As some may know, I had the fortune of being directed by the great Dan O'Bannon on the Return of the Living Dead in 1985, so it makes it even more tragic to learn that the great Dan O’Bannon has passed away.

Having not only directed the original movie back in 1984, O’Bannon had also worked as a writer on John Carpenter’s debut Dark Star, Ridley Scott’s science fiction classic Alien, the underrated horror flick Dead & Buried and, to a lesser extent, the Philip K. Dick adaptation Total Recall.

His last credit screenplay was Bleeders in 1997 and his only other feature as director was the 1992 H.P. Lovecraft adaptation The Resurrected. His other credits included Star Wars (in which he worked on some of the effects), Heavy Metal, Blue Thunder and Lifeforce.

O’Bannon’s contribution to the horror genre, both as the creator of the Alien franchise and re-inventing the zombie with The Return of the Living Dead, means that the legacy that he has left behind will thrill and scare horror fans for decades to come.

He passed away on the 17th December at the age of sixty-three. Rest in Peace the legend that made the Return of the Living Dead possible.