31 Days of Creepy Scenes, #31: The Tarman wants brains!

They've given us nightmares, given us chills, made us cringe, made us laugh, made us gag, and made us stare at the screen in awe: these are the scenes that pop into our minds when we think of great Horror Films, and we love them all.

*We recommend that if you've never seen these scenes before, that you experience them for the first time unspoiled in the movies that they come from, if you can. With that in mind, we'll try to be as spoiler-free as possible while discussing them; try, being the key word here. 

Debate it all you like, but Tarman is the best Zombie Character in the history if Zombie flicks. He looked amazing, he was creepy as hell, and he talked. That's right, I said he talked. Aside from Zombies in Horror Ccomedies, how many of them actually have presence of mind to speak? Actor Allan Trautman brought the slimy Zombie to life perfectly, using his tall, thin form, and the way he moved it, to give audiences an undead menace like they had never seen before. It really is a thing of beauty to watch.

Tarman owns some of the greatest moments in Return of the Living Dead, but the best one is his first reveal; the way he shambled out of the shadows, and the way they zoomed the camera back to capture Tina's reaction was just perfect.

As kids, he both scared the literal piss out of us, and captivated us with his awesomeness at the same time. There was just something about the way he looked, moved, and cried out for brains that had a ton of impact on us, and still does to this day. William Stout created a masterpiece with Tarman, and he should be proud of his FX work on this film.

"Brains!"
"More Brains!"
"Live brains!"

Tarman may not have been much of a conversationalist, but he knew what he wanted, and damn it, he went after it!

*Check the clip below to see Tarman in action.