Braindead / Dead Alive | 13 August 1992
"Braindead" (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. The film stars Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver, Elizabeth Moody, and Ian Watkin. The plot follows a young man named Lionel who lives in South Wellington with his strict mother, Vera. After Lionel falls into a romantic relationship with a girl named Paquita, Vera is bitten by a hybrid rat-monkey creature and begins to turn into a zombie, infecting many people in the city. Made on a budget of $3 million, "Braindead" was Jackson's most expensive film at the time. It received positive reviews from critics but failed at the box office. It has since gained a cult following and is now widely recognized as one of the goriest films ever made.
In 1957, zoo official Stewart McAlden and his team smuggle a Sumatran rat-monkey captured on Skull Island. This creature is a hybrid born from rats that carried a plague raping tree monkeys. During the team's escape from the island, the native warriors demand the creature be returned, and Stewart is bitten by the rat-monkey, leading his team to amputate and kill him. As Stewart warned the natives, "This monkey is going to Newtown," the captured rat-monkey is sent to Wellington Zoo by the surviving expedition members.
In Wellington, Lionel Cosgrove lives with his domineering mother, Vera, in a Victorian mansion. As a child, Lionel's father drowned while trying to save him at the beach, an event that haunts him into adulthood. Despite Vera's disapproval, Lionel falls in love with Paquita Maria Sanchez, the daughter of a Spanish Romani shopkeeper. Paquita believes they are destined to be together. During a date at Wellington Zoo, Vera follows them and is bitten by the rat-monkey. Over the next few days, she becomes increasingly ill, her skin peels off, and her ear falls off during lunch with friends. She appears to die but reanimates as a zombie, eating Paquita's dog and killing nurse McTavish, who also turns into a zombie. Lionel locks them in the basement and sedates them with animal tranquilizers. While visiting Paquita, her grandmother gives Lionel a good luck pendant. Vera escapes from the basement, gets hit by a tram, and enters Paquita's shop. She survives, and Lionel sedates her before she can attack anyone.
At the funeral, Lionel injects Vera with tranquilizers to prevent her from attacking the mourners. Later, while returning to the cemetery to administer more tranquilizers, he is beaten by thugs who mistake him for a necrophiliac. Vera suddenly bursts from her grave and attacks the thugs. During the commotion, gang leader "Void" and local priest Father McGruder are bitten and turn into zombies, forcing Lionel to lock them in the basement. After the nurse and priest mate and produce a zombie baby, Lionel breaks up with Paquita to keep her safe. Soon after, Lionel's uncle Les arrives to contest Vera's estate. Les discovers the zombies in the basement, mistakes them for corpses, and blackmails Lionel into giving up the house and inheritance. Despite Lionel's objections, Les throws a housewarming party with his friends.
During the party, Paquita arrives to reconcile with Lionel. She discovers the zombies in the basement, and Lionel explains the situation to her. She convinces him to poison the zombies. However, after injecting them, he realizes the poison is actually animal stimulant, and the zombies reanimate. They escape upstairs and massacre the party guests, who then reanimate and attack the survivors. Lionel wields a lawnmower to mow down the zombie horde, while Paquita tries to dispose of zombie body parts in a blender. Les enters the basement and is decapitated by Vera, who has grown to a monstrous size and bursts from the basement, chasing them through the burning house.
On the roof, Vera corners them, and Lionel confronts her, revealing he witnessed her drowning his father and his lover in the bathtub as a child and declares he is no longer afraid of her. Enraged, Vera swallows Lionel through a hole in her stomach and tries to kill Paquita. Lionel cuts his way out with the good luck pendant, causing Vera to fall into the burning house. Lionel and Paquita escape the burning roof as the fire brigade arrives to assist them. They kiss and walk away arm in arm in triumph.
Principal photography took place around Wellington over 11 weeks with a budget of approximately $3 million. The film originated while Jackson was shooting his first feature, "Bad Taste" (1987). He met writers Fran Walsh and Stephen Sinclair, who were interested in making a zombie film, and the three developed the project over several years. The film was shot on Super 16mm instead of 35mm to allocate more budget to effects. Special effects were created by Bob McCarron and Richard Taylor, with some miniature models made by Jackson himself. The climax scene, where Lionel mows down the zombie horde with a lawnmower, used about 300 liters (79.2 gallons) of fake blood. The film's music was composed by Peter Dasent.
The film was embroiled in a lawsuit after its release. In Bradley v Wingnut Films Ltd [1993] 1 NZLR 415, it was claimed that "Braindead" invaded the privacy of the plaintiff's family by including a photograph of their tombstone. After reviewing privacy in New Zealand law, Gallen J stated, "The current situation in New Zealand is ... there are three strong statements in the High Court supporting the existence of such a tort in this country, and the Court of Appeal has acknowledged that the concept is at least arguable." This case became one of a series of cases contributing to the introduction of the tort of invasion of privacy in New Zealand.
