I liked this movie.  Of course, I rented it under the title, "The Hanging Woman." So I wasn't expecting zombies to show up.  I thought the scenery was beautiful and the photography was excellent, even on the poor print I saw.  The plot was involving, although I figured it out right away, I still enjoyed watching the bumbling characters try to get it.  The zombie element seems like a last minute addition to what might have been an otherwise decent murder mystery.  I guess the producer walked onto the set one day and announced, "Those zombie movies are doing well lately, we're going to add some zombies to this movie."  That would explain the totally illogical nature of the zombies (they obey the professor because of a capsule that receives his thoughts, then they don't, then the prof. comes back as a zombie, huh?) and the tossed together, rushed nature of the last third of the film.  If you don't mind films that take their time to hit stride, you might enjoy this little hidden gem.

Return of the Zombies is NOT Italian! It's Spanish! If you're going to hold the country of origin at fault, at least know where to put the blame.

It's not really that bad of a movie (although admittedly not that good, either). If you're looking for a gore-filled zombie epic, you have to realize that those didn't get big until Dawn of the Dead was released six years later. This is more in the vein of a Hammer film than Romero or Fulci. I think it's definitely worth a rental.

your review is off base. Its a spanish film. Paul Naschy very famous spanish horror movie star is in it. To top it off , this was a more gothic as the other guy said Hammer type film, than a Fulci, Lenzi or Deodato.
Good film too

Okay, I f**ked up - this movie was made in Spain.  I apologize to all who have read this review.  I only assumed that this movie was made in Italy because Italy is known for making what, five hundred zombie films?  Unfortunately, when we assume something, we only make an ASS out of U and ME.  Actually, there were a few good ones made in Italy or by Italian directors, such as "Cemetery Man" and "Zombie."
I did not, however, write this critique to blame the country in which this movie was filmed.  I am not putting blame on the Spaniards or the Italians.  Whether this movie was made in Spain, Italy, Germany, the USA, Singapore - the point I wanted to get across was HOW BAD THIS MOVIE SUCKED!

I just bought this movie today and just finished viewing it...and, well...what can I say its not THAT bad (meaning it does have some zombies in it (about 5 or 6 of them)and they make that sound that all Italian zombies make (that low grunting breathing sound), there is SOME gore, although more would have made the film much better than it really is dcapitation of a zombified Paul Naschy and a autopsy scene where some inards are removed in loving close-up).
One thing I realized from watching "Return of the Zombies" is that this movie is a total rip-off of Jorge Grau's 1972 film "Living Dead at Manchester Morgue"!...reason being:

1. This film takes place in a European country side community
2. Involves a man made device/action which is the cause for the zombies to rise in the first place
3. Both films are slow paced and aptmosphere oriented and the heavy zombie action doesnt pick up untill the last half onwards
4. The Zombies are killed by setting them on fire with lanterns/torches/etc. (same as in Grau's film
5. Even some of the zombies look similar to those in Grau's film (especially the cloth wrapped one with wrap on his head)

There is also a seance scene which is similar to many other seance scenes in later Euro/horror/gore films such as Fulci's "THE GATES OF HELL","DEMONIA" and "SWEET HOUSE OF HORRORS" also in Naschy's other zombie film "HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB".

But where Grau succeeded in making a superior zombie film (one in which DOES incorporate nasty flesh eating gore and violence in its running time, nasty enough to get the film banned in the early 80's as a "Video Nasty"), J.L Marino's ROTZ fails by being a little light weight in the necessary ingredients needed for good zombie  cinema.

You're right.  This movie isn't that bad.  It's much, much worse.

Hey, man.  Sorry it took me a while to respond.  I see you endured the same thing I did when you expected a Lucio Fulci film.  But I have to warn you, "Zombi 3" is nothing special.  I bought it some time later after having bought "Zombie" (titled "Zombi 2" in Italy).  I thought it might live up to its predecessor, but no such luck.  It is, however, fun to make fun of.  If anything, it's better than "Return of the Zombies."