Dead Heat (1988)

A cop and his undead partner must chase down the diabolical villain who killed him.

Director:

Mark Goldblatt

Writer:

Terry Black

Stars:

Treat Williams, Joe Piscopo, Lindsay Frost

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Treat Williams	...	Roger Mortis
Joe Piscopo	...	Doug Bigelow
Lindsay Frost	...	Randi James
Darren McGavin	...	Dr. Ernest McNab
Vincent Price	...	Arthur P. Loudermilk
Clare Kirkconnell	...	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

Storyline

Roger Mortis and Doug Bigelow are cops that are chasing crooks that are dead serious about crime. Or should I say they are chasing dead crooks perpetrating serious crimes? Seems some nutcase has learned how to bring back the dead and is sending them on crime sprees. Now these indestructable goons are in the way of officers Mortis and Bigelow. To even things up, when Mortis is killed (in the line of duty, of course) he gets a jump start from the Resurrection machine and takes the fight to the zombie bad guys.

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Plot Keywords:

armed robbery | police partner | morgue | suicide | uzi | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

UK Stand-up comedian Bernard Manning initially auditioned for the role of Doug Bigelow but ultimately lost out to Joe Piscopo.

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Goofs

In the first scene where we see our two stars driving in the car, the camera crew is clearly (though quickly) visible in the reflection of multiple store windows and the side of a nearby van.

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Quotes

Randi James: Hey, you're hurt.
Det. Roger Mortis: Lady, I'm fucking dead.
Randi James: Well it doesn't give you the right to be rude.

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Alternate Versions

TV versions have additional scenes that were cut out of the original release. Included: The Mausoleom part is longer (and includes an appearance by Dick Miller), Mortis having a nightmare about his Death Day Party (with Piscopo in Zomibiefied makeup). These scenes and more are included on the 2004 DVD release (in rough but watchable quality).

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Connections

Features D.O.A. (1949)

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Soundtracks

Dead Heat
Written by John Huckert (as John W. Huckert Jr.), Patrick Read Johnson & Phil Settle (as Philip J. Settle)
Performed by Phil Settle
Copyright © 1987 by: Sarah Beth Songs BMI

User Reviews

Much needed 2nd opinion

Just want to offer another opinion on this movie for fans of zombies, buddy cop movies, schlock & the like. And don't miss Vincent Price.

OK, Dead Heat will never be listed alongside OscarT winners, big deal. There're plenty of award-winning movies that I don't like, but fans of cult movies are missing something here: Funny kitch.

The pitch meeting must've been hilarious: Picture Lethal Weapon meets Return of the Living Dead meets ReAnimator. C'mon, the genre mix alone is worth the look.

It may not be saying much, but this is Piscopo's best movie. I've been waiting for the DVD release to add it to my cult favorites.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 May 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dead Heat

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,667,036, 8 May 1988

Gross USA:

$3,588,626

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,588,626

Company Credits

Production Co:

Helpern / Meltzer

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1