Dead Heat (1988)

Director:

Mark Goldblatt

Writer:

Terry Black (written by)

Release Date:

6 May 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

These cops are on the biggest murder case of their lives... their own.

Plot:

Roger Mortis and Doug Bigelow are cops that are chasing crooks that are dead serious about crime. Or...

Plot Keywords:

Zombie | Police Officer Shot | Shooting | Spoof | Vegetarian

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Treat Williams	...	Det. Roger Mortis
Joe Piscopo	...	Det. Doug Bigelow
Lindsay Frost	...	Randi James
Darren McGavin	...	Dr. Ernest McNab
Vincent Price	...	Arthur P. Loudermilk
Clare Kirkconnell	...	Dr. Rebecca Smythers
Keye Luke	...	Mr. Thule
Robert Picardo	...	Lieutenant Herzog
Mel Stewart	...	Captain Mayberry
Professor Toru Tanaka	...	Butcher
Martha Quinn	...	Newscaster
Ben Mittleman	...	Bob
Peter Kent	...	Smitty
Cate Caplin	...	Saleswoman
Monica Lewis	...	Mrs. Von Heisenberg
Peggy O'Brien	...	Jewelry Store Manager
Chip Heller	...	Wilcox
Steven R. Bannister	...	The Thing
Lew Hopson	...	Whitfield
Tom Nolan	...	Jonas
Steve Itkin	...	Freman
Shane Black	...	Patrolman
Michael Saad	...	Guard #1 (as Mike Saad)
Monty Cox	...	Guard #2
Monty Ash	...	Walter
H. Ray Huff	...	Cop
Pons Maar	...	Pool Zombie
Dawan Scott	...	Pool Zombie
Ivan E. Roth	...	End Zombie
Ron Taylor	...	Shoot Out Zombie
Yvonne Peattie	...	Gertrude Bellman
Clarence Brown	...	Harry Latham
Pamela Vansant	...	Lab Technician
Beth Toussaint	...	Lab Technician
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stephen Jacques	...	Officer Liptak (uncredited)
Loren Janes	...	Man In Room (uncredited)
Gene LeBell	...	Guard (uncredited)
Dick Miller	...	Cemetery Security Guard (uncredited)
Linnea Quigley	...	Zombie Go-go Girl (uncredited)

Directed by
Mark Goldblatt

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Terry Black		written by

Produced by
Allen Alsobrook	....	associate producer
David Helpern	....	producer
Michael L. Meltzer	....	producer (as Michael Meltzer)

Original Music by
Ernest Troost

Cinematography by
Robert D. Yeoman

Film Editing by
Harvey Rosenstock

Casting by
Steven Jacobs		(as Steve Jacobs)

Production Design by
Craig Stearns

Set Decoration by
Greta Grigorian

Costume Design by
Lisa Jensen

Makeup Department
Roberto Carlos	....	effects technician: XFX Inc.
Craig Caton	....	effects technician: XFX Inc.
Roberto dePalma	....	effects technician: XFX Inc.
Kathryn Fenton	....	makeup department head
Gunnar Ferdinandsen	....	effects technician: XFX Inc.
Eric Fiedler	....	shop foreman: XFX Inc.
Bill Forsche	....	effects technician: XFX Inc.
Steve Frakes	....	effects technician: XFX Inc.
Chris Goehe	....	effects technician: XFX Inc.
Emilio M. Gonzales	....	effects technician: XFX Inc.
Steve Johnson	....	makeup effects creator
Steve Johnson	....	makeup effects designer
Rick Lazzarini	....	chicken animatronics: XFX Inc.
Leonard MacDonald	....	first technician: XFX Inc.
Robert J. Marino	....	effects technician: XFX Inc.
Kenny Myers	....	makeup artist: Mr. Williams
Anton Rupprecht	....	effects technician: XFX Inc.
Andy Schoneberg	....	effects technician: XFX Inc.
Russell Seifert	....	effects technician: XFX Inc.
Michiko Tagawa	....	effects technician: XFX Inc.
Bruce Zahlava	....	effects technician: XFX Inc.
Mike Smithson	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mike Topoozian	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Christopher Gilman	....	props
Marc Meisels	....	set dresser
Bryan Utman	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Mike Le Mare	....	supervising sound editor
Walt Martin	....	sound mixer
Steve Schwalbe	....	first assistant sound editor
Karola Storr	....	foley supervisor (as Carola Storr)

Special Effects by
Nick Benson	....	special effects
Kristina Birkmayer	....	production coordinator: XFX Inc.
Patrick Read Johnson	....	special effects
Todd Masters	....	project foreman: butcher shop, XFX Inc.
Shamu	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Steve Johnson	....	designer and creator: prosthetic deterorizations

Stunts
Rick Barker	....	stunts
May Boss	....	stunts
Dan Bradley	....	stunt coordinator
Dan Bradley	....	stunts
Geoff Brewer	....	stunts
Brian R. Carson	....	stunts (as Brian Carson)
Chuck Clarke	....	stunts
Scott Alan Cook	....	stunts
Monty Cox	....	stunts (as Lamont Cox)
Christopher Doyle	....	stunts (as Chris Doyle)
Andy Epper	....	stunts (as Andrew Epper)
Glory Fioramonti	....	stunts
Andy Gill	....	stunts
Loren Janes	....	stunts
Al Jones	....	stunts
Wayne King	....	stunts (as Wayne A. King)
Lane Leavitt	....	stunts
Gene LeBell	....	stunts
Ray Lykins	....	stunts
Troy Melton	....	stunts
Noon Orsatti	....	stunts
Mario Roberts	....	stunts
Edward J. Ulrich	....	stunts (as Ed Ulrich)
Steve Vandeman	....	stunts
George P. Wilbur	....	stunts (as George Wilbur)

Camera and Electrical Department
James Babineaux	....	best boy electric
Wayne Baker	....	Steadicam assistant
Marsha Blackburn	....	still photographer
George M. Chappell	....	electrician
Jack English	....	gaffer
Bob Leitelt	....	grip
Willie Mann	....	best boy grip
Les Percy	....	key grip
Randolph Sellars	....	second unit cameraman
Mark A. Shelton	....	electrician
Charles Smith	....	grip

Editorial Department
Florent Retz	....	associate editor

Music Department
Barb Luby	....	orchestrator
Phil Magnotti	....	music recordist
Paul Mariconda	....	music programmer
Paul Mariconda	....	musician
Johnny Montagnese	....	music recordist
Barbara Pokras	....	music editor
Ernest Troost	....	conductor

Other crew
Craig Caton	....	creature crew
Michael Glotzer	....	production assistant
Jane Goldsmith	....	script supervisor
Eric J. Goldstein	....	production assistant
Harriet Katz-Stevens	....	assistant accountant
David Kohan	....	production assistant
Kenneth Mancebo	....	production accountant
Sandra Vaughan	....	production staff

Production Companies

• Helpern / Meltzer

Distributors

• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Aquarius TV (1993) (Greece) (TV)
• Image Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray)
• Image Entertainment (laserdisc)
• New World Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• New World Pictures
• Roadshow Home Video (????) (Australia) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Steve Johnson's XFX (prosthetics and special mechanical effects)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M | France:-12 | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Japanese Garden, Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant - 6100 Woodley Avenue, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Helpern / Meltzer

Trivia:

The lead character is Roger Mortis. Mortis is the Latin word for "death".

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Roger is examined by Rebecca after his resurrection, he cuts himself and does not bleed as he is found to have no pulse. Later he is shot and bleeds from his wounds, which contradicts his earlier examination.

Quotes:

Det. Doug Bigelow:You remember when we were in training? They always told us, "You can't be a good cop if you're a dead cop." Here's your chance to prove them wrong. You're good and you're dead.
Det. Roger Mortis:I'm good and I'm dead.

Movie Connections:

References Dirty Harry (1971)

Soundtrack:

Dead Heat

Heated violence is interwoven with horror and humor in this outlandish tale.

Roger Mortis (Treat Williams) and Doug Bigelow ("Saturday Night Live" alumnus Joe Piscopo) are two down-on-their-luck cops. For, every single day these police officers must deal with pimps, drug pushers, child molesters, and criminal psychopaths. Until one unlucky day, a seemingly routine jewelry store robbery becomes an incident of unparalleled horror.

At first glance, it was a jewel heist. The two robbers involved in the robbery have found themselves confronted by cops everywhere. These crooks have no choice but to make an exit. With guns blazing, the cops and crooks viciously attack each other. By the end, everything turned into a senseless bloodbath with lots of fatalities. It took more than a thousand bullets to take out these robbers.

Mortis and Bigelow discover some peculiar experiments being conducted at Dante Laboratories. A criminal mastermind is attempting to bring dead criminals back to life through the use of a rejuvenator. Not only are these walking corpses trained in the usage of firearms, but they are bad to the bone! Hell hath no fury like the undead out for vengeance! Never before did these heroic (but bumbling) cops have to encounter the walking dead!

The grisly armies of the undead are under his command. Will our heroes be able to annihilate the walking dead? Or will they join in their ranks?

DEAD HEAT is no ordinary case of a "good cop, bad cop" scenario. Rather, this is a tale of a "good cop, dead cop." DEAD HEAT has all the pandemonium and frenzy that will keep you appeased. Zombies, bad guys, mad scientists, more zombies, and Joe Piscopo! Do not forget that legendary exploding ambulance! Also, with an ensemble that comprises of Darren McGavin, Keye Luke, Lindsay Frost (who disintegrates into a dry skeleton), Toru Tanaka, and Vincent Price, this is pure exploitation! What more could you ask for?

Plenty. You know that any movie which begins with two lunatics haphazardly shooting police officers as if they were sitting targets must be an ineffectual film, ad nauseam. DEAD HEAT is primarily moronic due to the presence of one Joe Piscopo. It is rude how often Piscopo always intermittently improvises his one-liners right in the middle of some conversation. Piscopo here has the personality of a "dumb" high school jock. Piscopo is such an irresponsible cop.and that will come back to haunt him.

As well, in the second half of the movie, everything falls apart thanks to plot implausibility and impossible twists. This film also loses its energy as well.

Is DEAD HEAT a completely titanic disaster? Of course not! This film does have its.merits (notice that I am using an euphemism here). The man to man alliance between the two leads is actually developed. The chemistry between these two characters works. The highlights are some rather wild special effects which accompany this grandiose feature. The zombies look VERY ugly and the gunshot wounds are particularly bloodstained. The gross special FX also depict bodies exploding like TNT. Many stop motion effects allow for some fairly nerve-wrecking scenes. The most notable scene definitely had to be watching the dead, butchered farm animals coming back to life! Yeah, that will show everyone who (or what) belongs to the top of the food chain! As noted, total carnage reigns supreme!

DEAD HEAT is a very inane action movie. Still, it reminds me of how audiences once had low expectations of action films. There is no substantial plot to speak of. The action scenes rely more on stunts and blood rather than authentic testosterone. This film falls short of its potentiality. DEAD HEAT does have its fair share of defects, but at least it's endurable. Even the action sequences offer an inventive twist or to. Therefore, expect to have an artificial good time.

Critics unanimously panned this movie. I can almost see why.

RATING: ** out of ****.