The Return of the Living Dead is a 1985 American comedy horror film written and directed by Dan O'Bannon (in his directorial debut) from a story by Rudy Ricci, John Russo, and Russell Streiner, and starring Clu Gulager, James Karen, Thom Mathews, and Don Calfa. The film tells the story of how a warehouse owner, accompanied by his two employees, mortician friend and a group of teenage punks, deal with the accidental release of a horde of unkillable, brain-hungry zombies onto an unsuspecting town.

The film, described as a "mordant punk comedy," is known for introducing multiple popular concepts to the zombie genre: zombies eating specifically brains, as opposed to eating any form of human flesh; and zombies being invulnerable to a gunshot to the head. Additionally, the film's soundtrack was noteworthy, as it featured several Los Angeles-based deathrock and punk rock bands of the era.

The Return of the Living Dead released in the United States on August 16, 1985, by Orion Pictures. The film received critical acclaim and performed moderately well at the box office. It spawned five sequels, the sixth film being the direct sequel to the original, ignoring the sequels' continuity and scheduled for release Christmas 2025, with the trailer revealing The Tarman dragging a Christmas tree through what is determined to either be snow, or nuclear ash from the bombing at the end of the first film. An upcoming seventh film in the series has also been announced, entitled "Trash's Revenge".