Directed by:
Peter JacksonCast:
Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver, Elizabeth Moody, Ian Watkin, Stuart Devenie, Brenda Kendall, Jed Brophy, Harry Sinclair, Stephen Papps, Forrest J. Ackerman (more)Plots(1)
Peter Jackson proves that if gory is funny, then excessive gory is downright hysterical. As our hapless hero wades through an ankle-deep puddle of blood and entrails, brandishing a lawnmower like a portable Cuisinart at the climax of this zombie-fest, you'll either be screaming with laughter or fleeing in disgust. Timothy Balme stars as the shy mama's boy Lionel, whose controlling shrew of a mother (Elizabeth Moody) starts rotting away, literally, with a vague supernatural disease. Mother dies but refuses to stay down, rising as a flesh-eating zombie infecting everyone she bites. Lionel tries to hide her in the basement, but the victims keep piling up and finally break out when Lionel's blackmailing uncle (a grotesque, leering Ian Watkin) throws a party in the house. It's snack time as the guests become undead hors d'oeuvres and rise again as hungry soldiers of the new zombie army marching on Lionel and his girl Pacquita (the lovely Diana Penalver). New Zealand goremeister Jackson pulls out all stops in this truly outrageous sanguinary comedy, from gross-out gags of oozing puss and rotting body parts at a formal dinner to slapstick antics as Lionel tries to keep his flesh-hungry mother sedated during the funeral to the final Freudian showdown between a now-monstrous mother and the newly liberated Lionel. If you like your horror with a sense of humor or your comedy with gristle, then wade through this taboo-busting bucket of blood. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (10)
My platonic childhood love, the funniest or second funniest movie I’ve ever seen. Coincidentally, it is also the bloodiest. Watching Braindead is like watching a 50-year-old horny nun losing her virginity to Rocco Siffredi – the ultimate ride through the sea of decadence and the most perverse humor imaginable. I’m allergic to pets, but there’s one I want to have at all costs – the Sumatran rat monkey. And pudding will never taste the same.
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There was a time when I was in love with Peter Jackson and had great fun with Braindead, but when I put it on again today it failed to match my flawless memories. It is very bloody and insane, with a lot of memorable funny scenes, but the overall impression… I don’t know, it’s like an amusement park. Over-the-top characters, over-the-top action, all intentional, of course, but I’ve already learned to like different stuff. I’m bringing the original five stars down, and I’m not sure whether four or three.
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That’s so gross. I assumed it would be a carnage, but I wasn’t expecting such a level from Peter Jackson, even in my worst dreams. The imaginative cutting up of the human body and the creation of disgustingly bizarre scenes make the film a rarity that makes you wonder how it was ever released. In that respect, this is an unforgettable cinematic event, surely. Otherwise, however, in terms of humour and story, the film offers little more than escalating carnage, and I personally (unfortunately) am not one of those people who could properly enjoy it.
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Do you want to know how to safely cut your way through a horde of zombies with the help of a lawnmower? Peter Jackson will give you detailed instructions, they might be useful some day. And please don't overlook the Master himself in a small role. Yes, the freak in the morgue, the little, goofy, bespectacled freak who gets a dead body exploding on a table :)
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Jackson's LOTR is a film graduation for me, but I failed to understand Peter's Roots. Only impressions of pudding, clumsy actors, and a sense of bewilderment at the end credits remain. As a parody of horror, Braindead lacks humor, and as a pure horror, it loses in atmosphere. In short, it's a beginner's treat that completely missed me.
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