“And now you made me hurt myself again! You made me break my hand completely off this time Tina! But I don’t care Darlin’, because I love you, and you’ve got to let me EAT YOUR BRAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIINS!”
Freddy-The Return of the Living Dead
As a die-hard fan of the original The Return of the Living Dead, I make it a point to rewatch it almost every year. The second film isn’t good because the direction lacked Dan O’Bannon’s inventiveness. This third installment takes the series in a completely different direction.
The first film is quirky but also fun and scary, which is very difficult to pull off. The second movie proves this point by being neither of those things. Return of the Living Dead 3 doesn’t try to be funny, but there are a few good scares.
The plot for part three strays dramatically from the first two. In this film, Curt Reynolds, a rebellious teen, steals his dad’s security key card to sneak into the military base with his girlfriend, Julie. They witness a failed experiment to revive corpses for combat using Trioxin, which turns the dead into brain-hungry zombies. After the disaster, Curt’s dad is reassigned, but Curt refuses to move and runs away with Julie. When a motorcycle accident kills her, Curt uses Trioxin to bring her back. Though they escape, Julie’s growing hunger for human flesh quickly turns their situation into a nightmare.
This film focuses much more on the humanity of the characters, which gives the film a more serious tone than its predecessors. Julie, played by the talented Melinda Clarke, is meant to be a tragic figure. Clarke’s performance ranges from good to laughable. Clarke excels in the more menacing or seductive moments, but her performance falters in scenes that demand emotional depth. I will say that this film’s idea of sexy is somewhat baffling. Much like its characters, the eroticism in the movie is constantly undercut by lousy acting or poor writing.
Lead actor J. Trevor Edmond, who stars as Curt, is way out of his depths. The film might have been better if this had been a better performance. The practical effects are a standout, with each monster design feeling unique and grotesque, elevating the horror in ways CGI never could. The director, Brian Yunza, does some excellent work, too.
I didn’t love Return of the Living Dead 3 the way I did the original, but I didn’t hate it either. Both lead performances are less than stellar. Melinda Clarke is at times better than average, but her overall performance is lackluster. While Return of the Living Dead 3 doesn’t reach the heights of the original, it’s not without its merits. The special effects and Yunza’s direction lift it above mediocrity, though stronger performances might have made it truly memorable.
Rating: 6/10
