MovieChat Forums > The Return of the Living Dead (1985) Discussion > Was Frank a zombie when he killed himsel...

Was Frank a zombie when he killed himself in the crematory?

posted 8 years ago by MisterBabadook
13 replies | jump to latest

I always wondered that because him and Freddy couldn't move without it killing them because of the rigor mortis that was setting in. Only when Freddy turns into a zombie can he get up and move without it hurting him. So after Freddy turns and they all come rushing to get his girlfriend out of the chapel, we see Frank get up and run out without feeling any pain to go to the crematory.

I mean it is weird if he was that he was still able to maintain his humanity after turning.

Thats what i love about these high school girls, i get older they stay the same age.

[–] kryptangel-34-33065 8 years ago

I assume he was since both he and freddy were exposed to the trioxin at the same time they would prolly turn at the same time. Freddy did take a few minutes before he went all rabid so it's possible Frank felt the brain cravings creeping up on him and used his last few minutes of lucidity to kill himself.

[–] MisterBabadook 8 years ago

Its weird, cause they have to die before they turn, we see the moment where Freddy dies for a few seconds then comes back. So its weird that Frank was able to maintain his humanity after dying and turning, at least long enough to kill himself.

Thats what i love about these high school girls, i get older they stay the same age.

[–] kryptangel-34-33065 8 years ago

After I replied I actually put my copy of the movie on to see how the whole sequence plays out. Once freddy goes rabid the we never actually see Frank getting up and entering the crematorium cuz the camera is concentrating on Freddy chasing tina and by the time we see Frank again he is already in front of the oven and about to crawl in.

[–] MisterBabadook 8 years ago

Yeah it shows Frank for a few seconds right when Burt and the others come into the chapel, he quickly gets up and runs past them while Freddy is going rabid. I remember cause i just watched it last night.

Thats what i love about these high school girls, i get older they stay the same age.

[–] kryptangel-34-33065 8 years ago

I stand corrected then :) I must have skipped a little too far ahead and missed that brief shot. To be fair tho Freddy is shown running around paying no heed to the pain either. One could argue that in his case he was so fixated on eating his girlfriend's brain that he was ignoring it. In Frank's case it could just be that he was ignoring his pain as well since he was about to die in the oven anyway.

[–] PopperTheKungFu-Dragon 8 years ago

Yup Frank runs out of the room behind them while they're busy with Freddy.

Poorly Lived and Poorly Died, Poorly Buried and No One Cried

[–] Nick Zbu 8 years ago

This is what I thought. In a way, it's a very well done scene: Frank has only a few moments of lucidity left, and decides to die in agony instead of dying in agony and turning on innocent people. Maybe Freddy's change shocks Frank into overcoming his agony and making that choice. It is interesting that one of the first things he does when he gets to the oven is think of his wife after he just witnessed his trainee's violent change to eat his own partner (as shown by the wedding ring).

[–] LadyDi4476 8 years ago

That's a good question and something I've always wondered about myself.

With the rigor mortis there's no way Frank could just get up and walk out of the chapel without being in excruciating pain. That is unless the rigor mortis started to wear off while he was still "alive". He obviously knew he was going to turn into a horrible brain eating monster. So Frank was still Frank when he crawled into the crematorium. For some reason he happened to "live" a little bit longer than Freddy and killed himself before he had a chance to turn.

-Di

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] los-chupacabras 8 years ago

I feel like he was close to turning but not there yet.

[–] katholiday1962 8 years ago

Obviously, he hung in there! :)

I honor the dead with Easter-egg's! Please view & comment on my living dead tribute "The Walker" / www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EIsv6QmEHk

[–] Strannger (2007) 7 years ago

I think he had control and didn't let it consume him. People with goals can hang on longer if they believe in their purpose instead of none at all.

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

It's more of a character trait than a question of where he is at as the undead. He and Freddy are already dead according to the paramedics. They're just not rabid. Frank bears responsibility for his actions and he does what he can to try and make things right. He calls Bert. He helps clean up the freezer zombie. He does everything he can to make up for the damage he caused (no matter how futile the action is). In the end, Franks trait is that he does the most responsible thing he knows. He destroys himself in a horribly agonizing way in order to not hurt others.
The answer to your question is that he is a zombie. He just hasn't succumb to the frenzied pursuit to end the pain of rigor mortis.

This is a fun movie with a great soundtrack.