A man battles his nagging mother and a hoard of zombies all while fighting for love in 'Dead Alive', a cult classic horror film from 1992.
We first begin in 1957 Skull Island where a zoologist smuggles a hybrid rat monkey creature from the jungle. These creatures carry some sort of a plague type virus, and the audience quickly sees the fear of the locals when the zoologist is bitten by one of them. The captured creature ends up being shipped to a New Zealand zoo in Wellington which is where we meet Lionel, a man who is controlled constantly by his awful domineering mother - Vera. While in a downtown shop one day, Lionel bumps into the shopkeepers daughter Paquita - a beautiful young woman who he instantly falls in love with, much to Vera's chagrin.
Eventually, Vera is bitten by the creature while spying on Lionel and Paquita at the zoo, and that's where the fun begins. Vera begins to deteriorate almost in a matter of days after the bite, turning into a decaying zombie. She kills her nurse who also turns into a zombie right in front of Lionel. Absolutely devastated about his mother, Lionel works hard to keep her "alive" and preserved by constantly keeping her locked up in the basement. After a while, she breaks free and starts infecting others who come over to the house. Can Lionel keep his deadly secret from the police and his lady love Paquita, or will a zombie outbreak kill everyone in Wellington?
'Dead Alive' is definitely one of those horror movies that bombed at the box office during it's release, but has built up a massive cult following since then. It's perfect blend of comedy, horror, and gore done by legendary Peter Jackson makes this a classic that I often go back to watch often. One of the funniest (and goriest) scenes is when Lionel and his decaying mother sit down for lunch with the head of a social committee the mother wanted to be a part of. Tons of physical comedy, such as Vera's ear falling off into her pudding in front of the guests. It's such an insane chaotic scene which is sad and horrific, yet it works as a comedic moment as well. There were a lot of elements of other horror movies, at times it played very much like 'Evil Dead' meets 'Dawn of the Dead'. The acting was hilariously over the top worked to perfection by Timothy Balme who played Lionel. Diana Penalver was great as the romantic Paquita, and a lot of credit goes to Elizabeth Moody who led a lot of the film early on as Lionel's nagging mother.
Overall - a great story, really good gore, and stellar campy acting makes 'Dead Alive' is a must watch horror film.
8/10.
We first begin in 1957 Skull Island where a zoologist smuggles a hybrid rat monkey creature from the jungle. These creatures carry some sort of a plague type virus, and the audience quickly sees the fear of the locals when the zoologist is bitten by one of them. The captured creature ends up being shipped to a New Zealand zoo in Wellington which is where we meet Lionel, a man who is controlled constantly by his awful domineering mother - Vera. While in a downtown shop one day, Lionel bumps into the shopkeepers daughter Paquita - a beautiful young woman who he instantly falls in love with, much to Vera's chagrin.
Eventually, Vera is bitten by the creature while spying on Lionel and Paquita at the zoo, and that's where the fun begins. Vera begins to deteriorate almost in a matter of days after the bite, turning into a decaying zombie. She kills her nurse who also turns into a zombie right in front of Lionel. Absolutely devastated about his mother, Lionel works hard to keep her "alive" and preserved by constantly keeping her locked up in the basement. After a while, she breaks free and starts infecting others who come over to the house. Can Lionel keep his deadly secret from the police and his lady love Paquita, or will a zombie outbreak kill everyone in Wellington?
'Dead Alive' is definitely one of those horror movies that bombed at the box office during it's release, but has built up a massive cult following since then. It's perfect blend of comedy, horror, and gore done by legendary Peter Jackson makes this a classic that I often go back to watch often. One of the funniest (and goriest) scenes is when Lionel and his decaying mother sit down for lunch with the head of a social committee the mother wanted to be a part of. Tons of physical comedy, such as Vera's ear falling off into her pudding in front of the guests. It's such an insane chaotic scene which is sad and horrific, yet it works as a comedic moment as well. There were a lot of elements of other horror movies, at times it played very much like 'Evil Dead' meets 'Dawn of the Dead'. The acting was hilariously over the top worked to perfection by Timothy Balme who played Lionel. Diana Penalver was great as the romantic Paquita, and a lot of credit goes to Elizabeth Moody who led a lot of the film early on as Lionel's nagging mother.
Overall - a great story, really good gore, and stellar campy acting makes 'Dead Alive' is a must watch horror film.
8/10.
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