7.5/10
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555 user 159 critic

Braindead (1992)

R | | Comedy, Horror | 12 February 1993 (USA)
Braindead Poster
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) | 2 more credits »

Stars:

Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver, Elizabeth Moody | See full cast & crew »
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13 wins & 5 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

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Photos

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Cast

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

Deep in the lush jungles of the isolated Skull Island lies the habitat of the elusive, yet endangered and utterly vicious "Simian Raticus", or better known as by its common name, the Sumatran Rat-Monkey, a hideous mix of a virus-carrying slave-ship rat and a tree monkey. Presently, back in New Zealand's Wellington, the oppressed Lionel Cosgrove who lives with his despotic mother Vera, has finally found his soulmate, Paquita, but sadly, his world will rapidly change when after a stroll at the local Zoo, a live specimen of the rare species will bite Vera. Now that she's got the "bite", with the infection spreading and turning Vera into a festering, puss-squirting living dead ravenous for flesh, things are bound to get out of hand, as an ever-growing collection of stiffs and other stimulant-enhanced zombie misfits detained in Lionel's house basement will demand immediate action. Poor Lionel he needs to step up and clear up the mess, but above all, summon the courage to confront his ... Written by Nick Riganas

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

zombie | zombie attack | living dead | monkey | zoo | See All (48) »

Taglines:

...and this little zombie stayed at home! See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Horror

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for an abundance of outrageous gore | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Official Sites:

NZonScreen listing

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English | Spanish

Release Date:

12 February 1993 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Dead-Alive See more »

Filming Locations:

Botanic Garden, Wellington, New Zealand See more »
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Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$242,623
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

WingNut Films, New Zealand Film Commission, Avalon/NFU Studios See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (R-rated) | (unrated) | (FSK 16) | (1992) (1993) (cut) | (heavily cut) | (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Another connection to King Kong: Actor Forrest J. Ackerman (the guy who takes the picture of Lionel's mother crushing the rat monkey's head) is an uncredited "Fleeing Extra in Crowd" in the 1976 version of King Kong (1976). See more »

Goofs

Lionel gets bitten by Selwyn twice, but doesn't get turned into a zombie. See more »

Quotes

Lionel Cosgrove: They're not dead exactly, they're just... sort of rotting.
See more »

Alternate Versions

In some Australian cinema prints the "God Save The Queen" opening is missing. See more »

Connections

Featured in Cinema of Unease: A Personal Journey by Sam Neill (1995) See more »

Soundtracks

Maori Battalion
Composed by A. Amarau
Performed by the Maori Battalion
Published by the Musical Import Company
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Wait, isn't this movie called "Dead Alive"? What's with "Braindead"?
Q: Will there be a sequel?
Q: What are the differences between the US Unrated Version and the Uncut Version?
See more »

User Reviews

 
doesn't get any better..
9 October 2003 | by ElijahCSkuggs – See all my reviews

Quite possibly the best horror movie of all time, Dead Alive (the unrated version)is bar none the epitome for zombie violence. Peter Jackson is the man when it comes to making any type of movie, low budget-high budget, whatever. There are so many spectacularly creative deaths in this movie, and scenes of pure blood splatter, that no other horror movie will inflict a severe gross out effect on you again. I'm serious too, I saw this movie in '94, and I've still yet to see anything this awesome. I've heard there are some pretty cool Japanese movies like "Lai Wong", and "Versus" was really good, though not as gross as "DA". Of course, if you really need to see something off the charts, watch "Urotsukidoji". It doesn't matter which one, I'm sure they're all nuts. Back to Dead Alive, at first the movie is really iffy, though the gore is still present, but then it just starts to roll. Greating acting by Timothy Balme as well! Just watch it, and love it! Just make sure you're a horror fan.
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