MORE BRAINS: A RETURN TO THE LIVING DEAD DVD Review

My affinity for punk rock predates my interest in horror movies by a couple of years.  It wasn't until I was about 15 that I started down the latter dark path, and I was about 17 before I saw Return of the Living Dead, the Holy Grail of punk rock horror films.  Released in 1985, Return of the Living Dead is today a classic of the zombie oeuvre, and the only running zombie film that most Romero fans can agree is all right. The inclusion of punk rockers and their music into the narrative was an inspired choice, as the the music and the dark aesthetic shared many fans back to punk's earliest days.

This documentary is an incredibly in-depth tribute to and exploration of that film, it's creators, and the path that took it to the top of the food chain in the glut of zombie films released in the last thirty years. More Brains: A Return to the Living Dead, directed by Bill Philputt and narrated by Brain "Scuz" Peck, is a fitting tribute to the film I love so dearly.  This independent release from Michael Perez Entertainment, distributed by CAV, is chock full of extras on top of the awesome two hour feature and altogether makes this a must-buy for RotLD fans!

"It worked in the movie!" When an army drum is breached and a mysterious chemical gas is released into a nearby cemetery, the dead return to life with only one thing on their minds...brains! The zombie menace quickly descends upon a group of misfits who must fight for survival as they are picked off one at a time by a horde of the undead.

"Do you ever wonder about all the different ways of dying?" Dan O'Bannon's outrageous splatter classic "The Return of the Living Dead" has continued to terrify and entertain horror fans for over twenty-five years with its delicious mix of blood, guts, sex and punk. Boasting off-beat humor, plenty of attitude and one of the most famous zombies ever committed to celluloid, it's easy to see why the film's legacy continues to grow.

"It makes the pain go away..." MORE BRAINS! A RETURN TO THE LIVING DEAD is the ultimate account of the tongue-in-cheek, stylish and apocalyptic zombie movie. It features -- for the first time ever! -- contributions from all the main cast as well as clips, photographs, storyboards, conceptual art, publicity materials, archival documents and behind-the-scenes footage.

"They're back from the grave and ready to party!" Through this definitive retrospective fans are finally able to explore the film's journey from the world of "Night of the Living Dead" to the mind of acclaimed writer/director Dan O'Bannon. Narrator Brian Peck ("Scuz") guides you through the blood, sweat and tears as cast and crew look back on their experience in the graveyard creating the film that's been called "a beauty of a cult classic!"

More Brains leaves no stone unturned and mines every aspect of the film, its production, its scripting, and its ultimate unexpected success.  The interviewees include every living member of the main cast, the producer, the special effects teams, including one guy who got fired halfway through the shoot, and incredibly, even the Tarman himself turns up to share his own memories.  The only significant omission from the main feature is writer/director Dan O'Bannon, who unfortunately passed away before the documentary was filmed. However, the extra features do include O'Bannon's final filmed interview, about 30 minutes worth of recollections from Return of the Living Dead and his other unreleased horror feature, Resurrection.

In addition to being a treasure trove of anecdotes from a set that sounds like it was alternately a lot of fun and a grueling slave pit, More Brains is actually pretty stylishly produced.  The interviewees are all on a couple of creepy sets that mimic memorable moments from the film, and several of the off camera shenanigans are cleverly animated, comic book style, in between subjects.  There isn't a whole lot of visual flash apart from that, but I'll take substance over style in a documentary any day of the week.

All of the interview subjects are candid and open about their experience, even when it wasn't easy.  It is remarkable to look at the actors today and see how much they have/haven't changed.  The ravishingly sexy Linnea Quigley seems to, unfortunately, have been treated the least kind by the years, while the other ladies fair significantly better.  Though Jewel "Casey" Shepard has very recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and has undergone a double mastectomy in the hopes of defeating her disease, we wish her well.

Dan O'Bannon comes off as either a brutally strict taskmaster or  a cuddly teddy bear, depending on who you listen to.  This was his first directing gig, and certainly the result was a success, but he didn't have the greatest bedside manner with his cast and crew, something he acknowledges in his interview.  The fact remains that what he ended up with was an absolutely brilliant piece of cinematic history that holds up with the best of the horror films, and the best of the punxploitation films of the early '80s.

More Brains is a fantastic slice of horror history, and deserves to be in any Return of the Living Dead fan's collection.

The Disc:

What can I say, the film looks and sounds fine. Nothing remarkable to report here.

The extras, on the other hand, are bountiful and spectacular.  In addition to the above mentioned O'Bannon interview, there are roughly ninety minutes of extra material to peruse on this disc.  There are 15 deleted interview segments from the documentary, adding up to around 25 minutes of anecdotal material that is all pretty fun. There are retrospective segments on Return of the Living Dead Parts 2 and 3, also featuring cast and crew, including the director of part 3, Brian Yuzna, and the lead actors for both films, as well as behind the scenes footage from part 3.  There is also a 10 minute location tour with Brain Peck and co-star Beverly Randolph in Los Angeles, and finally a live video of Stacey Q performing "Tonight" from the cemetery dance sequence, and a little segment called "Return of the Living Dead in 3 Minutes" in which the actors recreate some of their most memorable lines from the film in a neat montage.

I cannot undersell how much fun this DVD is, I found myself watching pieces of it over and over again, and ultimately gaining an understanding and appreciation for Return beyond that which I already had.  Definitely recommended!