Timothy Balme, Diana Peņalver, Elizabeth Moody

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.

Flixster Users

84% liked it

54,512 ratings

Critics

85% liked it

20 critics

R, 1 hr. 40 min.

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Release Date: February 12, 1993

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DVD Release Date: September 8, 1998

Stats: 4,776 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (4,776)


  • September 15, 2009
    And you thought flymos are just for cutting grass! This is Peter Jackson's masterpiece, not Lord of the sodding rings!
  • August 2, 2009
    Get In Me! Horny kung-fu preacher and zombie infant and I'm not even scratching the surface...Provided quite the romantic evening... Mmmm Bloody boobays!
  • October 20, 2008
    If this doesn't get you to like Peter Jackson, then nothing will, and you are a bad person for it. Were I not so desensitized, this would probably be the most gruesomely, horrifyingly hilarious thing I'd ever seen, but I can safely just call it hilarious. And so fucking creative,...( read more) too! Some of the carnage on display here is absolutely mindblowing. The man knows his way around a set-piece and a low budget; is it any wonder that, with millions of dollars under his belt, he can produce a multiple Oscar winner?

    The ending is so bombastic that the movie actually overdoses on it; I was ready for it to end in the last ten minutes, personally. But the rest of this is sheer gold. Absolutely a must-watch for any horror fan.
  • October 11, 2008
    Lionel Cosgrove: They're not dead exactly, they're just... sort of rotting.

    Before Peter Jackson got very famous and much acclaim for those hobbit movies, he was known as a cult horror movie director. He made some very strange films. This is one of them.

    This film IS the Gor...( read more)iest Movie Ever, no joke, take that how you want. What makes it even more fun is how ridiculously over the top this movie goes, while keeping the core of this movie centered on a romantic comedy between the two adorable leads.

    Zoo Keeper: Story goes, these great big rats come scuttling off the slave ships and raped all the little tree monkeys

    It starts out the way a ridiculous movie should. A Sumatran Rat Monkey is brought over from Skull Island to the local zoo in New Zealand. Meanwhile we meet the local shop girl, Paquita, the nervous young man, Lionel, and his dominating mum. Soon Paquita and Lionel go on a date, much to mum's despair. She follows them to the zoo only to get bitten by the rat monkey. Oh I hate it when that happens.

    This little bite leads to bad times for everyone involved, but it also gives Lionel the kind of shift in his life that he needs.

    Uncle Les: Is that the one with the donkey and the chambermaid?

    While this is a romantic comedy at heart, make no mistake, once this movie gets going on the crazy, it doesn't stop. All kinds of fluids come from everywhere in extremely inventive ways. Jackson is firing on all cylinders here and despite the gore factor he has made a very good film, with characters that embrace how ridiculous the situations become and stick with it. In particular, Timothy Balme as Lionel proves to be New Zealand's Bruce Cambell, as he must balance physical comedy with romantic lead and hero zombie killer.

    This is an outrageous, over-the-top gore fest, that is very funny and pure entertainment at its bloody best.

    Paquita Maria Sanchez: Your mother ate my dog!
    Lionel Cosgrove: Not all of it.
  • September 20, 2008
    Holy bloody zombie entrails, Batman! Without question, Dead Alive is a contender for the title of "most ridiculously gory movie ever made." It's absurd, it's quirky, and, as a result, it's completely and utterly awesome. If you like laughing, zombies, and mounds of blood and g...( read more)uts, you must see this movie immediately.
  • November 13, 2009
    ha should check it out
  • November 8, 2009
    Great movie I really enjoyed this one.Great Zombie film that should entertain the zombie fan audience.This film as some great acting performances with a well delivered plot.I did think the ending was better than the begining but I didn't loose Interest at all in this film.It has ...( read more)some great gory bits with some funny,discusting and even jumpy bits.I did a bit of everything during this movie I liked the emotions showed and the shoundtrack that was played.

    Great acting,story,twist,humour theres nothing more I can say other than this movie was great and I would reccomend it to any zombie fan.
  • November 7, 2009
    I have actually only seen half of this movie, this movie cannot be rented, bought, etc in my area at all. No where to be found. So I finally found it online to watch but only the first half worked, i'm very disapointed. The first half was totally what I was expecting, I LOVED it....( read more) In the same kinda way I love the Evil Dead series, but this one kicked it's ass big time. Hilarious, gory, cheezy, perfect, I cannot wait until I can see the other half of this.

    UPDATE: I finally got to see the whole movie!!! It was everything i had hoped for, and it was worth the wait to find the second half.
  • November 6, 2009
    4 stars for gore and Peter Jackson's sickening imagination. 1/2 for being a cool movie.
  • November 5, 2009
    I have never seen so many blood on a zombie movie like on this one..I love you Peter!

Comments


  • CallumSanderson
    December 10, 2008
    Custard, Mutant babies... what else could you want?
  • thegentilehunter
    July 29, 2008
    i wish they would digitally remaster this film ,it's how proper zombie movies should be non of this drama or acting just killing plain and simple.
  • Aritosgold
    June 20, 2008
    Very Bloody..
  • Stephanheiser1
    February 15, 2008
    one of the worst films ever made, people I advise you not to watch this it will corrupt you.
  • sarahzombie
    November 12, 2007
    I'm lame and have never seen this movie. But, the good news is I will see it soon.
  • mugfart
    September 7, 2007
    Take the quiz I made and see how well you really know the film.
  • Flyboy1990
    February 11, 2007
    Custard scene, the sickest.
  • TeenageLobotomy
    August 8, 2006
    This is such a classic. I watched it so many times I feared the tape would fall apart. I always screen it to new friends on movie nights, cause you just HAVE to share the awesomness. ''I'll kick ass for the Lord!!'' lol best line ever.

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Dead Alive (Braindead) Trivia


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