ZOMBIES – Return of the Living Dead 3

Published on: 24th August, 2009

ZOMBIES - Return of the Living Dead 3  | read this item

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One of the most important aspects of making a successful horror movie is emotion. It is crucial that the viewer somehow connects with the protagonists and generates sympathy, thus making the danger that they face all the more involving. Unfortunately, the genre has built a reputation as being shallow and lacking heart. Whilst this is undeniable with many of the lesser efforts, the most effective horror films over the decades have featured fully developed characters who, even before the actual terror begins, have lives and relationships and problems that the viewer can relater to. Then once the horror element is added this becomes all the more terrifying. Whilst many zombie films have been noted for their social commentary, very few allow the viewer to become intimately familiar with the protagonists prior to the carnage and gore that was no doubt the selling point, often leaving the fate of the characters purely a tool to showcase impressive prosthetic effects. The makers of Return of the Living Dead 3 were aware of this when they attempted to inject some romance into the genre.

Brian Yuzna had previously made a name for himself as the producer of Re-animator, arguable one of the most enjoyable zombie movies ever produced, when he made his directorial debut with the underrated splatter flick Society in 1989. The following year, he stepped up to the director’s chair with his own sequel, Bride of Re-animator, which heavily referenced James Whale’s 1953 classic Bride of Frankenstein, by having one of the protagonists (both of which are morally questionable scientists) mourning for his lost love, whose heart finally beats again within the body of a Frankenstein-like female corpse. It had been Yuzna’s intention to focus as much on the emotional aspect of the story as the gore and action, as well as attempting to bring the zombie centre stage. By his own admission, the results were not entirely successful, but when producers Danica Minor and Joel Castleberg approach him about taking over the now-dormant Return of the Living Dead franchise, Yuzna knew that he had been given a second chance.

Discussions began on what direction the new sequel would take and Yuzna stated from the beginning that the story should be told from a zombie’s viewpoint. At that time, the only film that had come close to portraying a zombie in a sympathetic light was George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead, which had featured a deceased soldier called Bud who had begun to demonstrate human characteristics. A deal was soon made with Ash Shaw of Imperial Entertainment and Yuzna and his producers began to interview various writers. But soon it became clear that Minor and Castleberg hadn’t been entirely honest with regards to owning the rights to the franchise and the project began to fall apart. Thankfully, Trimark suddenly expressed interest in making a sequel and so Larry Myers, with the help of the company’s chairman Mark Amin, purchased the rights from Tom Fox, who had produced the first two movies.

Despite the project changing hands, Yuzna and his producing partner Gary Schmoeller were still onboard, although their involvement without Minor and Castleberg left their former collaborators feeling somewhat betrayed. Once Yuzna had explained his intentions, Trimark suggested that he contact John Penney, a writer new to the company who had, coincidentally, acted as an assistant editor on the first film back in 1984. The two connected immediately and Yuzna asked his producers how much freedom they would have to divert away from the formula established in the first two movies. Trimark stated that as long as there was brain munching and references to Trioxin (the chemical responsible for re-animation in the series) then he was free to take the concept in whichever direction he wished.

During discussions, Penney eventually hit upon the idea of making the movie a Romeo and Juliet-style love story. Yuzna immediately sensed the potential and the two soon agreed that the two protagonists would resemble a Sid and Nancy-like doomed relationship, with the zombie (in this instance Julie, a sexy teen) almost like a heroin addict who is desperate for her fix. Although Yuzna had a habit of including extremely dark, subtle humour in his movies, he was adamant from the beginning that the tone should be darker than the previous films of the series, avoiding the slapstick approach and taking the horror aspects seriously. One element to the story that Penney had included that was from personal experience was the recent death of his father, something which would influence the relationship between the hero, Curt, and his strict military father.

With the freedom to interpret the zombie mythology how they saw fit, Yuzna decided that the virus was something that the ‘living’ dead are still human, but diseased, an infection that attacks the central nervous system, and the only thing that can ease their suffering is by devouring nerves, hence their obsession with eating brains. To help draw inspiration for the latter half of the story when Julie mutilates her flesh in order to fight her craving, Yuzna and Penney visited various fetish bars in Los Angeles, where they witnessed firsthand the gothic and sadomasochistic culture where people pierce all areas of their bodies for various different reasons. Knowing that the fans of the series will demand excessive gore (something that the first sequel was short on), Yuzna expanded the climax in order to add as many gruesome set pieces as possible (both Society and Bride of Re-animator had both boasted over-the-top finales).

Yuzna recruited many individuals whom he had collaborated with on his last zombie feature. Pete Von Sholly had designed the storyboards on both movies, whilst his wife had created the Bride’s dress in his Re-animator sequel. Thomas C. Rainone had worked extensively on not only Bride of Re-animator but also Yuzna’s Initiation: Silent Night, Deadly Night 4, as well as his scripted sequel Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker. Anthony Hickox, director of cult flick Waxwork (which, incidentally, co-starred Dana Ashbrook from Return of the Living Dead Part II), recommended his director of photography, Gerry Lively, to Yuzna, and in return won a cameo as a scientist who is infected as a zombie in the opening sequence. Return of the Living Dead’s Brian Peck also appeared briefly during this scene, making him the only actor to be involved in all of the first three films.

With casting underway, Trimark hoped to obtain the services of James Karen (also a veteran of the first two films), although sadly scheduling conflicts made this impossible, although he did visit the set. For the role of Julie, the audition required for the actress to play the part as a drug addict, as opposed to a zombie, and Mindy Clarke, who had only recently completed a stage production of Sid and Nancy, made a suitable impression. There was some consideration for an appearance of Tarman (a fan favourite after his brief roles in the first two films), but again this proved impossible. With the first zombie required to be unusually thin, the producers eventually drafted in the services of Clarence Epperson, a homeless man who had taken residence at the LAX airport. The filmmakers made sure he was fed and housed in a hotel during his time on set.

Unlike many writers, Penney was present throughout the shoot, thanks to an Associate Producer credit. Yuzna kept him involved throughout every aspect of production and the writer would constantly give feedback. Principal photography took place between October 20 and November 19 1992 at Santa Clarita Studios and on location around Los Angeles, as well as at the Marineland of the Pacific, a theme park that had closed down in 1987. Several different special effects companies provided the various different prosthetics and makeup that was required, with such talented artists as Steve Johnson (who would provide the S&M-style zombie look for Julie), Kevin Brennan and Wayne Toth, whose main duty was designing the head-splitting zombie.

When the completed movie was returned to Trimark, the producers were impressed with the results, but sadly the MPAA didn’t feel the same way, ordering various cuts before they would grant the movie an R rating. The censors in Germany were even more strict, demanding an astounding eight minutes of gruesome footage to be removed before release. Return of the Living Dead 3 was screened at various festivals and was met with a positive response, but unfortunately the disappointing performance of Warlock: The Armageddon forced the distributors to pull the movie from a major release and instead send it quietly to video. Over the years, both Penney and Yuzna have considered making a sequel to the movie, with the latter writing a treatment entitled Hell Mary that would expend upon elements that had been explored with the movie (such as the military and goth/S&AM culture). Sadly, however, the sequel rights to the Return of the Living Dead have proved to be somewhat complicated and it would take twelve years for another to be released, a double bill which sadly killed off any interest in the franchise. Yet, along side the original, many fans feel that Return of the Living Dead 3is by far the highlight of the series.

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