Episode 30 of 80s Horror Memories exhumes Day of the Dead and The Return of the Living Dead

JoBlo.com recently launched a new weekly documentary series called 80s Horror Memories, where each year of the 1980s has five episodes dedicated to it. Looking back at 1980, we discussed Maniac, Dressed to Kill, Alligator, Friday the 13th, The Shining, Prom Night, and The Fog. The second five episodes were a journey through 1981, covering The Funhouse, The Burning, Friday the 13th Part 2, My Bloody Valentine, Halloween II, The Evil Dead, The Howling, and An American Werewolf in London, as well as the careers of horror hosts Elvira and Joe Bob Briggs. The next five were, of course, all about movies that came out in 1982: Conan the Barbarian, The Thing, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, and Poltergeist, with an examination of the short-lived 3-D boom along the way. For 1983, we talked about a trio of Stephen King adaptations, Jaws 3-D, Sleepaway Camp, the rise of TV horror anthologies, and Psycho II. For 1984, we covered the creation of the PG-13 rating, The Terminator, Gremlins, Ghostbusters, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. We started our look back at 1985 with the werewolf comedy Teen Wolf, and have since moved on to Re-Animator, a pair of misunderstood sequels: A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge and Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, and a pair of vampire movies: Fright Night and Lifeforce. With the latest episode, we’re having a zombie double feature, looking back at George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead and Dan O’Bannon’s The Return of the Living Dead. To hear all about them, check out the video embedded above!

New episodes of 80s Horror Memories are released through the YouTube channel JoBlo Horror Originals every Friday. 

Here’s the info on 80s Horror Memories: It’s been over 40 years since the decade that shaped the horror movie industry began and having lived through most of those years personally, we at JoBlo/Arrow in the Head have decided to create a 10-part documentary series in which not only cover every nook and cranny of the biggest horror themes from 1980 to 1989 but also what was happening in the world at the time. Join us as we walk down Horror Memory Lane!

And here’s the info on this particular episode: While the zombie genre has become oversaturated these days, you didn’t see that many running amuck on our screens back in the day. But in the 80s, two essential yet vastly different zombie films were released. So, buckle up as we take a bite into the zombie movies of 1985 – a wild ride of fear, partying, and some seriously excellent social commentary in Day of the Dead and The Return of the Living Dead in our 80s Horror Memories.

This episode of 80s Horror Memories was written by Mike Conway, narrated by Tyler Nichols, edited by Mike Conway, produced by Berge Garabedian and John Fallon, co-produced by Mike Conway, and executive-produced by Berge Garabedian. The score was provided by Shawn Knippelberg. Special Guests: Greg Nicotero (Day of the Dead), Patrick Lussier (Dracula 2000), and Craig Perry (Final Destination).

Let us know what you thought of this episode, plus share some of your own ’80s horror memories by leaving a comment!

Two of the previous episodes of 80s Horror Memories can be seen below. To see more of our shows, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals channel – and subscribe while you’re at it!