Braindead (1992)

Director:

Peter Jackson

Writers:

Stephen Sinclair (story)
Stephen Sinclair (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

12 February 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Some things won't stay down... even after they die.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Zombie | Love | Monkey | New Zealand | Zoo

Awards:

13 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Dead Alive (USA)
Dead-Alive (USA) (DVD box title)

MPAA:

Rated R for an abundance of outrageous gore.

Runtime:

104 min | Argentina:99 min | Germany:94 min | USA:85 min (R-rated version) | USA:97 min (unrated version) | Germany:80 min (FSK 16 version) | Finland:92 min (cut version) (1992) (1993) | South Korea:85 min (heavily cut) | Spain:99 min (DVD edition)

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:(Banned) (original rating) | Finland:K-18 (DVD version) (uncut) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1997) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1993) | Singapore:(Banned) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Italy:VM14 | Austria:18 | Germany:Not Rated | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Canada:R | Chile:18 | Denmark:15 | France:-16 | Germany:(Banned) | Germany:16 (heavily cut) | Hong Kong:III | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:18 (video premiere) | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:(Banned) (original rating) | South Korea:18 (re-rating) (heavily cut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:Unrated | USA:R (heavily cut) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Karori Cemetery, Karori, Wellington, New Zealand

Company:

WingNut Films

Trivia:

During the lawnmower scene, movie blood was pumped at five gallons per second.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: On several short shots of the tramways, the carriages appear clearly as models pulled by strings.

Quotes:

Father McGruder: I kick arse for the Lord!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "South Park: The Return of Chef (#10.1)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Barwick Green (Theme from The Archers)

Good grisly fun!

DEAD ALIVE (1993) ***1/2 New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson made his mark in horror cinema (and for himself as a talent to be reckoned with) in this incredibly gory, funny and altogether sickfest zombie flick about a young man's shrew mother getting bit by a Sumatran Rat Monkey rabid with a truly nasty disease that turns her (and all that she infects with a bite) into a crazed/ravenous thing that can't be stopped in its rapacious wake of terror. The scattershot breakneck pace makes fellow monster maven Sam Raimi look like Busby Berkeley! Classic cult film that will have you laughing at the putridness of it all. Look for Jackson's homage to "King Kong" with Skull Island reference at film's precredit sequence.