Today, we’re thrilled to have director Vivieno Caldinelli join us for a 31 Days of Horror guest post. Vivieno’s latest film, Scared Shitless, is now available to stream on Netflix. Read his thoughts on one of his favourite horror films below, and then check out our interview with him.
Every horror fan has their sacred texts. For zombie movies, George Romero’s original trilogy is the Old Testament. It’s some sombre, allegorical, and absolutely foundational shit. If you can agree with that, then Dan O’Bannon’s 1985 graffiti-tagged, punk rock Return of the Living Dead is the first book of the Zombie New Testament. It wasn’t just another zombie movie. It completely rewired my 10-year-old brain into understanding what a horror movie should be— and made me the director and filmmaker I am today.
If Romero wrote the original, Psalms for the Apocalypse. O’Bannon tore out the pages and replaced them with punk rock hymns. Never mind the slow, mindless shufflers. Right out of the gate, I knew this was gonna be different. I’m watching split dogs and some naked, bald, yellow-blooded, cadaver RUNNING and pounding on the “meat locker” door. And the iconic slime-soaked Tarman. Also, no more head shots to solve your problems either—Ernie’s gotta cremate these things to ashes. With that one simple twist, O’Bannon crafted a sense of true hopelessness. Again, I’m 10 years old watching this—And absolutely blown away by this gleeful nihilistic chaos. Every frame of this movie was both terrifying and, perversely, comically genius.
What really makes Return of the Living Dead one of the few movies in the horror pantheon is its tone. It’s a masterful balancing act. It’s a legit full-blooded horror at its core—But just happens to be hilarious. The comedy is never at the expense of the horror or the true dread of the situation. From the zombie on the ambulance radio, grumbling. “Send more… Paramedics” to the final brutal moments with our “heroes” Frank and Freddy—Their slow, horrifying transformation is pure body horror. A descent into sentient hell where they can feel themselves rotting. Only to realize that the only way to ease the pain of being dead is to eat the brains of the living is just chilling as hell. It gave the zombies motive and logic to their hunger—Beyond just simple instinct.
Then, there’s the icing on the cake—That soundtrack!! While I loved the synth of John Carpenter’s movies of the time, Punk was where it was at in 1985. The Cramps, The Damned, and T.S.O.L. comprised the film’s heartbeat. Even though I didn’t know all the bands at the time—I knew snarling anti-establishment when I heard it— And I was all in. This movie made me a lifelong Cramps fan. The movie’s score and image really become synergistic when Linnea Quigley, as Trash, does her rain-soaked graveyard dance. It’s truly one of horror’s most incredible images… Especially for a 10-year-old boy, I’m not ashamed to say.
Like I mentioned before, Return of the Living Dead is the first book in the New Testament of sacred zombie scripture. It paved the way for Dead Alive, Shaun of the Dead. It even predates the fast, intelligent ghouls in 28 Days Later. It might be a stretch, but even having our characters reference Night of the Living Dead gave a level of meta-commentary that predated Scream.
For anyone creating horror in any medium, Return of the Living Dead is beyond a simple “classic.” It’s an absolute masterclass in subversion, a testament to the power of dark comedy, and a middle finger to the establishment that proved horror could be as funny as it was terrifying.
Scared Shitless, from director Vivieno Caldinelli, is now available to rent or purchase on VOD. It’s now streaming on Netflix Canada.
