More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead

This was a documentary that I learned about a few years ago but hadn't gotten around to seeing. I believe that I have this on the Blu-ray disc that I own. I ended up streaming this on Screambox while at work. To give more background as to what drew me to this, I love The Return of the Living Dead, the basis.

Where I want to start then is that this is a blast. It is amazing to see all the cast members and crew behind the camera that they could. There are the likes of Clu Gulager, James Karen, Thom Mathews, Don Calfa, Miguel A. Núñez Jr., Linnea Quigley, Beverly Randolph, John Philbin and Jewel Shepard for the actors. We then have Jules Brenner, James Dalesandro, Graham Henderson and others who managed the production. What I'll say here, I'm glad that they interviewed the older members for sure. This record is something that is great to have for a cult classic like this.

Now I've said that it was interesting to hear the different stories of the production and hearing their sides of it. It gives an intriguing perspective to these young actors and their interactions with Dan O'Bannon who co-wrote/directed this film. Hearing how to be butted heads with someone who was proven like Gulager was interesting. Despite the rigorous shooting schedule and the budget, they worked with, they created magic. That unique perspective helps me to appreciate the movie even more.

I'll say that this documentary is well-made. I like that it progresses pre-production, what went into getting this set up and the casting. They then progress through the movie, going into stories and what made the shoot difficult. It then goes into, briefly, how well this did and its legacy. I do like that they set up effects with almost a comic book feel as it fades out of their topic to the next. It feels a bit cheesy, but it fits the vibe of the film for sure. Incorporating in the soundtrack at times made me smile as well.

I'd highly recommend this if you're a fan of this movie. There is fun perspective and insights that you can get. I'd also say, if you like documentaries about how movies are made, this one doesn't go too deep into it. They do discuss challenges and work arounds that they did. This is more about hearing the stories of those that made this movie possible.

My Rating: 8 out of 10.

Let it be known I love the Return Of The Living Dead franchise, well 3/5 of them anyway.

I rank them up there with Romeros work, they are campy energetic fun zombie flicks.

This documentary focuses on the legacy of the first movie and as per this type of film tells the story of its origins, production, special effects and whats happened with it since.

Including interviews with all surviving cast members this was a real treat as many of them are very charismatic and delivered fantastic dialogue.

Sadly it starts slow, the first quarter of the documentary regarding its financing and opening production is very boring.

By the sounds of it the whole thing was a nightmare, full of arguments, dangerous work environment and creative issues.

Thankfully the end result turned out to be an iconic great piece of cinema and this is essential viewing for fans of the movie.

Kudos to the cast, you delivered in the movie and provided fantastic content here as well.

The Good:

Interviews are awesome

Comedy artwork is a nice touch

The Bad:

The movies background is alarmingly boring

Things I Learnt From This Documentary:

Dan O'Bannon sounded like a very questionable human being

James Karen needs to be interviewed more, dude is a riot

Leslie Nielsen was nearly in Return Of The Living Dead!

If you are a zombie aficionado, then you definitely should be familiar with "Return of the Living Dead" franchise. And having seen "More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead", as a zombie aficionado, then I can honestly say that I was thoroughly and wholeheartedly entertained.

Now, bear in mind that this is a documentary about the cult classic, so if documentaries are not in your spectrum of enjoyment, then perhaps you should stay clear of this.

But for us hardcore zombie fans, then "More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead" delivers some great insight to the cult classic, both as to what went on behind the camera and on the screen.

And it is really nice to have a revisit with the cast members as they reminisce about the movie, the casting, and everything in between.

"More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead" is a must watch for die-hard fans of "Return of the Living Dead".

"The Return of the Living Dead" is a visionary combination of horror and humour and punk sensibility that has truly stood the test of time, continuing to attract new fans. Great actors and characters and superb visual and makeup designs combine to make it a fun viewing experience. Cast and crew, quite a few of them, in fact, sit down to talk about the making of the film, and they clearly delight in describing what it was like to make this thing. Their accounts indicate that it wasn't always the most pleasant shoot in the world - such as having to do scenes in the graveyard in the rain - but they still recall lots of good memories of working on a classic and beloved genre piece. As any good documentary on a movie should do, the documentary covers several basic topics: genesis of the production (how it originally was conceived as a sequel to George A. Romero's zombie series), the hiring of key personnel, the casting, the effects work, the behind the scenes stories, and the aftermath. Lots of interesting information is shared, such as the fact that co-star Miguel Nunez had been living in a homeless shelter before being cast in the film, or that it was co-star James Karens' idea for his character to have a somewhat dignified departure from the story, or that Don Calfa's role was named after a notorious Nazi individual, or that one of the paramedic performers decided that, since there were guys in the movie named Burt and Ernie, that the paramedics ought to be named Tom and Jerry. Interviewees include many main cast members - Clu Gulager, Karen, Calfa, Thom Mathews, Nunez, Brian Peck (who's also our narrator for this fascinating material), John Philbin, Linnea Quigley, Beverly Randolph, Jewel Shepard, and Allan Trautman. Crew members seen include production designer William Stout, co-producer Graham Henderson, casting director Stanzi Stokes, and makeup effects artists Tony Gardner (just 21 years old at the time), Kenny Myers, and William Munns. (It's told that Munns' only real triumph during the shoot was the designing of Tarman, and that his work was dissatisfying enough to lead to his firing, which he actually found to be something of a relief.) What is an absolute joy is seeing vintage "making of" footage, and to hear some of those behind the scenes details. Some amazing artwork is done for this documentary, incredibly well integrated with the live action footage and serving as excellent scene transition. The people talking often display a disarming sense of humour, which really amps up the entertainment value of "More Brains"; there are some quite funny moments, particularly from Nunez. (This also extends into the end credits, which run alongside some outtakes.) And the selection of artists for the soundtrack understandably gets a mention. (It would have been nice, though, to hear some sort of anecdote regarding the memorable Trioxin Theme.) Even music star Stacey Q is interviewed, and that's a delight to see. There are also heartfelt tributes to director Dan O'Bannon, who sadly left us all in 2009, and Mark Venturini who predeceased him at a way too young age. The working relationships with O'Bannon are somewhat glossed over, but you do get the sense that he could indeed be difficult to work with. In the end, his passing is still deeply felt, especially in terms of the fun genre films that he'd helped to create. Overall this is highly essential viewing if you're a fan of the film, and it serves as a perfect companion piece. 10 out of 10.

More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead (2011)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

If you were disappointed with what MGM extras was on their Special Edition of THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD then have no fear because this documentary will be what you're wanting. Clocking in just under two-hours, this documentary features interviews with the majority of the cast and crew including Clu Galager, James Karen, Thom Matthews, Don Calfa, Brian Peck, John Russo, Jules Brenner, James Dalebandro, Graham Henderson, Tony Gardner, Kenny Myers, Jewel Shepard, William Stout, Beverly Randolph, Paul Sammon, Allan Trautman and of course Linnea Quigley. Director Dan O'Bannon died a couple years before this was released so he's only featured at the end in a touching archival interview, which ended up being his last and this can be seen in its full version as a featurette on the disc. It should go without saying but just about everything you'd want to know about this film is discussed here and some of the best moments are stories about the early stages of production. This includes John Russo's original version of the story and what legal issues he had in regards to the name and George Romero. We also hear about why Tobe Hooper had to back out of the film and then we start to hear about getting the cast together and the six weeks of filming. Fans are really going to eat this thing up since the majority of the major crew are on hand and all of them tell some great stories. There's talk about their favorite scenes, how certain scenes ended up in the film and it seems everyone is mixed on how they ended the movie. If you're a fan of the movie then I can't imagine you not being entertained by this thing and it's certainly great getting to see the cast members as they are today. It's clear that they all have fond memories on the movie and are thankfully that it's still so highly regarded today. There's also a fitting tribute to O'Bannon but once you see his separate featurette/interview you'll notice that a lot of his relationships with the cast and crew were sugar coated here.