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 | Opening Action Scene | Police Officer Shot | Splatter | Science

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

Thanks
Joe Dante	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Helpern / Meltzer

Distributors

• Alive Vertrieb und Marketing (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• 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)
• Zodiac Video (1990) (Greece) (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:

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

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:Roger, you were underwater in that Jacuzzi for five straight minutes.
Det. Roger Mortis:That's right, I was.
Det. Doug Bigelow:Can you teach my girlfriend how to do that?

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Casablanca (1942)

Soundtrack:

Dead Heat

Remember The Good Old Days When Bullets Actually Killed People

Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo are two, now get his, mismatched cops. Joe Piscopo is Bigelow, a macho, insensitive lug who only cares about himself...maybe. Treat Williams is Mortis, a kind, intuitive detective with a promising career ahead of him...until his latest case lands him on a slab. Fortunately, the case provides them with a means to bring Mortis back. Now, Bigelow and an undead Mortis race to find Mortis' killer before it's too late...(or perhaps it already is) The film tries hard to be funny, and it is, in certain moments. The two lead actors have a kind of chemistry and the cast of character actors are dynamite (including Darren McGavin, Vincent Price, Robert Picardo, and Key Luke) but it is the genre-mixing which steals the show. The butcher shop scene is hilarious and sick, a good indication of where the movie would have went if more freedom had been extended toward the filmmakers. But it remains a neat little flick for the horror lovers and the action buffs everywhere.

Hopefully more and more people will discover this title, but until then, it has a small cult audience. Don't let that stop ya, seek it out. It won't change your life, but it ought to give you a diverting way to spend an hour and a half.