Main Cast: James Karen, Thom Matthews, Michael Kenworthy, Marsha Dietlein, Dana Ashbrook
Release Year: 1988
Country: US
Run Time: 89 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
A virtual remake of its predecessor, Return of the Living Dead (1985), which itself was a tongue-in-cheek rip-off of director George Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968), this follow-up adheres strictly to a gore and gags formula. Jesse Wilson (Michael Kenworthy), is a young boy being bullied by thugs from the neighborhood when all of them discover a sealed drum containing a zombie corpse. The release of a gas from the container reanimates the dead in a nearby graveyard, thus releasing an army of the undead, which mindlessly crave living human brains. As Jesse tries to contact the military to put a lid on the situation, the zombies are dispatched through a variety of gruesome methods. Two stars of the first film, James Karen and Thom Mathews, return in essentially the same parts, but with different names, as their characters were previously slaughtered. Followed by a third entry in the seires, Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Review
With higher production values and lower box-office returns than its predecessor, this teen horror flick follows familiar financial patterns. Artistically, though, it's no better or worse than the first Return of the Living Dead. Casual horror fans would probably enjoy whichever film they saw first, while genre obsessives would find enough variety in plot and special effects to sit happily through both installments. Gags this time include a clever jab at MTV, knowing nods to Tobe Hooper's Salem's Lot and George Romero's Dawn of the Dead, and plenty more horrificomic dialogue from the gruesome zombie legions. Anyone who thinks self-referential horror-comedy began with the '90s Scream franchise should take a peek at this underrated series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Philip Bruns - Doc Mandel; Suzanne Snyder - Brenda; Thor Van Lingen - Billy; Jason Hogan - Johnny; Suzan Stadner - Aerobics Instructor; Jonathan Terry - Colonel; Sally Smythe - Billy's Mom; Don Maxwell - Billy's Dad; Reynold Cindrich - Soldier; Mitch Pileggi - Sarge; Arturo Bonilla - Les; Terrence Riggins - Frank; James McIntire - Officer; Forrest J. Ackerman - Special Zombie; Richard Moore - Special Zombie; Brian Peck - Special Zombie; Alexandre Trauner - Tarman; David Eby - Special Zombie; Nicholas Hernandez - Special Zombie; Derek Loughran - Special Zombie; Anne O. Marshall - Special Zombie; Steve Neuvenheim - Special Zombie; Larry Nicholas - Jesse's Double; Peachy Keene - Worm Woman; Douglas Benson - Special Zombie
Credit
Dale Allan Pelton - Art Director, Shari Rhodes - Casting, William S. Gilmore - Co-producer, Ken Wiederhorn - Director, Chalres Bornstein - Editor, J. Peter Robinson - Composer (Music Score), David Chackler - Musical Direction/Supervision, Joseph Belladonna - Songwriter, Charles Benante - Songwriter, Brian Cadd - Songwriter, Paul Carmen - Songwriter, Julian Cope - Songwriter, Geoffrey Gayer - Songwriter, Carey Howe - Songwriter, Scott Ian - Songwriter, Joe Lamont - Songwriter, Mantronik - Songwriter, John Moon Martin - Songwriter, Zodiac Mindwarp - Songwriter, Michael Olivieri - Songwriter, Robert Palmer - Songwriter, Bobby Pickett - Songwriter, Dean Roberts - Songwriter, John Rooney - Songwriter, Dan Spitz - Songwriter, M.C. Tee - Songwriter, The Love Reaction - Songwriter, Frank Bello - Songwriter, Kenny Myers - Makeup Special Effects, Robert Elswit - Cinematographer, Robin S. Clark - Production Manager, Tom Fox - Producer, Suzette Sheets - Set Designer, Eugene Crum - Special Effects, Terry Frazee - Special Effects, Dewey Gene Grigg - Special Effects, Glenn Anderson - Sound/Sound Designer, Gary Lee Davis - Stunts, William R. Perry - Stunts, Ken Wiederhorn - Screenwriter
Return of the Living Dead Part II is an American zombiehorror comedy film that was released in 1988. It was written and directed by Ken Wiederhorn. The film was released by Lorimar Motion Pictures on January 15, 1988, and was a minor box office success, making $9 million at the box office in the United States against its $6 million budget. It is the first of four sequels. Though this film and its predecessor shared the same rating ("R"), this film had a lighter tone; however the misleading trailer suggested it was darker.
==Synopsis== SPOILER! The plot follows seven people as they attempt to escape their zombie-filled city. A large number of corpses are reanimated by a barrel of Trioxin gas that had fallen off of a truck transporting it to another location. The barrel is opened by one local teenager who finds the barrel infecting him in the process. In this film it's revealed that the only thing which truly stops the zombies, without the risk of reanimating more corpses, is powerful electric discharge. The electric discharge can stop the reanimating effect created by Trioxin without generating Trioxin fumes the way cremation can. The human leads of the film lure the zombies to an electrical station using cow's brains and then electrocute them.
The tar zombie (aka Tarman) from the original film makes a brief cameo appearance. This is not the original Tarman. It is just another bucket zombie.
A zombie that dresses up and looks like Michael Jackson from the music video of 'Thriller' makes a cameo appearance at the end of the film. While being electrocuted, he performs some signature Michael Jackson dance moves.
A cover of the classic Bobby "Boris" Pickett song "Monster Mash" is played during the ending credits. A music video was also produced to this song for the film.
