers are WWII-era tanks. It was Dan O'Bannon's idea, and his tape. Here
are the lyrics in German and English ( the third stanza is the
one actually used in the film)
According to Don Calfa, "It’s coming down like es
regnet in Stroemen" ("raining like cats and dogs"). In keeping
with his character's heritage, actor Don Calfa threw this line in by doing a little
research. However, it doesn't sound like this is indeed the phrase! To my ears, it
sounds like "it's coming down like an eindringend soldatisch" ('an
infiltrating soldier or a soldierly penetrating'). However on the DVD subtitles
are wrong: 'getrunken soldat' (drunk soldier). "Eingetrunken"
sounds better. It is definitely a Nazi reference. Yet another visitor to the
site - this time an actual native of Germany explains that if he uses
correct German it would be: "it´s coming down like ein betrunkener
soldat". (thanks to Slaytanic Thorsten for this)
No. The corpse is naked and bald; it came from a morgue.
He is not actually meant to be made of tar, those are shreds of flesh (hear DVD
commentary). This fact makes the tar men of the sequels particularly part 3 inaccurately depicted.
The tar reference is from its original inspiration of the Tar men of Mexico.
The credits says that was a legless
zombie - wasn’t that a midget
zombie? Good one. This could be explained
with a little common sense. Offscreen, Ernie removed the body before the medics arrived.
Dan O’Bannon, Clu Gulager, James Karen, Jewel Shepard and Linnea Quigley
appeared at the Fangoria Weekend of Horrors in 1986. Media Home Entertainment
released a 1987 video (M862) of this a year later. Gulager, Shepard and O’Bannon
all appear on camera, and there are numerous glimpses of ROTLD shirts,
pins and other paraphernalia. Quigley of course, became a convention fixture. A
reunion was scheduled for January 2002 at a Fangoria Weekend of Horrors in New
York with Karen, Quigley and Thom Mathews - who was the only one who showed
up. First annual Creepcon in Baltimore, MD June 9th saw the
largest reunion: Karen, Quigley, Philbin, Calfa, Trautman and William Stout.
Gulager couldn’t be reached, Mathews after the embarrassing FangoCon wanted no
part, Randolph either, and Peck had work that weekend, Nunez booked on a
press tour for Juwanna Mann including an appearance on CNN's Talkback
Live. Jewel Shepard had a problem last minute with the promoter and so did not
go. She had helped the promoter contact Dan who also did not go, claiming he was
afraid to fly.
Apparently yes.
I guess there wasn't much left of his brain or enough
Trioxin around by that time. I wouldn't count that as a mistake but here
are some other known mistakes other than anything aforementioned in this
FAQ:
Was ROTLD going to be shot in 3-D?
Yes, it was proposed.
No but it caused minor confusion. Day hurt itself with no
rating and minimal TV advertising. Although Day had just started shooting when Return was
already basically in the can (Oct. 1984), Day wound up getting released BEFORE Return
(July 1985). It was not released on one day, but rather a chain of dates whereas Return,
being backed by major studio Orion, had one nationwide date in August. The critics
generally favored Return, however the two films stayed clear of each other. The only
incidence of both films "clashing" were in the Midwest areas when they were
simultaneously released in late August. Return kept playing at midnight shows as Day saw
release in the South and West in October. At the end of the year, Day had made close to $3
million and Return $5 million.* Another difference was Return was R rated, Day had no
rating, which could have scared some people off. (* underreported box office tallies)
He has claimed in the past that the producers ripped off
his friend John Russo. When the film was released, he was often asked what he thought of
it, and would say "no comment." Since then, often privately, he has said he
actually enjoyed it.
Yeah right. Actually, the closest thing to it, horror's Saturn awards although
it didn't win any. In 1985, it was nominated for best horror film (Fright Night
won; Day of the Dead not even nominated except for effects which it won). Return
also was nominated for best effects (Bill Munns!!), James Karen best actor and
O'Bannon for direction. They didn't win any though, losing to Michael J. Fox
(Back To The Future) and Ron Howard (Cocoon).
Oh and don't ask for the sequels - they were overlooked deservingly. Yes. The executive producers of ROTLD attempted to contact
him numerous times but gave up; Romero would not reply. He was committed artistically and
professionally to his own Living Dead films.
Clu moved on to other projects and wasn't asked back. Yes,
he also wrote a treatment upon which parts of the sequel was based (uncredited). He
auditioned for the role of the Doc but didn't get the part (!) Brian Peck was the only
part one actor in all three ROTLD films.
Yes.
Cast member obituaries: Derrick
Brice (d. 6-5-87) - Gunnery Sgt., David Bond (d. 4-16-89) - Send More Cops
zombie, Mark Venturini (d. 2-14-96) - Suicide, Cathleen Cordell (d. 8-19-97) -
Ethel Glover, Paul Cloud (d. 11-29-87) - Cop> Also producer Tom Fox (7-04), Dan O'Bannon (12-09).
I saw it as a youth at the theatre. Scared the hell out of
me more than Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, which really
didn't affect me as much as other zombie films. I just loved the back story and the
visuals and tone of ROTLD. It just brought a nastiness and a whole new approach to
zombies.
What kind of car is Suicide's? I own 98% of the collectibles pictured on the site. I have
a scrapbook of stills and many of the rarities on the site like the puzzle, Tar
Man painting, French door poster, etc. I have been collecting the film since 1986.
Any of these Japanese items (LP, Tar Man poster,
storyboard postcards)...any foreign lobby card sets, French door panels....promo items
like the crawling hand, puzzle, or the barf bag. By comparison, these things are
not rare: standee, buttons, US picture discs, press kits, CDs, advance
posters, etc. The laserdisc was discontinued after only a year so that is somewhat
of a find only now they are turning up due to the videophiles buying the DVD.
Yes. All the US LPs do, and the outer part of the LP label
has a message carved in the vinyl on both sides as well.
A good sequel has never been made.
This is mentioned on the Miscellaneous section here.
It's called "The Willies" and was directed by
Brian Peck ('Scuz').
I saw a comedy with Don Calfa and
Linnea Quigley in the 80's...what was it? What other movies has the
cast done/where are they now? James Karen used to do commercials
for a supermarket before?
Yes. "There have been sworn affidavits…"
Plus Dan admits it is on the MGM DVD.
No. There was a Uneeda.
I get a few emails time to time on how to find it. Actually here's the building
now so you can save a trip:
Go to the local supermarket. Buy some Oscar Meyer weiners. Leave
them in the oven at
500.
(the real ones aren't for sale...)
Copyright 2002 Trioxin5
Yes, a 1974 movie called 'Messiah of Evil' was retitled to ROTLD and subject to legal
changes by George Romero and co. prior to the title rights purchase by Tom Fox.
BURT IS A SLAVE DRIVER AND A CHEAP SON OF
A BITCH...
(Previously I had been told by W. Stout that it was smart son of a bitch,
and mean son of a bitch by another crew member. But as you can see the DVD
is pretty reliable! Thanks to Nick at gutzngory.com who after painstaking
work in Photoshop concluded that it finishes "..who's got me and you
here.")
Is Darrow a real company?
This
logo based on the actual Dow logo (first used in 1919)
This is because the deceased are not meant to be viewed during embalming
procedures by the public (or even the family in some restrictions). Burt was
a friend so he was let in confidentially. Here's a question--why was the
door to the mortuary embalming room open at all?
It was intended to be a corpse who’s legs were either lost as it crawled out of
the grave or lost in its human life. The actor was Jerome Coleman, who was born with a
malformed arm and no legs. He won over the casting people with his enthusiastic
audition - and also, he didn't mind putting real calf brains in his mouth!
I believe she rises up near the angel monument which is not the same place she is
attacked. Maybe she got away, injured, and wandered to another section of the graveyard
where she really died. Or maybe she was left for dead while the dead followed the others.
- There’s
no human way a six-foot man could have fit into one of the canisters without
forcing the breaking of bones.
- There’s a Civil War suited zombie who has never seen an ambulance let alone used a dispatch with a New York accent.
- There should have not have left to revive of Trash's head with a mob of zombies; she looks too intact
- There should have been a zombified transient later on (the one Trash attacks)
- The sweat pools on Frank’s shirt change size just before the split dog
discovery.
- It is unlikely any bodies could crawl up from six feet under the ground,
especially after being dead for so long and losing muscle fibers and
ligaments.
- The glue holding the phone cord to the console at Glover's mansion gives way
in the last scene he is seen in near the end.
- One hour, eleven minutes and 40 seconds in: the back of (puppeteer Tony Gardner's?) head and back can be seen under the half lady table as Ernie slaps Spider
- My favorite mistake: In the scene of the cop car racing out of the cemetery driven by Burt, when
the car reverses, look for a camera operator (red light flickering) inside the passenger seat and his
assistant in the backseat. How did anyone miss this in the theater??
-The gunnery
sergeant firing the missile. No mention of where this scene is supposed to be.
Given the location of the shoot was Los Angeles National Forest, and the
original ending was supposed to be railroad cars in South Dakota, you would
guess the West Coast somewhere right? Well, if it’s 5:05 A.M. EST in Kentucky
and there is some sunlight already, then it would be at least 4:05 A.M. in
Wichita, but the fact that there’s sunlight is a mistake. Also because there
are no mountains in Kansas, it can’t be Wichita. Unless it was supposed to be
220 miles to the East Coast then it could be in the Appalachians or something…
Dan has always been public about his admiration and respect
for George Romero’s work. He has not compared his film to any of Romero’s other
than pointing out differences. He is confident he has a better thrill ride
than Day, that his film has more going for it than just a trained zombie and
a few gut spills.
And Colonel Glover (Jon Terry) too? They were asked, they thought it would be fun.
A 1960 Cadillac Eldorado.
"Treasure of the Moon Goddess."
Clu Gulager is currently making
independent films himself like Fucking Tulsa with his family’s film
company. James Karen and Don Calfa are still in show biz. And in 2002, Calfa
will appear in When the Screaming Stopped with Linnea Quigley. Miguel
Nuñez continued on with television work through the 80’s and 90’s, was
recently in Juwanna Mann, and Jewel Shepard became a writer for
Premiere magazine. Brian Peck is an acting coach (works with children and
young actors mainly). He has the distinction of being the only actor in all
three ROTLD films. And of related interest, he wrote and directed a
comedy called The Willies (1991) which starred his old friends Karen
and Gulager.
Yes, the veteran actor did in fact for
NY area markets Pathmark. Here's a vidcap from one of them from 1982.
(Thanks to Nick for the shots.)