Orion Pictures
Miguel Nunez and Linnea Quigley share a scene in the graveyard in 1985’s Return of the Living Dead.
Zombie Fest Feast, scheduled this weekend at Ingram Park Mall, will reunite cast members from Return of the Living Dead, the 1985 horror-comedy known for its raucous punk soundtrack and for introducing the idea of zombies craving brains into the movie lexicon.
Organized by Retro City Events, the mini-convention will include scream queen Linnea Quigley — who portrayed punk-turned-zombie Trash in the cult film — along with fellow ROTLD actors Thom Mathews, Miguel Nunez and Beverly Randolph.
The free event runs 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and will include meet-and-greets with the stars along with vendors, photographable backdrops and a zombie costume contest. VIP passes are available online.
Return of the Living Dead marked the directorial debut of Alien screenwriter Dan O’Bannon, and while made on a shoestring, it became a cult classic thanks to its dark humor, innovative gore effects and blaring soundtrack featuring the likes of the Cramps, 45 Grave and Texas psych legend Roky Erickson. Four sequels followed.
The Current caught up with Quigley — whose screen credits also include fright films including Graduation Day and Silent Night, Deadly Night — to ask her about why horror fans still love Return of the Living Dead nearly 40 years later. The Davenport, Iowa native also talked about her work as an animal advocate and her experience in LA’s punk scene, which included playing in all-woman band The Skirts.
Why do you think Return of the Living Dead still resonates with horror fans all these years later?
I think because it’s fun. It’s got comedy in it, it’s got some scares in it, so it’s like a for everyone-type of film. It’s not just like blood and guts, but it has that too.
While you have been typecast as a “scream queen,” in Return of the Living Dead, you did some screaming, but you also played one of the monsters. Spoiler alert: you turned into a zombie.
A zombie. Yes, I was. I was an evil zombie eating brains.
Was that the only time you ended up playing a villain role?
Oh, no. I’ve played villain roles a lot. I love it. It’s so much more fun to do that than to be the nice girl.
I think one of the things too about the movie that made it popular on a cult level was that the punk rocker kids are the good guys and the soundtrack was packed with fun underground music from that time. You actually have punk credentials in that you were in a band called The Skirts that rehearsed in the basement of the LA club The Masque.
The Masque, exactly. Down on Hollywood Boulevard underneath the Pussycat Theater, yes.
So, were you involved in the LA punk scene before getting involved in the movie?
Yes, I was. We rehearsed next to the Go-Go’s on one side and The Motels on the other, and I just saw a lot of the early punk stuff in LA. It was really fun, sometimes scary when Darby [Crash] would come in from the Germs. It was like, “Oh no, hide your instruments, he’ll break them.”
Did that have anything to do with you being cast as Trash in ROTLD, or was that completely unrelated?
I don’t know. I think it was unrelated, but you never know. … I might have said some things and they were like, “Oh, well, she has a punk background,” so I’m not really sure. They never discussed that with me.
You’re a longtime animal-rights advocate, and I saw you’re now involved in a startup animal shelter. Is that something you’re undertaking on your own?
Yes, it is. I mean, every girl or guy, or whatever, has this dream that they can save animals. I had that dream too, and it was like, finally, I could make it a reality. So, I have my … it’s like a sanctuary, really. And then I adopt them out to good homes. And sometimes they get stuck here though.
How many animals do you have right now in the shelter?
I just adopted three dogs out, so I have 11 dogs and six cats, which is a lot for me just to take care of. It’s crazy.
I learned you were painfully shy in high school and had to be coaxed into trying out for your first acting roles.
Oh my God. Yeah.
How did you overcome that? Your screen persona certainly doesn’t come across as shy.
I’m still not over it. If I go to a party and there’s no script, I’m very shy because I’m not sure what to do, what to say. So, I’m still shy. I think [acting] is like therapy. I overcome it.
As you became known roles in horror flicks and other B-movies, did it ever feel disappointing or disheartening that you weren’t able to land a lot of roles in bigger or more mainstream films?
I was OK with it. I just loved to be working. Of course, I would have loved if I’d have gotten a big film or something like that — that I would love, especially a really great part or something. But I liked the parts I played in horror movies, and it was like, I grew up watching movies like that, so it was fun. It is fun. It’s fun in a lot of ways.
What horror movies from your youth left a stamp on you?
Oh, well, Four Flies on Grey Velvet by Dario Argento was a big one that stuck with me, because I used to go to the drive-ins. And Boxcar Bertha, Women in Cages … I love those. Those were fun. Billy Jack. So, those are the top ones. I mean, of course, Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Those were my favorites.
What are you working on these days, film-wise?
Well, the sanctuary takes up a lot of time — Moulin Rouge, as it’s called — but I did a film in London called The Witches of Sands, which was really fun to do. And I did one called Gaslight in LA. And that was really fun too. And it’s so great to work with people that actually have seen your work and hire you because of it. It’s such a big compliment. And hopefully there’s some other ones on the horizon. I don’t believe anything’s going to happen until you’re right there doing it, and it’s done. So I don’t want to jinx myself by saying more.
In terms of the movies you’ve been in over the years, where does Return of the Living Dead fit in terms of being a favorite or a memorable experience?
Oh, it’s one of my very favorites, because like you mentioned, the soundtrack, the punk aspect of it. The actors are all really good, and there’s the comedy and the blood and guts. And it’s just, I think, a really excellent film. It’s something you can watch again and again.
Free, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24, Ingram Park Mall, 6301 NW Loop 410, ingram-park-mall.com.
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