Movies like The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
The best movies like The Return of the Living Dead (1985) are Freaks of Nature (2015), Night of the Creeps (1986) and Bride of Re-Animator (1990). If The Return of the Living Dead hooked you with its comedy and horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedNight of the Living Dead (1968)7.6/10 from 2,901 votes
- NewestDie Alone (2024)Released 2024
Freaks of Nature (2015)
In the town of Dillford, humans, vampires and zombies were all living in peace - until the alien apocalypse arrived. Now three teenagers-one human, one vampire, and one zombie-have to team up to figure out how to get rid of the visitors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNight of the Creeps (1986)
In 1959, an alien experiment crashes to earth and infects a fraternity member. They freeze the body, but in the modern day, two geeks pledging a fraternity accidentally thaw the corpse, which proceeds to infect the campus with parasites that transform their hosts into killer zombies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBride of Re-Animator (1990)
Unperturbed by the disastrous outcome of his previous meddling with the dead, Dr. West continues his research into the phenomenon of re-animation; only this time, he plans to create life – starting with the heart of his young protégé Dan's dearly deceased Meg Halsey.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSlither (2006)
A small town is taken over by an alien plague, turning residents into zombies and all forms of mutant monsters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFrankenhooker (1990)
A medical school dropout loses his fiancée in a tragic lawnmower incident and decides to bring her back to life. Unfortunately, he was only able to save her head, so he goes to the red light district in the city and lures prostitutes into a hotel room so he can collect body parts to reassemble her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReturn of the Living Dead Part II (1988)
A group of kids discover one of the drums containing a rotting corpse and release the 2-4-5 Trioxin gas into the air, causing the dead to once again rise from the grave and seek out brains.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDawn of the Dead (1978)
During an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter, and his television-executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInnocent Blood (1992)
Marie is a vampire with a thirst for bad guys. When she fails to properly dispose of one of her victims, a violent mob boss, she bites off more than she can chew and faces a new, immortal danger.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNight of the Living Dead (1968)
A ragtag group barricade themselves in an old Pennsylvania farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls ravaging the Northeast.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOnce Bitten (1985)
Mark wants to lose his virginity, but his girlfriend wants to wait. Unfortunately for both of them, a 400-year-old vampire Countess needs to turn a virgin into a vampire before Halloween in order to preserve her own youthful appearance, and when she finds Mark, she turns his life upside-down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisDie Alone (2024)
Lost in a world reclaimed by nature and overrun by mysterious creatures, Ethan, a young man with amnesia navigates the dangerous landscape in search of his lost love Emma. His journey takes an unexpected turn when he encounters Mae, a hardened and eccentric survivor. Together, Ethan and Mae face threats both human and otherwise before a fateful encounter with Kai unravels a secret that lies just beyond Ethan's fractured memory.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNight of the Demons (1988)
When partygoers at a deserted funeral home decide to have a séance on Halloween night, they awaken something evil with a thirst for blood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAn American Werewolf in London (1981)
American tourists David and Jack are savagely attacked by an unidentified animal while hiking on the Yorkshire Moors. After retiring to the home of a beautiful nurse to recuperate, David soon begins experiencing disturbing changes to his body and mind.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSuck (2009)
The film follows a petty rock band called the Winners, consisting of vocalist Joey Winner, bassist Jennifer, guitarist Tyler, drummer Sam, and French-Canadian roadie Hugo, along with their sleazy manager Jeff, as they tour across Canada and the USA after Jennifer is turned into a vampire by Queeny. Meanwhile, a vampire hunter who is afraid of the dark named Eddie Van Helsing quickly chases them down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEvil Dead II (1987)
Ash Williams and his girlfriend Linda find a log cabin in the woods with a voice recording from an archeologist who had recorded himself reciting ancient chants from "The Book of the Dead." As they play the recording an evil power is unleashed taking over Linda's body.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhat We Do in the Shadows (2014)
Vampire housemates try to cope with the complexities of modern life and show a newly turned hipster some of the perks of being undead.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMonster Man (2003)
Two guys and a female hitchhiker are terrorized by a monstrous looking man driving a giant monster truck.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRe-Kill (2015)
Five years after a zombie outbreak, the men and women of R-Division hunt down and destroy the undead. When they see signs of a second outbreak, they fear humanity may not survive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisLand of the Dead (2005)
The living dead have taken over the world, and the remaining humans live in a walled city to protect themselves as they cope with the situation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1991)
Reclusive vampires lounge in a lonely American town. They wear sunscreen to protect themselves. A descendant of Van Helsing arrives with hilarious consequences.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRavenous (1999)
After arriving at his new, remote Army outpost, Capt. John Boyd and his regiment aid a wounded frontiersman who recounts a horrifying tale of a wagon train murdered by its supposed guide – a vicious U.S. Army colonel gone rogue. Fearing the worst, the regiment heads out into the wilderness to verify the gruesome claims.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTwo Women Make a Lunch Plan (2023)
Two women—who have neither seen nor heard from one another in quite some time—run into each other while out and about and make a plan to get lunch sometime in the future.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & comedy
The Fly II (1989)
Martin Brundle, born of the human/fly, is adopted by his father's place of employment (Bartok Inc.) while the employees simply wait for his mutant chromosomes to come out of their dormant state.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisHalloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
After a terrified toy salesman is mysteriously attacked and brought to the hospital clutching the year's most popular Halloween mask, Dr. Daniel Challis sets out to investigate the strange events and finds himself thrust into a nightmarish conspiracy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisAn American Werewolf in Paris (1997)
An American man unwittingly gets involved with werewolves who have developed a serum allowing them to transform at will.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisDeep Rising (1998)
A group of heavily armed hijackers board a luxury ocean liner in the South Pacific Ocean to loot it, only to do battle with a series of large-sized, tentacled, man-eating sea creatures who have taken over the ship first.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSliding Doors (1998)
Helen, a London ad executive, is fired from her job and rushes out to catch a train, but, as she runs down, her life suddenly splits off. In one version she catches the train; in the second, she misses it. Her whole life changes in that one second, and the rest of the film depicts what happens in each scenario.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJason Lives - Friday the 13th Part VI (1986)
Tommy Jarvis, tormented by the fear that maybe Jason isn't really dead, unwittingly resurrects the mass murderer for another bloody rampage.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989)
The pregnant Alice finds Freddy Krueger striking through the sleeping mind of her unborn child, hoping to be reborn into the real world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Witches (1990)
While staying at a hotel in England with his grandmother, Helga, a young boy named Luke inadvertently spies on a convention of witches. The Grand High Witch reveals a plan to turn all children into mice via a magical formula. When they discover the eavesdropper, the witches test the formula on him. Now, with the help of Helga and hotel manager Mr Stringer, Luke the mouse must fight back against the witches.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Return of the Living Dead?
The closest matches to The Return of the Living Dead are Freaks of Nature (2015), Night of the Creeps (1986) and Bride of Re-Animator (1990). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Return of the Living Dead?
Start with Freaks of Nature (2015), the closest match to The Return of the Living Dead.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Return of the Living Dead?
Night of the Living Dead (1968), rated 7.6/10 by 2,901 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Return of the Living Dead?
Die Alone (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Return of the Living Dead?
Yes: Freaks of Nature (2015), Night of the Creeps (1986) and Bride of Re-Animator (1990).
How are movies similar to The Return of the Living Dead chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Return of the Living Dead, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.