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Braindead (film)

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"Dead Alive" redirects here. For other uses, see Dead Alive (disambiguation).
For other films titled Brain Dead, see Brain Dead (disambiguation).

Braindead
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPeter Jackson
Screenplay by
Story byStephen Sinclair
Produced byJim Booth
Starring
CinematographyMurray Milne
Edited byJamie Selkirk
Music byPeter Dasent
Production
companies
Distributed byTrimark Pictures
Release dates
  • 13 August 1992 (1992-08-13) (New Zealand)
  • 12 February 1993 (1993-02-12) (United States)
Running time
104 minutes[1]
CountryNew Zealand
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3 million[2]
Box office$242,623 (United States)[2]

Braindead (also known as Dead Alive in North America) is a 1992 New Zealand zombie comedy splatter film directed by Peter Jackson, produced by Jim Booth, and written by Stephen Sinclair, Fran Walsh, and Jackson based on an original story idea by Sinclair. It stars Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver, Elizabeth Moody and Ian Watkin. The plot follows Lionel, a young man living in South Wellington with his strict mother Vera. After Lionel becomes romantically entangled with a girl named Paquita, Vera is bitten by a hybrid rat-monkey creature and begins to transform into a zombie, while also infecting swathes of the city's populace.

Made on a budget of $3 million, Braindead was Jackson's most expensive film up to that point.[3] Although it received positive reviews from critics, it was a box office bomb. It has since received a cult following, and is now widely regarded as one of the goriest films of all time.[4][5]

Plot

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In 1957, on Skull Island, zoo official Stewart McAlden and his team attempts to smuggle out a Sumatran rat-monkey, a hybrid creature that resulted from the rape of tree monkeys by plague-carrying rats. While fleeing from the island's warrior natives, who demand the creature's return, Stewart is bitten by the rat-monkey. The crew, fearing the effects of the bite, dismembers and kills him. The captured rat-monkey is then shipped to Wellington Zoo in Newtown.

In Hataitai, the meek Lionel Cosgrove lives with his domineering mother Vera in a Victorian mansion. To Vera's dismay, Lionel falls in love with Paquita María Sánchez, a Spanish Romani shopkeeper's daughter. When the two go on a date at Wellington Zoo, Vera stalks them and is bitten by the rat-monkey, which she promptly bludgeons with her heel.

Over the following days, Vera grows more decrepit and dies before reanimating as a ravenous zombie. Vera devours Paquita's dog and kills the attending nurse, Mrs. McTavish, who also returns as a zombie. Although unable to comprehend what's going on, Lionel keeps them sedated with animal tranquilizers and locked in the basement. He frantically covers the mess as Paquita's grandmother comes over to visit and gives him a pendant for luck. Vera breaks out of the basement and is run over by a tram.

Lionel arranges Vera's funeral and burial, keeping her tranquilized to protect the mourners. Later, he returns to the graveyard to administer more tranquilizer, but is beaten by a group of hoodlums who mistake him for a necrophiliac. Vera bursts from her grave and attacks the hoodlums. In the ensuing commotion, the gang leader "Void", as well as the local priest Father McGruder, are bitten and become zombies, so Lionel locked them up in the basement as well. After discovering the nurse and priest has copulated and produced a zombie baby, Lionel breaks up with Paquita to keep her safe.

Lionel's uncle Les arrives to wrangle with Lionel over Vera's estate. In the basement, Les sees the tranquilized zombies and believes them to be dead bodies. Les blackmails his nephew into giving up the house and his inheritance. He invites his friends over for a housewarming party despite Lionel's objections.

During the party, Paquita arrives to make amends with Lionel. After she discovers the zombies in the basement, Lionel explains the situation. She convinces Lionel to use poison to kill the zombies. However, Lionel mistakenly injects them with animal stimulant. The pair narrowly escapes as the invigorated zombies rush upstairs and infect the party guests. Lionel uses a lawn mower to mow through the zombies, while Paquita disposes of the (still hostile) zombie body parts with a blender. Les enters the basement, where he is beheaded by Vera, who has now grown to monstrous proportions. Vera erupts from the basement and pursues Lionel and Paquita to the rooftop as the house catches fire from a burst gas pipe.

Lionel confronts Vera and reveals that he witnessed her drowning his father and his mistress as a child, which caused his trauma. After he proclaims to no longer be afraid of her, an enraged Vera stuffs Lionel into her stomach and prepares to kill Paquita. Lionel cuts his way out of his mother's body with the good luck pendant, causing Vera to fall into the burning house.

Lionel and Paquita escape the burning rooftop as the fire brigade arrives. They kiss and then walk away arm-in-arm.

Cast

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Production

[edit]

Principal photography took place over eleven weeks on location in and around Wellington on a reported budget of around $3 million. The film had its origins while Jackson was filming his feature film debut, Bad Taste (1987). He met with writers Fran Walsh and Stephen Sinclair, who were also interested in creating a zombie film, and the three spent the next several years conceiving the project.[6] The film was shot on Super 16mm, as opposed to 35mm, so that more of the budget could be spent on effects. The film's special effects were crafted by Bob McCarron and Richard Taylor, with some miniature models being created by Jackson himself.[6] For the film's climactic scene, wherein Lionel massacres a horde of zombies with a lawn mower, a reputed 300 litres (79.2 gallons) of fake blood was used.[7]

The film's music was composed by Peter Dasent.

The film was subject to a lawsuit after release. In Bradley v WingNut Films Ltd [1993] 1 NZLR 415, it was alleged that Braindead had infringed the privacy of the plaintiffs by containing pictures of the plaintiff's family tombstone. After reviewing the New Zealand judicial authorities on privacy, Gallen J stated: "the present situation in New Zealand ... is that there are three strong statements in the High Court in favour of the existence of such a tort in this country and an acceptance by the Court of Appeal that the concept is at least arguable." This case became one of a series of cases which contributed to the introduction of tort invasions of privacy in New Zealand.[8]

Filming locations

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Pūtangirua Pinnacles (left) and Karori Cemetery (right), two filming locations used in Braindead

The film was mostly shot in and around Wellington's southern and western suburbs. Some filming locations include:

Release

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Braindead released on 13 August 1992 in New Zealand. It was subsequently released in the United States on 12 February 1993 under the title Dead Alive and grossed $23,765 in its opening weekend. It eventually grossed $242,623 in the country.[18] The soundtrack was released in 1992 by Mana Music.

The film has had several releases on VHS, Laserdisc, and DVD around the world.[19] It was first released on Blu-ray as Dead Alive by Lionsgate in October 2011, with the US 97-minute cut.[20]

In December 2018, Peter Jackson announced that he plans to restore Braindead, along with his previous films Bad Taste and Meet the Feebles for a possible 4K release.[21]

Alternate versions

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The film was released in a number of different versions. In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the 104-minute film was shown in full.[22] In fact, the UK's British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) found the film's gory content so light-hearted and comical that there was consideration on giving the film a 15 certificate, which would have granted it to be seen by a much younger audience. They ultimately decided to give the film an 18 rating because the amount of gore confounded the expectations of a 15 rating.[23]

In countries where the censors balked at the extreme gore, the film was initially banned or left unrated before being heavily cut. In Germany, a 94-minute version was seen with major cuts to some of the film's grislier scenes but was widely ignored. A FSK 16 rated version was released in Germany under the American title Dead Alive, omitting almost the entirety of the violence. The uncut version, as well as several cut versions, are banned in Germany.[24] It is also illegal to publicly exhibit the film in Germany.[25] The gory violence has also caused the film to be banned in South Korea, Singapore, and Finland.[6] However, the film was unbanned and released uncut in the latter country in 2001.[26]

In the United States, the film was released as Dead Alive, because of another film with rights to the practically identical title Brain Dead. There were two versions released in the country; the unrated cut is 97 minutes, and the R-rated version is only 85 minutes with many of the gore scenes removed.[27][28]

Critical reception

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On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 89% based on 46 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 7.50/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The delightfully gonzo tale of a lovestruck teen and his zombified mother, Dead Alive is extremely gory and exceedingly good fun, thanks to Peter Jackson's affection for the tastelessly sublime."[29] Metacritic rated it 54 out of 100 based on 7 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[30]

At the time of its release, David Stratton, writing for Variety, gave a positive review, calling it "Jackson's best film to date" and praising its humour, acting, and technical qualities (gore effects, makeup). He stated "Kiwi gore specialist Peter Jackson, who goes for broke with an orgy of bad taste and splatter humor. Some will recoil from the gore, but Braindead wasn't made for them."[31] Peter Rainer of the Los Angeles Times enjoyed the film, stating that it "is the most hilariously disgusting movie ever made. It makes something like Re-Animator seem like a UNESCO documentary about Mother Teresa."[32] The film received a negative review from The Independent writer Quentin Curtis, who complained that "it never decides whether to make you tremble with laughter or fear, and has outstayed its welcome long before the last limb has been severed and entrail spilled."[33] For Entertainment Weekly, Owen Gleiberman wrote that the film was "breezy and good-natured", giving praise to the gore special effects.[34]

Retrospective reception was also positive. Braindead placed at number 91 in a top 100 list produced by Time Out magazine after conducting a poll with several authors, directors, actors and critics who have worked within the horror genre.[35] Simon Pegg, actor, comedian, and friend of Jackson, wrote in his autobiography Nerd Do Well: A Small Boy's Journey to Becoming a Big Kid that Braindead is one of the main influences on his 2004 zombie film Shaun of the Dead.[36]

Accolades

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Year Award Category Subject Result Ref.
1992 Fantafestival Best Actor Timothy Balme Won [37]
Best Special Effects — Won
Sitges Film Festival Best Film Peter Jackson Nominated [38]
Best Special Effects Bob McCarron and Richard Taylor Won
1993 Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival Golden Scream Award Peter Jackson Won [39]
Fantasporto Best Film Peter Jackson Won [40]
Best Special Effects Steve Ingram Won
New Zealand Film and TV Awards Best Film Jim Booth Won [41]
Best Male Dramatic Performance Timothy Balme Won
Best Director Peter Jackson Won
Best Screenplay Peter Jackson, Stephen Sinclair and Fran Walsh Won
Best Contribution to Design Richard Taylor Won
Saturn Awards Best Horror Film Peter Jackson Nominated [42]
Best Special Effects Bob McCarron and Richard Taylor Nominated
1994 Saturn Awards Best Genre Video Release — Won [43]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "BRAINDEAD (18)". British Board of Film Classification. 10 November 1992. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Braindead". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  3. ^ Hallenbeck, Bruce G. (2009). Comedy-Horror Films: A Chronological History, 1914-2008. McFarland & Company. pp. 187–188. ISBN 9780786453788.
  4. ^ "10 of the Goriest Horror Films Ever Made". Beyond The Void Horror Podcast. 19 June 2020. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  5. ^ Bond, Nick (21 April 2019). "10 Goriest Horror Movies You Need to See From the Last Three Decades". Dark Universe: Horror Database. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  6. ^ a b c "Braindead (1992) - Background". NZ On Screen. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  7. ^ "One of the most disgusting horror films ever made". RogerEbert.com. 20 October 2020. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  8. ^ McBride, Tim; Tobin, Rosemary (1994). "Privacy in New Zealand case law - [1994] PLPR 32; (1994) 1 PLPR 48". Privacy Law and Policy Reporter. Austlii.edu.au. Archived from the original on 11 December 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  9. ^ a b c d "Braindead". Reelstreets.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  10. ^ "Local Film (12 Hinau Rd, Hataitai, Wellington)". Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  11. ^ "House map 1 (no 12 Hinau Rd, Hataitai, Wellington)". Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  12. ^ "house map 2 (No 12 Hinau Rd, Hataitai, Wellington)". Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  13. ^ "Local Film (29 Sutherland Road, Melrose, Wellington)". Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  14. ^ "Local Film (Botanic Garden Playground, Wellington)". Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  15. ^ "Local Film (in Botanic Garden Playground, Wellington)". Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  16. ^ "Local Film (Queens Drive, Lyall Bay, Wellington)". Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  17. ^ "Local Film (Standen Street, Karori, Wellington)". Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  18. ^ "Dead Alive (1993) - Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  19. ^ "Dead Alive (1992) - Peter Jackson | Releases". AllMovie. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  20. ^ "Dead Alive Blu-ray: Braindead | Unrated US Cut". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  21. ^ Brzeski, Patrick (10 December 2018). "Peter Jackson Returns to His "Naughty Years" With Restoration of Gory Early Films". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  22. ^ "View Title - Braindead". Australian Classification Board. Archived from the original on 5 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  23. ^ "Case Study - Braindead". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 5 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  24. ^ "Alle Nach §131 StGB beschlagnahmten Filme in Deutschland (Schnittberichte.com)" (in German). schnittberichte.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  25. ^ Wihstutz, Benjamin; Fischer-Lichte, Erika (27 November 2012). Performance and the Politics of Space: Theatre and Topology. Routledge. p. 112. ISBN 9781136210266. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  26. ^ Braindead (in Finnish). Elonet. 1992. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  27. ^ "Dead Alive". Everything2. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  28. ^ "Dead Alive Search Results" (Type "Dead Alive" into the search box). FilmRatings.org. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  29. ^ "Dead Alive (1993) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  30. ^ "Dead Alive Reviews". Metacritic. 12 February 1993. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  31. ^ Stratton, David (10 June 1992). "Braindead". Variety. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  32. ^ Rainer, Peter (14 July 1993). "MOVIE REVIEW: 'Dead': Head, Shoulders Above Its Genre". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  33. ^ Curtis, Quentin (16 May 1993). "FILM / For a few dollars, Moore". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  34. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (12 March 1993). "Dead-Alive (1992)". Entertainment Weekly. Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on 4 December 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  35. ^ "The 100 best horror films". Time Out. 1 October 2019. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  36. ^ Pegg, Simon (5 June 2012). Nerd Do Well: A Small Boy's Journey to Becoming a Big Kid. Avery Publishing. ISBN 9781592407194.
  37. ^ "Fantafestival (1992)". IMDb. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  38. ^ "25ED. FESTIVAL INTERNACIONA DE CINEMA FANTÀSTIC DE SITGES (2/10 - 11/10)". Sitges Film Festivial. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  39. ^ "Awards & Jury's". Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  40. ^ "Past Winners Fantasporto". Filmfestivals.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  41. ^ "New Zealand Awards : Film & TV Awards". Lonelygeek.nz. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  42. ^ "19th Saturn Awards". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 17 October 2006. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  43. ^ "20th Saturn Awards". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 17 October 2006.
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