By MICHAEL GINGOLD
Tarman is back for a new zombie opus coming for the original’s 40th anniversary next year.
Living Dead Media and WithAnO Productions are revisiting the RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD universe with a film set to release at Christmas 2025. The teaser seen below (specially shot for today’s announcement) furthers the Yuletide theme with fan-favorite ghoul Tarman dragging a lit-up Christmas tree though a cemetery with a blizzard storming around him.
The movie will be written and directed by Steve Wolsh (FOG CITY, KILL HER GOATS), who was entrusted with the franchise by the family of the late Tom Fox, a producer on all five of the previous RETURN features. Christopher W. Fox, Tom’s son, is executive producer on the film, which Wolsh is determined to make a practical effects showcase with no CGI. That includes the snow, as seen in the teaser, shot in a graveyard built to mirror the first RETURN’s Resurrection Cemetery. “Utilizing our widescreen anamorphic lenses,” Wolsh says, “we captured the practical snow effects swirling against the night sky that gives it an amazing look and texture. It’s going to blow people away seeing an entire film made like this.”
According to the PR, “The filmmakers have teased that the new story takes place in a small Pennsylvania town over Christmas, set in 1985, 18 months after the events of the original film. Fans of the film will know not to expect to see any returning characters, given their terrible fates in the original. This is not a reboot or a remake, but a brand-new adventure, and it won’t in any way trample the original film’s legacy. Audiences can expect to be welcomed back into the dark-humored, sexy, edgy, Trioxin-fueled world horror fans first encountered in 1985.”
Part of that process has involved bringing makeup effects master Tony Gardner (ZOMBIELAND, the CHUCKY franchise) on board. Gardner worked on the first RETURN early in his career, and he and his Alterian Inc. team are reconceiving Tarman and the other ghouls to be created via old-school effects. “[To be able to] up the horror, but be true to its roots, I feel like I’m the perfect person for the job…and I’m really excited,” Gardner says.
Stay tuned for updates on the return of RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, and keep up with the production at the official website and via Instagram.
