Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysLGBTQ+ Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Dead Alive

Original title: Braindead
  • 19921992
  • RR
  • 1h 44m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
97K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,500
160
Dead Alive (1992)
  • Comedy
  • Fantasy
  • Horror
A young man's 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.A young man's 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.A young man's 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.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
97K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,500
160
  • Director
    • Peter Jackson
  • Writers
    • Stephen Sinclair(story)
    • Fran Walsh(screenplay)
    • Peter Jackson(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Timothy Balme
    • Diana Peñalver
    • Elizabeth Moody
Top credits
  • Director
    • Peter Jackson
  • Writers
    • Stephen Sinclair(story)
    • Fran Walsh(screenplay)
    • Peter Jackson(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Timothy Balme
    • Diana Peñalver
    • Elizabeth Moody
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 610User reviews
    • 165Critic reviews
    • 54Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 14 wins & 7 nominations

    Videos1

    Dead Alive
    Trailer 1:47
    Dead Alive

    Photos134

    Dead Alive (1992)
    Dead Alive (1992)
    Dead Alive (1992)
    Dead Alive (1992)
    Timothy Balme and Diana Peñalver in Dead Alive (1992)
    Dead Alive (1992)
    Dead Alive (1992)
    Dead Alive (1992)
    Dead Alive (1992)
    Dead Alive (1992)
    Diana Peñalver in Dead Alive (1992)
    Timothy Balme in Dead Alive (1992)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Timothy Balme
    Timothy Balme
    • Lionel Cosgrove
    Diana Peñalver
    Diana Peñalver
    • Paquita Maria Sanchez
    Elizabeth Moody
    Elizabeth Moody
    • Mum (Vera Cosgrove)
    Ian Watkin
    • Uncle Les
    Brenda Kendall
    • Nurse McTavish
    Stuart Devenie
    Stuart Devenie
    • Father McGruder
    Jed Brophy
    Jed Brophy
    • Void
    Stephen Papps
    • Zombie McGruder
    Murray Keane
    • Scroat
    Glenis Levestam
    • Nora Matheson
    Lewis Rowe
    • Mr. Matheson
    Elizabeth Mulfaxe
    • Rita
    Harry Sinclair
    Harry Sinclair
    • Roger
    Davina Whitehouse
    Davina Whitehouse
    • Paquita's Grandmother
    Silvio Famularo
    • Paquita's Father
    Brian Sergent
    Brian Sergent
    • Vet
    Peter Vere-Jones
    Peter Vere-Jones
    • Undertaker
    Tina Regtien
    • Mandy
    • Director
      • Peter Jackson
    • Writers
      • Stephen Sinclair(story) (screenplay)
      • Fran Walsh(screenplay)
      • Peter Jackson(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Bad Taste
    6.5
    Bad Taste
    Meet the Feebles
    6.6
    Meet the Feebles
    The Frighteners
    7.1
    The Frighteners
    Re-Animator
    7.2
    Re-Animator
    Dawn of the Dead
    7.8
    Dawn of the Dead
    The Return of the Living Dead
    7.3
    The Return of the Living Dead
    Army of Darkness
    7.4
    Army of Darkness
    Evil Dead II
    7.7
    Evil Dead II
    Day of the Dead
    7.1
    Day of the Dead
    Brain Dead
    5.9
    Brain Dead
    The Evil Dead
    7.4
    The Evil Dead
    Night of the Living Dead
    7.8
    Night of the Living Dead

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The movie is said to be the bloodiest of all time (measured in amount of film blood used during the production).
    • Goofs
      Despite being absolutely drenched with blood during the zombie massacre, Lionel's sweater and pants are completely dry in all the following scenes. His pants are amazingly clean, too.
    • Quotes

      Father McGruder: I kick ass for the Lord!

    • Alternate versions
      Originally released in the USA as 'Dead Alive' in an unrated 97-minute version, which later cut down to 85-minutes to ensure a R-rating. Both versions are available on video and DVD.
    • Connections
      Edited into Cent une tueries de zombies (2012)
    • Soundtracks
      The Stars and Moon
      Composed by Peter Dasent and Jane Lindsay

      Performed by Kate Swadling

      Published by Mana Music/Central

    User reviews610

    Review
    Top review
    Masterpiece of Gore, Humor and Zombies
    Dead Alive (1992)

    **** (out of 4)

    Terrific horror/comedy about a mama's boy (Timothy Balme) who finally gets a shot with a beautiful young lady (Diana Penalver) but his mommy ends up getting bitten by a Sumatran rat-monkey, which turns her into a blood-thirsty zombie.

    I remember first seeing this thing in its cut, R-rated version but catching it again, this time uncut at a theater that specialized in midnight movies. I caught a lot of cult films at this theater but I think this one here went over best with the large crowd and the film ended up playing at least once a month with people lining up each time. Jackson has certainly gone on to do bigger pictures but in my opinion this one here contains more originality, imagination and heart than any of the three LORD OF THE RINGS films.

    I think the overwhelming majority of this picture is a bizarre love story mixed in with outrageous gore that leads to some incredibly funny sequences. The over-the-top humor starts early on when, after already being bitten, the mother has some society people over but soon starts to fall apart in her food with the poor man sitting next to her ending up drinking down some of her fluids in his pudding. We even get more crazy stuff in terms of a mutant baby that our lead must take for a walk in the park only to have to end up beating in front of other outraged parents.

    The gore level in this film was incredibly high for 1992 standards and it's still pretty out there. I'm not sure how many gallons of blood was used for this film but the red stuff is constantly flowing and pouring all over the place. We've got countless body parts being ripped, torn and shredded but we also have an uncountable amount of ooze constantly going all over the place. Horror fans who love gore will certainly find plenty here as this film contains enough for pretty much the entire genre that was out there during this era. Not only do we get some disgusting goo but we also get some pretty big laughs with the various situations that we find out hero in.

    Jackson even throws us a decent little love story between the two leads and how on Earth doesn't want to see Lionel finally destroy his mother and get with the girl? The one negative thing is that the film runs a tad bit too long but there's no denying that this thing is a pure masterpiece in terms of midnight movies and gore flicks. The thing has some nice performances, an insane atmosphere and it's just an all around great little gem from someone who really does love the genre. Not only do we get all of this but there are some nice homages to films like KING KONG and THE WOLF MAN.
    helpful•7
    2
    • Michael_Elliott
    • Jul 25, 2010

    FAQ9

    • Wait, isn't this movie called "Dead Alive"? What's with "Braindead"?
    • Is this really the "goriest" movie ever made?
    • Does the Sumatran rat-monkey really exist?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 12, 1993 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • New Zealand
    • Official site
      • NZonScreen listing
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Dead-Alive
    • Filming locations
      • Botanic Garden, Wellington, New Zealand
    • Production companies
      • WingNut Films
      • New Zealand Film Commission
      • Avalon/NFU
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $242,623
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $23,765
      • Feb 15, 1993
    • Gross worldwide
      • $242,623
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 44 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Dead Alive (1992)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Dead Alive (1992) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    Editors' Picks: What to Watch Now on Netflix
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    The Best Movies Coming This Summer
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.