In 1985 The Return Of The Living Dead successfully mixed gore and laughs to create a horrific cult classic movie. In 1987 a poorly received sequel followed, aptly titled The Return of the Living Dead 2. Six years later would see the third (and final?) installment in this series in the form of director Brian Yuzna's Return of the Living Dead 3. The first strike against Trimark's release of Return of the Living Dead 3 is that this is not the uncut version, but the 97-minute R-rated version. This is likely to disappoint fans, though the fact that they're receiving an anamorphic widescreen version of the film should make amends. The picture looks better than expected, with colors vibrant and flesh tones looking very solid. There is some grain and dirt present on the print, but this is to be expected of a film with such a limited budget. Though certainly not reference quality, Return of the Living Dead 3 looks about as good as it's going to get. Audio is less than impressive, with a Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 track performing only slightly above par. Although the effects and music are mixed well, dialogue sometimes sounded slightly strained. Once again this is forgiven since the budget on the film was around the price of a Happy Meal. Also included are Spanish, English, and French subtitles. Return of the Living Dead 3 includes some surprisingly well-produced extra features. Two commentary tracks are included, the first with director Brian Yuzna. This track includes information on how the sequel came to be and how the effects were done, and although a bit dry, this is a very informative and entertaining commentary for fans of the series. The second commentary track is by actress Mindy Clarke and special effects supervisor Tom Rainone. This track leans a bit more to the lighter side than the first track. Both participants seemed to enjoy their experiences on the film, and every once in a while get a good laugh out of the goings-on in the movie. Also included is a trailer for Return of the Living Dead 3, plus a few other Trimark home video titles. Brought back to life on DVD, Return of the Living Dead 3 will make a worthy addition to any true horror fan's film collection.

First came 1985's Return of the Living Dead, the critically-acclaimed Romero follow-up helmed by Alien and Dark Star-guru Dan O'Bannon. Then came successive sequels, released in 1988 and 1993. The latest installment in the series, Return of the Living Dead 4: Necropolis, debuted on The Sci-Fi Channel and stars screen vet Peter Coyote (E.T., Timerider). When the parents of young Cody (Cory C. Hardrict) suddenly die in a car wreck, he and his siblings are shipped off to stay with Uncle Charlie Griffin (Coyote), a scientist using the trioxin chemical substance (from the previous films) to raise a group of invincible, biogenetic soldiers. Cody doesn't ask questions about his uncle's top-secret project -- that is, until one of Cody's close friends is injured in an automobile accident. When the friend's body is shipped off to Charlie's facility, Cody and his pals break into the lab -- and accidentally set free hordes of zombies. Gorehounds will be awestruck, as stomachs are ripped in half, blood and guts fly through the air, and flesh is devoured. The film also stars John Keefe as Julian Garrison and Jana Kramer as Katie Williams.