Dead Alive (1992)
 This would be a solid three brain flicker even if it wasn't written and directed by the now mega-star director Peter Jackson.  Jackson had his start in film making by directing splatter films.  Dead Alive aka Brain Dead was his third feature length film.  He filmed it over an 11 week period for a reputed $3 million US.  It went on to make $1.9 million at the box office and of course more from DVD sales over the decades.  He gave it a great, simple and direct title.  We get it at once.  Dead are alive.
 They must have use a thousand gallons of tomato puree to make this film.  In the later scenes the actors are literally slogging through red gore and assorted body parts.  Its finale is a lengthily voyage into the absurd.  The plot stops having any connective tissue and becomes an excuse for the young film makers to throw any visual trick that they can come up with into the mix.  Jackson and his cohorts have a lot of imagination.
 And when they ran out of imagination they ripped off visual takes from Evil Dead, the 1981 Sam Raimi masterpiece.
 If gallons and gallons of gore do not put you off, and why would it, there is a lot of very good stuff in this one.  (A reported 300 liters of movie blood is the reported total used in the climatic scene.  You get the idea.) Timothy Blane is the reluctant hero who is teamed with a young girl played by Diana Penalver. Blane went on to have a career that continues to this day with many film, TV and live stage credits.  Spanish actress Penalver also has had a long and successful career in the Spanish film industry.  Both are really very good.  This was Blanes first film.  Penalver plays a girl just ready to find her lifes love and romantically attaches herself to Blane.  Never mind that his mom has turned into a Zombie.
 In a clever twist on what to do with a Zombie, the son stashes his mom and subsequent Zombies in the cellar and injects them with heavy duty tranquilizers.  This turns out not to be long term solution.
 The excellent direction, mostly clever writing and always good acting puts Dead Alive well above the stagger of the horde Zombie flick.  And it is way fun to see what a young Peter Jackson could do with a small budget.
 The Sumatran Rat Monkey, the nexus of the infection, pops up in the pop culture from time to time.  Spanish actress has a line in the film, Your mother ate my dog. which is used for the Spanish language title for the film.  In Sweden movie goers were provided with barf bags.
 The film garnered 13 international awards including five from it's native New Zealand and the prestigious Saturn award.
 Jackson cast himself in a cameo as a helper to the undertaker.  I like that.
 There are other versions out there with as much as 10 minutes of bloody carnage snipped out.  This might make the film better.  I found the nonstop gore fest a bit trying.
Dead Alive (1992)
 This would be a solid three brain flicker even if it wasn't written and directed by the now mega-star director Peter Jackson. Jackson had his start in film making by directing splatter films. Dead Alive aka Brain Dead was his third feature length film. He filmed it over an 11 week period for a reputed $3 million US. It went on to make $1. 9 million at the box office and of course more from DVD sales over the decades. He gave it a great, simple and direct title. We get it at once. Dead are alive. They must have use a thousand gallons of tomato puree to make this film. In the later scenes the actors are literally slogging through red gore and assorted body parts. Its finale is a lengthily voyage into the absurd. The plot stops having any connective tissue and becomes an excuse for the young film makers to throw any visual trick that they can come up with into the mix. Jackson and his cohorts have a lot of imagination. And when they ran out of imagination they ripped off visual takes from Evil Dead, the 1981 Sam Raimi masterpiece. If gallons and gallons of gore do not put you off, and why would it, there is a lot of very good stuff in this one. (A reported 300 liters of movie blood is the reported total used in the climatic scene. You get the idea. ) Timothy Blane is the reluctant hero who is teamed with a young girl played by Diana Penalver. Blane went on to have a career that continues to this day with many film, TV and live stage credits. Spanish actress Penalver also has had a long and successful career in the Spanish film industry. Both are really very good. This was Blanes first film. Penalver plays a girl just ready to find her lifes love and romantically attaches herself to Blane. Never mind that his mom has turned into a Zombie. In a clever twist on what to do with a Zombie, the son stashes his mom and subsequent Zombies in the cellar and injects them with heavy duty tranquilizers. This turns out not to be long term solution. The excellent direction, mostly clever writing and always good acting puts Dead Alive well above the stagger of the horde Zombie flick. And it is way fun to see what a young Peter Jackson could do with a small budget. The Sumatran Rat Monkey, the nexus of the infection, pops up in the pop culture from time to time. Spanish actress has a line in the film, Your mother ate my dog. which is used for the Spanish language title for the film. In Sweden movie goers were provided with barf bags. The film garnered 13 international awards including five from it's native New Zealand and the prestigious Saturn award. Jackson cast himself in a cameo as a helper to the undertaker. I like that. There are other versions out there with as much as 10 minutes of bloody carnage snipped out. This might make the film better. I found the nonstop gore fest a bit trying.