- First film
- 1985
- Creator
- Dan O'Bannon
- Films
- 6
- Latest
- Return of the Living Dead (2026)
- Spin-off of
- Night of the Living Dead
- Zombie rule
- Trioxin 2-4-5, brains
Watch Order
0 / 6 watchedThe films in the order they came out, with the 2026 sequel last. This is the fullest version of the series.
Original run
Sci-Fi Channel sequels
2026 sequel
About Return of the Living Dead
The Return of the Living Dead is a zombie comedy horror series that began with Dan O'Bannon's 1985 film. It was spun out of Night of the Living Dead: the joke is that the 1968 film was based on a real incident, and the military's Trioxin gas is still stored in a warehouse in Louisville. When it leaks, the dead come back fast, smart and talkative, and they want brains.
The 1985 original is the one everyone knows, with Linnea Quigley's Trash, the Tarman and a rain of reanimated corpses. Return of the Living Dead Part II followed in 1988, Return of the Living Dead 3 in 1993, and two cheap sequels filmed in Romania in 2005, Necropolis and Rave to the Grave. A sixth film, also called Return of the Living Dead, opens in US theaters on November 13, 2026 and is a direct sequel to the 1985 original, with Steve Wolsh writing and directing and Devon Sawa starring.
The series is not the same continuity as George Romero's Dead films, even though it started as a spin-off of one. Keep the two guides apart: this one is the comedy branch, and Romero's is the original serious run.
Good to know
Release order is the simple answer, but the 2026 film changes the shape of it. Because it is a direct sequel to the 1985 original and ignores the middle films, a first-timer can watch the 1985 film and then the 2026 one and treat parts 2, 3, Necropolis and Rave as optional side stories.
Part II is a broader, sillier remake of the first film's beats. Part 3 is the odd one, a body horror romance from Brian Yuzna with practical effects and a teenage lead. Necropolis and Rave to the Grave were made back to back for the Sci-Fi Channel and are the low point; watch them only if you are working through the whole series.
The 2026 film is not a remake. It is set after the first film, with Devon Sawa and a returning Tarman, and it uses practical effects. It had not opened when this guide was written, so the placement is firm but the quality is not something anyone can judge yet.
