Braindead [Red Edition]

A mess of a movie – literally . . . as it’s an iconic example of splatterfest gore. There are some truly inspired moments and true belly laughs to be had (especially when the priest goes all Rambo and proclaims, “I kick ass for the Lord” – I almost converted myself right then and there!), but the goofiness is so over the top that it’s hard to suspend disbelief and feel any sort of horror or unease. Then, there’s that troubling beginning that borders upon racist humor (I need an expert to weigh in here, because I just didn’t get it).

Hilarious. Audacious. And very very messy, I loved it the first time I watched it, I loved it even more the second time (but they only have a five star rating system here). This movie is paced like a boulder tearing down a mountain, picking up speed, decimating everything in its path, until it reaches its glorious climax at an impromptu party given at the home of poor simple Lionel (Timothy Balme) and his almost dead Mum (Elizabeth Moody), courtesy of Lionel's evil Uncle Les. This party makes "bedlam" appear sedate and prissy by comparison.Favorite scene, Lionel taking the baby zombie to the park to play. That, and poor Lionel trying to glue Mum's face in time for dinner guests. What's a meal without pudding?Forget everything else Peter Jackson's done, this is his masterpiece.

I've been very critical of reviews of other zombie-related films that lamented the lack of gore and overall grossness. I now feel vindicated - because "Dead Alive," like other first-rate gore-fests, just plain gets it right. And that's the point: no matter how much gore - and this film tops them all - it can be done (dare I say it?) tastefully. As most reviewers have already pointed out, this is primarily a comedy; the gore is just window dressing. Incredibly, though, the gore somehow doesn't seem gratuitous; it's actually necessary to both plot and character development. Besides, it's not really gross gore; there are no bugs crawling out of people's noses and armpits - to me that's gratuitous gore. There was a movie (I don't even remember what it was about) called "Buckets of Blood"; this movie could rightly be called "Boxcars of Blood."Anyone familiar with the "Theater of the Absurd" from the late 60's-early 70's would readily identify "Dead Alive" as an heir to that theatrical genre. The very idea of the movie's hero desperately seeking a way to keep four undead people tastefully hidden away from public view is about as absurd as anything the "Theater of the Absurd" every envisioned. Which of course makes the humor here something like Deadpan on Steroids. The lead actor, Timothy Balme, is absolutely enchanting as the hapless soul whose mother turns zombie. And not far behind him is Ian Watkin as his greedy, sleazy uncle.All in all, this is a charming little comedy-horror concoction with just the right amount of gore.

Bad Taste, Meet the Feebles, and Braindead(or Dead-Alive in US) are Peter Jackson's splatstick comedies that gave him a cult status before Lord of the Rings. Peter Jackson directed movies with comedy and extreme gore at first then later fantasy including Lord of the Rings. Peter is known for both his gory past and award-winning present times. People who only know Peter for Lord of the Rings and King Kong would be shocked seeing his earlier splat films.Braindead(UK) is Dead-Alive in the US due to conflicts with another film called Braindead(US). Some segments were also removed, even unrated Dead-Alive is not fully uncut.Dead-Alive is about a guy caring for his cruel mother that he still loves. At a zoo, the mother gets bitten by a cursed monkey while trying to scold her caring son for dating a woman because the guy's mother is misogynistic. The guy's mother deteriates over time and dies. The mother zombifies and starts the zombie chain reaction.Dead-Alive is full of unforgettable gore, characters, laughs, and quotes.The gore is excessive in a comical fashion. Dead-Alive is known as the goriest movie by bloodcount by the gallon. The gore left me laughing in a exhausted manner. The characters are like if they came from a comic book. The main character is similar to Bruce Campbell's Ash character and there's also martial artist priest. Dead-Alive does have it's funny moments like a evil zombie baby that laughs deviously. The quotes are comic book like. The priest sees zombies creating havoc and says "I kick arse for the Lord!" The priest then beats up the zombies.Peter's Dead-Alive is certainly a cool movie. The acting is cheesy but it's for comic reasons. The scenery looks like the scenery from Peter's later horror comedy The Frighteners. The story is very creative and even has a twist. The cheesiness of Dead-Alive doesn't interfere, it's all for the fun. It's for people who are into horror and comics. I like Peter old and new, he is a genius.I ordered a copy from Amazon.com and it's unrated from Lion's Gate Entertainment. The special features barely exist but still a great buy.

Warning US Customers! Your DVD player must be "all regions" and your HDTV HDMI connection must support 576i (PAL) in order to view this movie in its correct 4.3 (very slight letterbox) aspect ratio. My Sony Bravia HDTV will only display this video in 16x9 widescreen mode. An alternative -- Use laptop computer and Easy DVD Player software ($20.00 US) to view in 4x3 aspect ratio. (Easy DVD player supports all regions DVD and BD discs.) This is uncut version which I dearly love. There is only mono English sound. I love the beginning Queen Elizabeth dedication clip. Particularly since the queen wouldn't touch this movie with a 50 feet pole and would be very appalled by it.

this is it boils and ghouls. timothy balme is lionel a put-upon mama's boy, whom isa 25 yr old (virgin?) whom catches the romatic eye of paquita played by diana penalver whom is automatically hated by lionels domineering mum played masterfullyby elizabeth moody. while at the zoo mum is surprisingly bitten by a very ugly sumatran rat/monkey (lionel should consider himself lucky). this is when the movie starts to get going. gruesome things start to randomly happen. from mum getting sick and other silly things(watch the movie to find out).at about 1hr and 10minutes into the film is when the hardcore fun starts.the last fourty minutes of this film would make the average occasional horrorfan cringe, but i actually love this crazy stuff. i cheered the demon infected zombies on right up to each one of their deaths and laughed all the way to theend. so much gratuatious blood intestines and everything else. lionel takes great care of getting the job done exterminating all the crazy dead with a great chopping device...a lawnmower. simplistic yet very cleverly executedif you want to know what happens to the rat/monkey buy this film,watch and find out on your own. i don't want to give to much away. i bit-o-mystery is good for advertising.now! when is peter jackson going to get back to making horror films?

Fabulous, terrible film. Absolute overkill. The pinnacle of grotesque splatter horror. It's one of those films you simply have to watch in a group setting.

New zealands finest genre.

Forget Lord Of The Rings, Braindead is Peter Jackson's true masterpiece, this is the ultimate horror comedy: very gory and very funny.An absolute treat for horror fans.