Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Dead Alive

Play trailer Poster for Dead Alive R Released Feb 12, 1993 1h 41m Horror Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
89% Tomatometer 46 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Overprotective mother Vera Cosgrove (Elizabeth Moody), spying on her grown son, Lionel (Timothy Balme), as he visits the zoo with the lovely Paquita (Diana Peñalver), is accidentally bitten by the fearsome Sumatran rat-monkey. When the bite turns his beloved mother into a zombie, Lionel tries to keep her locked safely in the basement, but her repeated escapes turn most of the neighbors into the walking dead, who then crash a high-society party thrown by Lionel's boorish Uncle Les (Ian Watkin).
Dead Alive

What to Know

Critics Consensus

The delightfully gonzo tale of a lovestruck teen and his zombified mother, Dead Alive is extremely gory and exceedingly good fun, thanks to Peter Jackson's affection for the tastelessly sublime.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (46)
Scott Tobias AV Club [O]nce Lionel stops trying to cover up the zombie threat and starts fighting it, Dead Alive becomes a delirious showcase for molds, squibs, and other old-fashioned horror effects. Oct 5, 2019 Full Review Peter Rainer Los Angeles Times After you see it, you want to race out of the theater and recommend it to your sickest friends right away. Oct 19, 2016 Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Ordinarily I don't care for this kind of thing at all, but something must be said for Jackson's endless reserves of giddy energy, which are clearly meant to be silly. Oct 19, 2016 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy A film so excessively gory that it makes the Pacino version of Scarface look like a vintage episode of Reading Rainbow by comparison. Rated: 3/4 Oct 27, 2024 Full Review Kristy Strouse Wonderfully Weird and Horrifying Dead Alive has killer effects and eccentric hilarity, and it thrives through Jackson's passion. This is a must-see for any horror-comedy fan. Oct 26, 2022 Full Review Tim Brayton Alternate Ending Made with extraordinary, obvious joy by a filmmaking team besotted with the idea of making a movie. Rated: 4/5 Apr 6, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+)
Erik B The follow-up to Bad Taste is even more gory and horrific...but it's also more of an actual film. Worth checking out...if you've got the stomach! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/28/25 Full Review Mike U. This is a true classic. A must see for horror fans! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/22/25 Full Review Andy F. This movie is insane in the best way. SO much gore and body horror. Full of comedy. One of the best horror comedies I’ve seen. What a freaking crazy experience! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/22/25 Full Review Kazi Z Best violent movie ever.I love it. That’s called movie,absolute cinema,precisely and perfectly for horror lover fan's. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/20/25 Full Review Andy B It's one of the silliest films you'll ever watch and one you definitely need to be in the mood for, but the final 30 minutes are such pure creative, goofy energy, that it's almost impossible to dislike. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/28/25 Full Review Nick O Still Peter Jackson’s greatest achievement to date. Wall to wall…ceiling to floor…gore, gore and more GORE!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/23/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Dead Alive

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Dead Alive

View more videos
Man's Best Friend 21% 43% Man's Best Friend Watchlist The People Under the Stairs 70% 61% The People Under the Stairs Watchlist Leprechaun 35% 33% Leprechaun Watchlist TRAILER for Leprechaun Tales From the Hood 58% 69% Tales From the Hood Watchlist The Lost Boys 75% 85% The Lost Boys Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Overprotective mother Vera Cosgrove (Elizabeth Moody), spying on her grown son, Lionel (Timothy Balme), as he visits the zoo with the lovely Paquita (Diana Peñalver), is accidentally bitten by the fearsome Sumatran rat-monkey. When the bite turns his beloved mother into a zombie, Lionel tries to keep her locked safely in the basement, but her repeated escapes turn most of the neighbors into the walking dead, who then crash a high-society party thrown by Lionel's boorish Uncle Les (Ian Watkin).
Director
Peter Jackson
Producer
Jim Booth
Screenwriter
Stephen Sinclair, Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson
Distributor
Trimark Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Horror, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 12, 1993, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Sep 8, 1998
Box Office (Gross USA)
$70.5K
Runtime
1h 41m