Summary

• Zombies weren't always brain-craving; the idea was introduced in 1985, a turning point in zombie history.
• George A. Romero defined modern zombies, using them as a metaphor for social-political issues.
• The Return of the Living Dead introduced brain-craving zombies, cementing the concept in horror film history.

While zombies have become a staple of the horror genre, their time has been relatively short in the media. Unlike other monsters like vampires, werewolves, and ghosts, zombies are a modern construct created on the screen as opposed to literature, at least as the fresh-hungry monsters we know them as today. While it is almost universal knowledge that the living dead crave brains, this concept was only introduced as recently as 1985 and is only one of a few stepping stones that have led to zombies as we view them today in movies, TV, and video games.

We will look at the history of zombies, from voodoo to re-animated corpses, leading up to the '80s horror comedy The Return of the Living Dead, which turned them into brain-craving monsters; if you ever saw any zombies moaning for that sweet cranial meat, this is how the idea originated.

A Short History of Zombies on Screen

The very first zombie movie to make it to the screen was the 1932 Victor Halperin movie White Zombie, starring Bela Lugosi, though some point to the 1919 French film J'Accuse, which showed soldiers rising from the dead as the real first instance of the living dead walking on screen. White Zombie would represent zombies in their original form, which was steeped in Haitian black magic versus more infectious types.

Two other notable voodoo-related zombie films that followed White Zombie are Revolt of the Zombies (1936), and I Walked with a Zombie (1943). For those wanting to dig deeper into this version of zombies, Wes Craven's The Serpent and The Rainbow (1988) is based on the true story of an American researching the phenomenon of 'zombie powder,' which was used in Haitian black magic to create a zombie.

The modern zombie design can be attributed to one man, George A. Romero. Romero defined the genre with his film The Night of the Living Dead, which not only introduced them as flesh-eating monsters but also used them as a metaphor for social-political issues. This was perhaps best realized in his follow-up, Dawn of the Dead, blending critique of blind consumerism by placing hordes of mindless wandering zombies in a mall. For his contribution to horror, Romero will always be remembered as the man who created the modern zombie, but the genre continued to grow under his influence.

Other pivotal movies in the genre include Lucio Fulci's (Italy's Godfather of Gore) Zombi 2 (1979), which focused on extreme violence and gore to push the brutality of the genre further. This saw a shift into more extreme zombie movies, specifically from Italy, dominating the genre throughout the '80s. Adversely, the zombie genre also became inseparable from horror-comedy, with movies like Peter Jackson's Braindead (1992) and Sam Raimi's Evil Dead films, which also introduced a demonic concept to the undead. Yet, one film that had a direct connection to George Romero is not only considered one of the best horror-comedy zombie movies, but it also introduced the concept of zombies craving brains, The Return of the Living Dead.

How The Return of the Living Dead Introduced the Idea of Brain-craving Zombies

The Return of the Living Dead follows an accidental bio-logical weapon leak at a medical supply warehouse, wherein veteran employee Frank (James Karen) accidentally breaks a canister containing a zombie, attributed to The Night of The Living Dead, as he walks new employee Freddy (Thom Mathews) through the ropes of the business. This releases hordes of zombies from the nearby cemetery, which attack the two, Freddy's friends who were on their way to pick him up from work, and a worker of the crematorium on the property.

The Return of the Living Dead is connected to the legacy of Night of the Living Dead through writer John A. Russo. While George Romero is the notable figure behind the modern-day zombie, Russo was a co-writer on both zombie classics; a dispute between Romero and Russo led to Romero's sequels being referred to as the "Dead" movies, and Russo's sequels would bear the suffix "Living Dead." This came out of Russo also wanting to take the concept of zombies in a different direction. For the film, Russo would work with Director Dan O'Bannon, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. O'Bannon is a big name in horror himself, largely known as a writer for the Alien films.

The Return of the Living Dead certainly was a far cry from the dark and psychological nightmare of Romero's Dead trilogy. Taking a more punk-rock approach with the cast, aesthetic, and soundtrack (still one of the greatest in the horror genre), the zombies were more animated, gruesome, and able to speak. This led to a lot of classic lines, from both the living and the dead, from cult icon Linea Quigley fantasizing about death; "Do you ever wonder about all the different ways of dying? You know, violently? And wonder, like, what would be the most horrible way to die?" to simplistic lines from the zombies like "send more paramedics." Still, perhaps the most notable line of dialogue came from a single word... "Brains."

Throughout the film, many of the zombies chant "brains" like a mantra, and it is not until one is captured that the viewers are given a very basic explanation of it "makes the pain go away." Still, the reason is not as important as a result, and the idea of craving the specific organ made for a particular ghastly image, while also offering up comedic stylings, such as Freddy in a transformative state saying, "I had to hurt myself to get out. But I forgive you darlin' and I know you're here, because I can smell your brains." It is lines like this, coupled with the fantastic practical effects, comedic timing, and punk-rock attitude that made the movie an instant classic and cemented the idea of zombies craving brains into the collective conscience.

The movie, much like The Night of The Living Dead, would go on to spawn sequels, albeit to (generally) diminishing returns. Still, The Return of the Living Dead is one of the best zombie movies ever made and has played an essential role in defining the undead for future generations of horror film fans.

You can stream The Return of the Living Dead on Fubo, Tubi, Hoopla or MGM+. If you want to check out the two sequels, which don't quite live up to their predecessors but still offer their charms, Return of the Living Dead Part II and The Return of the Living Dead 3 are available to stream on Tubi and the Roku Channel.