Braindead
1992 · Directed by Peter Jackson
Original language: English
- horror
- comedy
The story
When a Sumatran rat-monkey bites Lionel Cosgrove's mother, she's transformed into a zombie and begins killing (and transforming) the entire town while Lionel races to keep things under control.
What it’s like
Gleefully gross and deliberately garish, with saturated colour, cheap-looking practical gore, and a lot of splattered goo lit in flat, sitcom-bright daylight and in suburban interiors that look like they were dressed for a 1960s family show. The camera swoops, whips and bounces with a restless, cartoonish energy, and the score is a jaunty, slapstick orchestral romp that undercuts every bloody set piece. Zombie violence is constant, extravagant and frequently splattering, with a nasty sexual-assault undertone that plays for shock rather than sympathy, so this is not a gentle watch. It is a camp, anarchic splatter comedy in which a meek young man's mounting chaos escalates into a riotous, goo-soaked finale. Best for late-night groups who want loud, over-the-top silliness and don't mind excess, and for fans of early, hand-made Kiwi horror who enjoy seeing wild ambition ride on a shoestring budget.
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