DVD Flashback: Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive

With all the talk lately surrounding Peter Jackson, I thought it to be appropriate and add his 1992 horror flick Dead Alive -I will not call it Braindead- as a DVD Flashback. Dubbed as “the goriest fright film of all time” in some circles, this would be unrecognizable as a creation from the man who brought Middle Earth and King Kong back to life by many. Not only is this movie jam packed with blood and zombies but it is one of the funniest movies I have seen. The gore is so over the top at times that you can’t help but to laugh.

Timothy Balme plays Lionel Cosgrove, a mild mannered sort who lives with his mother in a very large, very creepy old house. Like in many of these movies, Lionel is a total Mamma’s boy who spends much of his time caring for his loud and bossy Mum. When a rare diseased rat finds it’s way to town, Lionel’s Mum is bitten during their visit to the zoo. This nasty pus oozing animal bite begins to change Lionels Mum. She becomes very ill and much of it shows on the outside. Lionel, loving his Mother as much as he does, refuses to accept the fact that his Momther has become a flesh eating zombie and continues to care for her in the house were he grew up.

During Mum’s condition, many visitors come to the house. Unbeknown to the casual visitors, they attempt get close to lionel’s sweet Mum, which always turns out badly. Now Lionel -who’s heart is as such- accumulates an entire ward of zombies for him to care for. Lionel does his best to manage all of this all while courting the love interest of the film Paquita, who is played by Diana Pe√ɬ±alver. Of course as you can imagine, everything goes out of control, there are way to many zombies in the house and Lionel has to whip out the lawn mower! -Maybe you didn’t guess that last part there?-

Dead Alive is a fantastically gory and disgusting movie. I frick’n love it! Definitely not a movie for the squeamish, but if you are enthralled by zombies eating brains and about 100 gallons of blood splattered all over the walls, this is your flick my friend. Lets run down the list of key items shall we:

• About 100 gallons of blood.
• Brains, organs and limbs are eaten.
• We get to see a fat man pass a kidney stone -and hear it ricochet around the bowl-
• Zombies are taken out with a lawn mower!

Think of that the next time you’re watching Frodo!