BAD MOVIE REVIEW: Dead Alive (1992)

What can I say about Dead Alive...other than its real name is Braindead. It is without a doubt the goriest fright film out there....and it even says that on the front cover of the movie! I hardly believe what I see on the cover, but this one tells the truth.

The first time I saw this movie, I'll admit I was pretty wasted. A bunch of friends and I had rented it cuz we were all fans of Peter Jackson and this is his first movie, etc. etc. Well all I remember was just bitching about how stupid it was. Well a few years later I decided to take another run at it after hearing over and over how great it was...especially the lawn mower scene. Oh the infamous lawn mower scene. I'll highlight that later since it DOES deserve it's own recognition.

I'll just warn everyone...this movie is supposed to be silly. Its supposed to be over the top. Its supposed to be gross. and most importantly....its not supposed to make sense. Just watch it like the mindless zombie you already are....and enjoy it. That's all you have to do.

I came across it at a pretty fair price at a local store so I purchased it. I popped that baby in the dvd player ready to be disappointed or excited for it. Well at first...I thought my original views were correct. The beginning is a little crude and very silly. Its kinda dumb, but ultimately adds up to the greatness of the second half.

I'll talk about the gore now. I think they had a stack of index cards. On them they wrote the grossest shit they could come up with. They shuffled them up, set them out and wrote a story around it. They fit in so many innovative ways to die in such a short time. Some had me cheering in my seat. There were also plenty of OMFG's to go around too. Some of it was a little much....but that's what they were going for, so I applaud it. Only thing that comes to mind is the bubble bursting into that man's pudding....I'll stop there.

The acting was....well...not the greatest. BUT it wasn't the worst either. If you know british films...I'd say it about matches that. There isn't a lot of soul to the actors, but they don't sound all that fake either. They do what Mr. Jackson told them to do, and I thought they did it rather well. It's a fun movie anyway.

Now the main event....The Lawnmower Scene

Nothing in past, present, and I'm going on a limb here, but even future cinema will EVER amount to how awesome this scene was. I can't even discribe the greatness of what goes down here.

*****SPOILER*****SPOILER*****

The Dude ties a fuckin lawnmower to his chest and mows down an entire living room full of zombies. They're fuckin arms are widdled down to stubs. There's so much blood. He makes more than one pass through the crowd. Just so much mutilation. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was just amazing.

*****END SPOILER*****END SPOILER*****

If you need a reason to see this movie, this scene alone should compel you enough to watch it. Just bear with the first hour or so. Let the silliness bounce off you. But for the love of God WATCH THIS PART!!! You will love it. I gaurantee it. (well I don't, but you get the idea)

My observation - It's kind of a dumb movie, but the effects, the deaths, the gore, and above all THE LAWNMOWER SCENE make this movie one of the greatest.