10) The Return Of The Living Dead (1985)
Another day, another government germ warfare project gone awry. Alien scribe Dan O’Bannon made his directorial debut with this cult horror-comedy that embraced the schlock whilst preserving the shock.
While trying to impress newbie employee Freddy, the medical warehouse foreman Frank accidentally releases a deadly toxin from within military experimental drums hidden inside the building’s basement, which renders the pair unconscious. Upon awakening, the duo quickly realize that the secretive fumes they’ve unleashed harbour the power to re-animate the bodies of dead corpses. Oops.
Replete with a tongue-in-cheek self-referential sense of humour, a strikingly brash punk-rock attitude and some terrific practical visual effects, too, The Return of The Living Dead is an absolute classic that helped fuel our rapidly growing fascination with the ol’ walking dead. Interestingly, it was also the first flick to introduce the well-known concept of zombies wanting to eat our yummy human brains. Mmmm, tasty.