Return of the Living Dead Part II
| Return of the Living Dead Part II |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Ken Wiederhorn |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Ken Wiederhorn |
| Starring | |
| Music by | J. Peter Robinson |
| Cinematography | Robert Elswit |
| Edited by | Charles Bornstein |
| Distributed by | Lorimar Motion Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6.2 million |
| Box office | $9.2 million |
Return of the Living Dead Part II is an 1988 American comedy horror film written and directed by Ken Wiederhorn. The film was released by Lorimar Motion Pictures on January 8, 1988, and was a minor box office success, making over $9 million at the box office in the United States against its $6.2 million budget.
It is the first of four sequels to The Return of the Living Dead. Despite this, the film was generally panned and currently holds a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film has a lighter tone as it was partially aimed at a teenage audience, however the misleading trailer suggested it was darker. Main characters Jesse and Lucy share the last name 'Wilson', giving the cult fans a clue that they are related to the first film's protagonist, Burt Wilson.
The story begins with a military truck transporting barrels of Trioxin. The soldier, driving the vehicle through a downpour, is unaware when a barrel breaks loose and falls into a river. The next morning, a young boy, Jesse Wilson, is at the cemetery with two local bullies. The trio investigate the Trioxin tank that they find, and Jesse warns them that they should not tamper with it. The bullies trap Jesse in a derelict mausoleum and leave him. They then return to the trioxin tank and release the toxic gas. A van pulls up to the graveyard, introducing the characters Ed, Joey, and Brenda. Ed explains to Joey that they are there to rob graves; Brenda expresses her fears for cemeteries, but Joey assures her that it will be worth their time and leaves Brenda in the van. He heads into the cemetery with Ed. They decide to loot the mausoleum and open the locked doors, releasing Jesse, who immediately runs home. At his home, Jesse watches his older sister, Lucy, doing aerobic exercises to a work-out video; she tells Jesse to do his homework or he will be grounded.
Later, in the night, a cable technician arrives at the Wilson house to install cable TV. As he enters, Jesse manages to sneak out the back door and heads to Billy's home, one of the bullies from earlier. Upon Jesse's arrival, Billy's mother tells Jesse of Billy's illness and allows him a brief visit. Jesse is shocked to see the effect of the Trioxin, which is making Billy ill. Billy whimpers to Jesse not to tell what they've found, but is interrupted by his mother, who asks Jesse to leave. Jesse returns to the sewer drains to further examine the Trioxin tank, and finds a phone number for the military. He is attacked by a tar-covered zombie who has escaped from the tank. He flees to the cemetery and witnesses a hand reaching from one of the graves and runs home before the zombies rise.
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