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DEAD ALIVE (1992) (****)

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Before becoming the Oscar-winning director of THE LORD OF THE RINGS series, Peter Jackson made this satirical horror film, which is hands down the goriest flick I've ever seen. I mean blood and guts by the gallons. I mean characters taking lawnmowers to zombies. Do not watch this film while eating. It will make you nauseous. If it seems like you can't stomach a movie like this than don't watch it. This is for certain tastes only.

However, if you like dark, witty, inventive horror comedy than you have to see this film now. Lionel Cosgrove (Timothy Balme, LA VIE EN ROSE) is a weak momma's boy. He lives to please his demanding mum (Elizabeth Moody, HEAVENLY CREATURES). She even follows him on a date with Paquita Maria Sanchez (Diana Peñalver, THE MOST AMAZING GAME), who feels that she is destined to be with Lionel even though a tarot card reading states that death hangs over him.

And death most certainly hangs over him. On that ill-fated date to the zoo, Lionel's mum is bitten by the deadly rat monkey, which eventually turns mum into a hideous zombie. So now Lionel has to cover up the fact that his mother is the walking dead and is killing people left and right. When his sleazy uncle Les (Ian Watkin, ATTACK OF THE CLONES) finds out, the fat perv blackmails Lionel, which leads an entire party full of people being turned into flesh eating undead.

The story moves at a brisk pace and the horror/action sequences are twistedly innovative with great dark humor. But what is so impressive is Jackson's ability to skillfully engage our emotions for the characters of Lionel and Paquita within the gore of the zombie movie. And if you haven't gotten the idea that this film is gory yet then you haven't been reading closely enough.

The contrast of the sweet love story and the extreme violence (which is totally cartoony) is intriguing. Plus Jackson is able to make an almost silent film from the point in which the zombies take over the party. The visual jokes are inspired. But this doesn't mean that the dialogue is bad either. This film has at least two or three quotable lines. Jackson pushes boundaries with this film and established himself as a gutsy director.

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Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks