Return of the Living Dead 2

RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 2 (1988)


All notes and summary below by Chris Fischer (1998).


Notes: 89 minutes.
Jesse Wilson: Michael Kenworthy
Johnny: Jason Hogan
Ed: James Karen
Joey: Thom Mathews
Brenda: Suzanne Snyder
Lucy Wilson: Marsha Dietlein
Billy: Thor Van Lingen
Aerobics Instructor: Suzan Stadner
Tom Essex: Dana Ashbrook
Billy’s Mom: Sally Smythe
Tarman: Allan Trautman
Billy’s Dad: Don Maxwell
Doc Mandel: Philip Bruns
Sarge: Mitch Pileggi
Les: Arturo Bonilla
Frank: Terrence Riggins
Officer: James McIntire
Jesse’s Double: Larry Nicholas
Colonel: Jonathan Terry

Directed: Ken Wiederhorn
Written: George A. Romero, John A. Russo
Produced: Tom Fox
Special Effects: Terry Frazee, Eugene Crum, Gene Grigg

Summary:
Our story begins with the army transporting canisters containingthe green gas that brings the dead back to life, along with theoriginal corpses from the big leak in 1969. One of the truckshits a large pothole, knocking a few of the canisters into a littlecreek. The next day three boys find the container and begin toexamine it. The canister opens up, releasing the nasty chemicalalong with the dead guy inside of it. Two of the three boys stickaround long enough to inhale the gas, and they eventually becomezombies.

The cloud of gas released from the canister floats into the nearbycemetery and brings all the dead back to life, initiating a brain-eatingfrenzy. The town is evacuated by the army, except for the littleboy who ran away from the canister at the right time, his sister,the cable repair guy, and a drunk doctor (it’s amazing the sortof people that survive things like this). It takes a while, butthey eventually figure out what is going on with the army quarantineand that they need to get the hell out of town.

On their route out of town, the cable repair guy realizes thatthe zombies can be stopped through electrocution. Eventuallythe zombies are led to a power substation where they are zappedback to their graves, well done.


Commentary:
Return of the Living Dead 2 is similar in plot to the firstone. However, 2 is funnier with more silly things going on. When watching number 2 you might notice a few of the charactersfrom the first Return of the Living Dead.

Beer Factor: 3


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