Also Known As: Tarman, The Tar Zombie
First Appearance: The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Most Iconic Form: A severely decomposed corpse coated in blackened tissue and sludge after exposure to Trioxin
Portrayed by: Allan Trautman and Robert Bennett
Tier: Third Class Tier
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Directed by Dan O’Bannon, The Return of the Living Dead redefined zombie horror with punk energy, dark comedy, and a terrifying new rule: the dead crave brains. The most memorable embodiment of this rule is Tarman, the film’s primary undead threat.
Tarman’s origins stretch back to the nineteen sixties, when a corpse at a Veterans Affairs hospital was exposed to the military chemical Trioxin during an accident. The body reanimated and had to be contained by the Army, who sealed it inside a pressurised 2 4 5 Trioxin drum. The chemical desiccated the corpse, effectively mummifying it, and the container was mistakenly shipped to a medical supply warehouse, where it remained forgotten for years.
When warehouse foreman Frank strikes the drum to demonstrate its strength, a crack releases Trioxin gas. The chemical reactivates the corpse inside and further melts its remaining flesh, creating the blackened, tar like appearance that gives Tarman his name. Spider later coins the term, noting that the creature looks as if it is covered in tar.
Tarman emerges slowly but purposefully, dragging itself from the burst container and immediately seeking fresh brains. Unlike many zombies, he displays awareness and problem solving ability. When Tina hides inside a metal locker, Tarman attempts to open it by using a chain and a powered winch, demonstrating deliberate reasoning rather than instinctive thrashing.
He is physically weak in appearance but extremely dangerous once he gets hold of a victim. He successfully captures Suicide and feeds on his brains. Later, Burt Wilson temporarily disables him by knocking his head off with a baseball bat, but destruction of the body does not truly solve the problem. As with all Trioxin zombies, even dismemberment is only a delay.
Tarman is ultimately presumed destroyed when the military drops a nuclear strike on the town in an attempt to contain the outbreak, though the film’s ending suggests this only spreads the contamination.
Later Appearances
A version of Tarman appears again in Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988), reanimated by exposure to Trioxin from another military drum. This incarnation shares the same tar like decomposition but has slight design differences, including more visible facial structure. He is eventually swept into a river, though as with all Trioxin infected dead, final destruction is ambiguous.
A further iteration appears in Return of the Living Dead Rave to the Grave (2005) as another heavily decomposed Trioxin zombie resembling the original Tarman design, showing how the visual template endured across the series.
Abilities and Traits
Tarman may look fragile, but he is extremely resilient. Trioxin zombies do not die from conventional trauma. Gunshots, dismemberment, and severe injury only slow them. Their bodies can continue functioning even when badly damaged.
He moves slowly and clumsily, his muscles largely deteriorated, yet his grip is powerful and his bite capable of cracking bone. Unlike traditional silent zombies, Tarman can speak. His drawn out cry of “Brains” became one of horror cinema’s most famous lines, marking the first clear articulation of that specific undead hunger.
His intelligence sets him apart. He can assess obstacles, use tools, and plan simple mechanical actions. This makes him more than a mindless corpse. He is driven by hunger but capable of strategy.
Legacy of Tarman
Tarman is widely regarded as one of the most iconic zombies ever created. A large portion of the film’s budget went into his design, and Allan Trautman’s skeletal build and physical performance gave the character an unforgettable silhouette and movement style.
He was one of the first zombies to clearly verbalise a desire for brains and to display problem solving intelligence, traits that would echo through decades of undead fiction. His appearance, voice, and presence helped shift zombies from slow background threats into distinctive horror figures with personality.
Tarman endures as the defining image of Trioxin infection and remains central to the identity of The Return of the Living Dead.
The Return of the Living Dead had a fantastic 4k release in 2025 from Arrow Video.
League Placement
Tarman belongs in the Third Class Tier. He is iconic and genre shaping, but functions as a product of a larger outbreak rather than a singular mastermind or mythic entity.