Braindead

"Some things won't stay down... even after they die."

1992 1h 43m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 1,936

HorrorComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Some things won't stay down... even after they die.”

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Cast

Timothy Balme
Lionel
Diana Peñalver
Paquita
Elizabeth Moody
Mum
Ian Watkin
Uncle Les
Brenda Kendall
Nurse McTavish
Stuart Devenie
Father McGruder
Jed Brophy
Void
Elizabeth Brimilcombe
Zombie Mum

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Jackson
Writers: Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson, Stephen Sinclair
Languages: English
Countries: New Zealand

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 8% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

34 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Jackson, shot by Murray Milne. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Peter Dasent. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jamie Selkirk shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Timothy Balme and Diana Peñalver and Elizabeth Moody carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Some things won't stay down... even after they die.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Jackson directs. Murray Milne behind the camera. Peter Dasent scores. Jamie Selkirk cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in New Zealand. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 8% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
334 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by Peter Jackson, shot by Murray Milne. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Peter Dasent. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Jamie Selkirk shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Timothy Balme and Diana Peñalver and Elizabeth Moody carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Some things won't stay down... even after they die.".
9IMDB entry: tt0103873 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 12 themes, including "infidelity", "poison", "new zealand", "affectation".

The technical file

Cinematography: Murray Milne
Original score: Peter Dasent
Editing: Jamie Selkirk
Production design: Kevin Leonard-Jones
Costume design: Chris Elliott
Sound: Mike Hopkins
Stunt coordinator: Peter Hassall
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,000,000
Box office: $242,623
Return: 8% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Braindead (1992)

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Peter Jackson

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Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-07-06
★ 9/10
Hahahahaha! I'm still laughing from just how gross-out Sir Peter Jackson's first two films are! He sure has come a long way since then! Just imagine if the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, as well as King Kong, were helmed by him back THEN! =)
Filipe Manuel Neto2023-08-15
★ 1/10
A disgusting movie. Not recommended after meals. What can I say after seeing this movie? Guess I shouldn't have seen this after dinner. The film is disgusting, perhaps one of the most disgusting I have ever seen. I say this for the worst reasons. It really is a film that makes you vomit due to the images and situations it presents to us. It doesn't scare us, it never scares us. And no, it never makes us laugh, so it's not a comedy. It's a piece of cheese, but full of mold. The film relies heavily on special effects and makeup to work, so we can't expect great performances from the cast or a solid script. The story is banal, and centers on an elderly woman who turns into a flesh-and-blood-devouring zombie, and her difficult relationship with her son. I don't feel, therefore, encouraged to talk about the cast or any of the actors, as each of them is amateur and unhappy in the work they do. For all this, I have doubts that the film has been seen in many cinemas outside English-speaking countries. I believe that fans of gore-laden horror will have some good reasons to like this movie. It also seems safe to me to say that certain audiences will appreciate the attempts at black humor that are rehearsed. However, I think I fit in with the vast majority who prefer not to know this film or never have seen it.
bkline2024-05-31
★ 8/10
This is both the funniest and the goriest horror movie I have ever come across. It's also the only horror movie my wife will watch (we own the DVD and have watched it together multiple times). Not for the squeamish!