Dead Alive (1992)
"Braindead" (original title)

A young man's mother is bitten by a Sumatran rat-monkey. She gets sick and dies, at which time she comes back to life, killing and eating dogs, nurses, friends, and neighbors.

Director:

Peter Jackson

Writers:

Stephen Sinclair (story), Stephen Sinclair (screenplay),

Stars:

Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver, Elizabeth Moody

13 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Timothy Balme	...	Lionel Cosgrove
Diana Peñalver	...	Paquita Maria Sanchez
Elizabeth Moody	...	Mum (Vera Cosgrove)
Ian Watkin	...	Uncle Les
Brenda Kendall	...	Nurse McTavish
Stuart Devenie	...	Father McGruder
Jed Brophy	...	Void
Stephen Papps	...	Zombie McGruder
Murray Keane	...	Scroat
Glenis Levestam	...	Nora Matheson
Lewis Rowe	...	Mr. Matheson
Elizabeth Mulfaxe	...	Rita
Harry Sinclair	...	Roger
Davina Whitehouse	...	Paquita's Grandmother
Silvio Famularo	...	Paquita's Father

Storyline

Lionel, a Mama's boy has the unwanted honor of having to look after his overbearingly evil mother. He ends up falling in love with a local woman who believes that they're destined together. In a moment of intentional sabotage of one of their dates, his mother is bitten by a mysterious creature that ends up zombifying her. It's only a matter of time before she rises from the dead a powerful, bloodthirsty zombie. It's only a matter of time before she starts infecting residents of the town and Lionel has to stop her...and them.

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Plot Keywords:

love | zombie | monkey | new zealand | zoo | 

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Taglines:

Prepare for complete mental shutdown...

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for an abundance of outrageous gore

Details

Official Sites:

NZonScreen listing

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

12 February 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dead Alive

Filming Locations:

Karori Cemetery, Karori, Wellington, New Zealand

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$242,623 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

WingNut Films, New Zealand Film Commission, Avalon/NFU Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min 85 min (R-rated) 97 min (unrated) 80 min (FSK 16) 92 min (1992) (1993) (cut) 85 min (heavily cut) 99 min (DVD edition)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Spanish title of the film ("Tu madre se ha comido a mi perro") literally translates to "Your mother ate my dog", a line said by Paquita (Spanish actress Diana Peñalver) in the film.

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Goofs

When Paquita is trying to get Rita back on her feet, and the top of that zombie's head slides toward them, Paquita kicks it. It flips onto its side, but the next shot has it sliding right way up again.

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Quotes

Void: What are you doing with this thing? Digging up a few stiffs?

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Connections

Referenced in Death by Death (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Heat of My Thoughts"
Composed and performed by Tony Backhouse
copyright central

User Reviews

The goriest film ever made?!-I don't think so.

This amazingly bloody and hilariously funny gore comedy from Peter Jackson("Bad Taste","Lord of the Rings:Trilogy")is one of the most amazing films I have ever seen.There's a great bit with Timothy Balme walking a hyperactive zombie baby in the park,a kung fu priest,a grotesque finale involving gallons of blood and gore,death by lawnmower,and pus in the pudding at dinner.The gore effects are really funny and gross,but not disturbing(for disturbing gore check out for example "Maniac"(1980)or "Nightmare"(1981)).If you think that "Braindead" is the goriest film ever made you're wrong.There are some movies that easily top it like Heiko Fipper's "Koma Brutale"(1998),Leif Jonker's "Darkness"(1993)and Olaf Ittenbach's "Premutos-The Fallen Angel"(1997).OK,enough said-this splatter classic is not to be missed.