M is for More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead
USA, 2011
The Zombies: O'Bannon Brain-Eaters.
The Source: A chemical spill (2-4-5 Trioxin!)
The Result: A fantastic in-depth look at a genre classic.
Bill Stout attempts a second career as a horror host.
I first saw Return of the Living Dead during its original theatrical run in the summer of 1985. I had just graduated high school and was at the peak of my zombie phobia, having finally caught Dawn of the Dead at a midnight show the year before. To say RotLD rocked my world is an understatement. The film kicked over all the new-found conventions of the zombie genre and managed to be both hilarious and scary. The soundtrack was great, the movie's punks actually looked like punks*, and oh, that graveyard dance...
Return of the Living Dead has built up a massive following over the years, and most of us were disappointed by the US blu-ray release. The original soundtrack was replaced by a director-approved version that tweaked the sound effects and dropped some musical cues to the detriment of the film. When I heard that the UK release had the original soundtrack, included the More Brains! documentary as a bonus, and was compatible with Region A PS3s, it was not a difficult decision to order a copy.
It turns out the blu-ray will play in most if not all US players. Once you get the region warning screen, simply hit the menu button and the HD content - the main movie and the fantastic documentary - will play just fine. However, your player does need to be able to play PAL SD content in order to view all of the bonus features. My PS3 wouldn't play the extras but my Philips handled it swelegantly.
More Brains! features just about everyone still above ground who was involved in the making of the film. At just over 120 minutes, the documentary is a half-hour longer than the film it covers. However, the doc never outstays it's welcome. The cast and crew reminiscences are put together in a way that feels like a lively conversation instead of a parade of talking heads. The animated link segments and thematic set design for the interviews also keep things peppy, and the behind-the-scenes footage will be new to most fans. I loved every minute of this documentary, not least because it shows that those who made RotLD have just as much affection for it as their audience.
The blu-ray comes in a handsome steelbook with groovy interior art and a cool booklet (presented as the notepad of Ernie Kaltenbrunner). Amazon UK asserts that the steelbook is shipped in "guaranteed crush-proof packaging". Well, Brit guarantees don't mean nothin' to Americans - the US Postal Service managed to put a nice little ding in the bottom back half of my copy. USA! USA! USA!
Halloween is a time for family.
More Brains! easily rates at least a 4 for fans of Return of the Living Dead. Add in the classic film itself - with its original soundtrack - in some nifty packaging, and the blu-ray is an absolute most-own.
A mighty 5 Ghouls!
* I hung with a punk/New Wave crowd during the mid-80's. I was the "Chuck" of the group, albeit a lot more self-aware and clad in bomber jackets instead of suits. I didn't beg for sex**, either, though I might have if someone as hot as Linea Quigley was around.
**I just sort of whimpered.
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