Many people don’t know that in 1992, Lord of the Rings Director Peter Jackson directed one of the goriest, sickest zombies films ever made in his home country of New Zealand. The film was titled Dead Alive, and it has been a cult hit among fans of the zombie genre. The film was originally titled Brain Dead, but was renamed when it did the festival circuit in the states. The film did not do impressive numbers at the box office, however it did make its mark among fans on the home video and DVD market elevating it to cult status. Now it is available on Blu-ray for the first time.
The film is about a young man, Lionel, whose bitch of a mother is bitten by a Sumatran rat-monkey. She gets sick and dies, at which time she comes back to life, killing and eating dogs, nurses, friends and neighbors. Soon the whole house is infested with the living dead. Lionel tries his best to keep his house and the zombies inside it a secret from his neighbors while trying to find food for the ravenous flesh party going on inside his house. However, things begin to get much worse and Lionel can’t stop the nightmare from spilling outside the house.
If you have ever seen this film before, you know it is bizarre, crazy and at times very funny. It can really be classified as one of the first zombie comedies behind Return of the Living Dead Part II. This film, however, has a lot of over-the-top gore, guts, blood and glory. It’s insanely out of control. The storyline is a bit out there, but it works. This is just one of those films that you have to see it to believe it and just accept it for what it is.
Unfortunately the Blu-ray does not have anything in terms of special features. The disc only includes the film in 1080P High Definition, English and Spanish subtitles and the film’s theatrical trailer.
Overall, Dead Alive is a fun zombie film that any fan of the genre should check out. It’s one hell of a gore fest and it is also funny and yes, it is out there in terms of storyline. The Blu-ray disc may not have much to offer other than the film itself, but it is well worth checking out for all of you hardcore zombie fans out there.
– Horror Bob
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