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Movies / On DVD / Dead Alive
Dead Alive

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Dead Alive (1993)

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86 %
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Reviews Counted: 21

Fresh: 18

Rotten:3

Average Rating: 7.4/10

Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: Peter Jackson's third feature-length film is a bizarre black comedy--sort of a screwball NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, with plenty of graphic violence thrown in for good measure. While spying on her... Peter Jackson's third feature-length film is a bizarre black comedy--sort of a screwball NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, with plenty of graphic violence thrown in for good measure. While spying on her son and his date on a trip to the zoo, Lionel's domineering mother (Elizabeth Moody) is bitten by a vicious Sumatran rat monkey and consequently starts manifesting some rather peculiar behavior, attacking all those unfortunate enough to get in her way and turning them into zombies. Poor Lionel (Timothy Balme) is forced to hide her victims in his basement in order to conceal his mother's grotesque affliction from his love interest, Paquita (Diana Peņalver). But soon his mom's zombified entourage starts to rebel and becomes too much for Lionel to handle. In the raucous finale, Lionel takes on a whole army of the undead (plus the occasional unruly bodily organ) with his trusty lawnmower and finally confronts his mother in an all-out Oedipal extravaganza. Though so over the top that it's often classified as a comedy rather than a fright film, DEAD ALIVE has also been touted as one of the goriest horror movies ever made--so be warned: It's not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. [More]

Starring: Timothy Balme, Diana Peņalver, Elizabeth Moody, Ian Watkin

Starring: Timothy Balme, Diana Peņalver, Elizabeth Moody, Ian Watkin

Director: Peter Jackson

Director: Peter Jackson
Screenwriter: Stephen Sinclair, Frances Walsh, Peter Jackson
Producer: Jim Booth
Composer: Peter Dasent

[See More Credits]

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Release:

May 30, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • On a quiet street, in a small town, pure evil has tome to stay. Lionel, an innocent young man, is forced to care for his domineerin g mother and finds the task a whole lot more demanding after she's bitten by the curses Sumatran rat monkey. Passing the point of d eath, Lionel's mother sucks friends and family into her gruesome existence among the living dead and Lionel is sent spiraling into a ghoulish nightmare. Now a crazed zombie, she soon infects enough people to make it difficult for Lionel, still the faithful son, to keep the neighbors from suspecting that something is terribly wrong. Dead Alive is dripping with state-of-the-art special effects that feature mutilations, rock 'n' roll dismemberments and household appliances, combining into the most bizarre ending ever filmed .
  • Source - Maple Pictures
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Dead Alive

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    N/R

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    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    07/22/08
    David Stratton
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Originally released as Braindead, this gory, maccabre satire of 1950s New Zealand society is yet another proof that Peter Jackson is one of the sharpest, most skillful directors working in the genre; a good companion piece to Meet the Feebles.

    Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
    06/25/08
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    12/05/07
    Cole Smithey
    ColeSmithey.com

    Rarely has the urge to expectorate one's lunch been a feeling so sublime.

    Full Review Source: Projection Booth | comment Comment
    10/17/07
    Rob Humanick
    Projection Booth
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Not Coming to a Theater Near You | comment Comment
    10/24/06
    Rumsey Taylor
    Not Coming to a Theater Near You
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Time Out

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    07/03/05
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    08/03/04
    Mark R. Leeper
    rec.arts.movies.reviews

    Arguably the goriest movie ever made

    comment Comment
    06/12/04
    Jon Niccum
    Lawrence Journal-World

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    06/26/03
    Edward Havens
    FilmJerk.com
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    05/20/03
    Stephen Holden
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    I wish I could say that I loved it, but at the risk of offending every fanboy out there, I'm afraid I have a red caro-syrup covered bone to pick with it.

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    03/19/03
    Brian Mckay
    eFilmCritic.com

    A gore classic featuring an ***-kicking priest, a grandmother swallowing a cat whole, a house full of zombies, and a lawnmower.

    comment Comment
    02/26/03
    Blake Davis
    KFOR Channel 4 News

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    11/26/02
    Chuck Rudolph
    Matinee Magazine

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
    11/07/02
    James Rocchi
    Netflix

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    10/13/02
    Mark Palermo
    Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

    Outrageous and outrageously funny horror opus from Peter Jackson

    comment Comment
    08/21/02
    Ken Hanke
    Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

    One of the true classics of splatterdom. Sickeningly wonderful.

    comment Comment
    07/27/02
    Scott Weinberg
    eFilmCritic.com

    It was hysterically funny at times, but the urge to laugh had to compete with the urge to vomit.

    Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | comment Comment
    02/28/02
    Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
    Goatdog's Movies

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Mike Bracken's Horror Films | comment Comment
    02/13/01
    Mike Bracken
    Mike Bracken's Horror Films
     
     
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