Dead Heat

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Dead Heat

R

1988

1h 28m

Horror

Action

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

11%

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

48%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

When a dutiful Los Angeles police officer named Roger Mortis (Treat Williams) tries to apprehend robbers that happen to be zombies, he ends up as one of the undead himself. Since Mortis has managed to stay in his right mind, he aids his loudmouthed partner, Doug Bigelow (Joe Piscopo), in getting to the bottom of the macabre crime ring. Eventually the cops track down the villains, including Arthur P. Loudermilk (Vincent Price), and try to end their supernatural thievery.

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Michael Wilmington

Los Angeles Times

05/13/2013

1.5/5

On the screen, it seems to be like a walking corpse itself: jerking around malevolently, with putrefying limbs, a fixed, grisly smile on its face and absolutely no spontaneity.

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Johanna Steinmetz

Chicago Tribune

05/13/2013

1/4

Williams and Piscopo seem to be on autopilot when delivering their lines, not relating to one another, not picking up each other`s timing.

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Walter Goodman

New York Times

05/21/2003

[A] sci-fi, low-tech comedy horror show.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

08/14/2015

2/4

...succeeds solely as a showcase for some admittedly jaw-dropping special effects.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

04/12/2015

C+

That it is awkwardly conceived, the premise is absurd and it's just not funny, are its major flaws.

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TV Guide

05/13/2013

1/4

A disastrous attempt at blending comedy and horror.

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Ian S

@RT48225084 Mar 28

80's silliness. Some good special effects but like a lot of horror comedies, it's too over the top. Even Vincent Price and Darren McGavin couldn't save it. Hope Treat Williams was paid well. More of a teens movie for the easily pleased.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Nov 18

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Nick O

@Nicki1985 Jun 2

Lethal Weapon meets Return Of The Living Dead!

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Glenn B

@RT35903271 04/03/2025

Great fun film , for its time it’s still a great watch. Defo worth a watch 👍

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Liam D

@Mediawatcher2003 12/29/2024

Combing a zombie comedy and buddy cop action movie. That weird mashup surprisingly works with a zippy script, great cast and fantastic practical effects and makeup

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George G

@RT71753519 11/18/2024

I saw this movie way back in 1988 at the theater. It remains one of only three movies I walked out of. The acting was so ridiculously bad with Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo just going through the paces. The concept was ridiculous also. A waste of about 25 minutes of my life.

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Mark Goldblatt

Director

Treat Williams

Det. Roger Mortis

Joe Piscopo

Det. Doug Bigelow

Lindsay Frost

Randi James

Darren McGavin

Dr. Ernest McNab

Vincent Price

Arthur P. Loudermilk

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Synopsis

When a dutiful Los Angeles police officer named Roger Mortis (Treat Williams) tries to apprehend robbers that happen to be zombies, he ends up as one of the undead himself. Since Mortis has managed to stay in his right mind, he aids his loudmouthed partner, Doug Bigelow (Joe Piscopo), in getting to the bottom of the macabre crime ring. Eventually the cops track down the villains, including Arthur P. Loudermilk (Vincent Price), and try to end their supernatural thievery.

Director: Mark Goldblatt
Producer: David Helpern, Michael L. Meltzer
Screenwriter: Terry Black
Production Co: New World Pictures, Helpern / Meltzer
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Action, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 6, 1988, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 20, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.9M
Runtime: 1h 28m
Sound Mix: Surround