RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD PART 2 (1988)

Man...how do you follow-up, or try to top, one of the greatest zombie horror flicks to come out of the mid-80s? They tried...and maybe A, or...B for effort? Even a 'B' might be too generous. In RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD PART 2, it seems to pick up right where we last left off...we see government trucks carrying barrels of the toxic fumes that raise the dead..maybe this is after the nuclear bombing that just happened? Anyway, we have a discovery made by young kids who are horseplaying/bullying after a barrel falls off one of the trucks (of course it does). Anyway, we also get Frank and Freddy from the first but instead of working at a warehouse, they are playing similar but different roles as graverobbers? Or different but same? Once other snoopers find the missing barrel in a small tunnel and release the fumes, we revert back to square one and up comes the dead. The main character this go-round is the bullied kid from the beginning of this film. Then we have his older sister, classmate repairguy, and the two would be robbers and another love interest. Unfortunately, none of these can hold a candle to the great and colorful group of friends from the first. We go from the punk soundtrack and friends in a cemetery and supply warehouse .....to instead the suburbs and hospital in this outing. And Frank and Freddy (or whatever their names are in this one) are reduced to whining and more whining this time...not the same chemistry. To be expected when you have a young kid as the main hero...versus the eclectic folks from the first. Humor falls flat, and the whole thing has a dull vibe to it. Still, if you are curious to see a dancing zombie near the end...check this out for sheer 80s curiosity sakes.

SLASH SCENE: Electrocution dance

SLASH SCORE: 2.5/5