Lionel Cosgrove is a twenty-five-year-old bachelor who lives with his domineering mother Vera in Wellington, New Zealand in 1957. When Lionel meets the beautiful Paquita, the daughter of a grocery store clerk he thinks he may have found the girl of his dreams. However, Vera manages to predictably put a monkey in the wrench when while he is visiting the zoo with Paquita, Vera who is spying on them is bitten by a vicious Sumatran rat monkey. Infected by the bite, Lionel's turned upside down when his mother is transformed into a puss-squirting undead zombie. Before long the young man finds himself having to cope more than he can deal with, as bodies begin to pile up. And if that wasn't bad enough his obnoxious Uncle Les turns up which complicates things further. As events spiral further and further out of control, he and a host of his Uncle Les's unwanted party guests find themselves pitted against a horde of crazed flesh-eating zombies. Can he save the day, and finally get his girl?
Peter Jackson's second movie after his ultra-low budget first feature Bad Taste and his first collaboration with regular screenwriting partner Fran Walsh. It's no exaggeration to say that Braindead, or Dead Alive as it is known in the U. S., rates as one of the goriest and sickest movies imaginable. Made on a loftier budget of $3 million, much of it going on its practical effects and an immense bucket of blood and gore. Not least of which would be in the movie's showstopping climatic scene where Timothy Balme's hero Lionel massacres a horde of zombies using a Flymo. A scene that called for the use of 300 liters (79.2 gallons) of fake blood. To say that it will leave your jaw on the floor would be an understatement. It, however, is just one of several memorable moments like a kung-fu fighting priest who "...kicks arse for the lord", a hilarious scene involving an undead baby in the park.
It's safe to say that Braindead is not a movie for the easily offended or those with queasy stomachs. Particularly in the vomit-inducing dinner scene where Lionel reluctantly is forced to play host to associates of his mothers. Zany, and off the wall, Jackson creates what is essentially a live-action cartoon with larger-than-life, over-the-top characters from Lionel's domineering cantankerous mother to his lecherous Uncle Les. There are also some inspired splatstick moments, with Jackson displaying a directorial panache for visual humor.
On the negative side, given its low budget, it does look rather gaudy, and the incidental musical is tacky with the overall standard of acting being something of a mixed bag, ranging from average to just plain bad. It also eventually begins to run out of steam towards the end and Jackson lets his over-indulgence get the better of him. However, if you can overlook this Braindead is blood-soaked, sick fun you can stomach its gross-out humor. Needless to say, it won't be for all tastes, but it's safe to say it could be ranked as New Zealand's answer to The Evil Dead. It, after all, served to help kickstart Jacksons' career and is worth seeing if just for its sublimely insane final act. Despite its shortcomings, it's something of a guilty pleasure, if you leave your brain behind you'll be sure to have some fun with it.
Peter Jackson's second movie after his ultra-low budget first feature Bad Taste and his first collaboration with regular screenwriting partner Fran Walsh. It's no exaggeration to say that Braindead, or Dead Alive as it is known in the U. S., rates as one of the goriest and sickest movies imaginable. Made on a loftier budget of $3 million, much of it going on its practical effects and an immense bucket of blood and gore. Not least of which would be in the movie's showstopping climatic scene where Timothy Balme's hero Lionel massacres a horde of zombies using a Flymo. A scene that called for the use of 300 liters (79.2 gallons) of fake blood. To say that it will leave your jaw on the floor would be an understatement. It, however, is just one of several memorable moments like a kung-fu fighting priest who "...kicks arse for the lord", a hilarious scene involving an undead baby in the park.
It's safe to say that Braindead is not a movie for the easily offended or those with queasy stomachs. Particularly in the vomit-inducing dinner scene where Lionel reluctantly is forced to play host to associates of his mothers. Zany, and off the wall, Jackson creates what is essentially a live-action cartoon with larger-than-life, over-the-top characters from Lionel's domineering cantankerous mother to his lecherous Uncle Les. There are also some inspired splatstick moments, with Jackson displaying a directorial panache for visual humor.
On the negative side, given its low budget, it does look rather gaudy, and the incidental musical is tacky with the overall standard of acting being something of a mixed bag, ranging from average to just plain bad. It also eventually begins to run out of steam towards the end and Jackson lets his over-indulgence get the better of him. However, if you can overlook this Braindead is blood-soaked, sick fun you can stomach its gross-out humor. Needless to say, it won't be for all tastes, but it's safe to say it could be ranked as New Zealand's answer to The Evil Dead. It, after all, served to help kickstart Jacksons' career and is worth seeing if just for its sublimely insane final act. Despite its shortcomings, it's something of a guilty pleasure, if you leave your brain behind you'll be sure to have some fun with it.