Dead Alive

Play trailer

Dead Alive

R

1993

1h 41m

Horror

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

43 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).

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

Scott Tobias

AV Club

Oct 5, 2019

[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.

Go to Full Review

Peter Rainer

Los Angeles Times

Oct 19, 2016

After you see it, you want to race out of the theater and recommend it to your sickest friends right away.

Go to Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Oct 19, 2016

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.

Go to Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Oct 27, 2024

3/4

A film so excessively gory that it makes the Pacino version of Scarface look like a vintage episode of Reading Rainbow by comparison.

Go to Full Review

Kristy Strouse

Wonderfully Weird and Horrifying

Oct 26, 2022

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.

Go to Full Review

Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

Apr 6, 2022

4/5

Made with extraordinary, obvious joy by a filmmaking team besotted with the idea of making a movie.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Alejandro E

@Alex970 Oct 16, 2026

A possessive, domineering woman is bitten by a strange creature and turns into a zombie; her timid son protects her rather than killing her… and all sorts of things happen. From humble beginnings, Peter Jackson goes further than his colleagues George A. Romero and Sam Raimi ever did, with a story in which the lines between the repulsive, the comical and the terrifying are blurred.

See more

Justin T

@RT08580778 Oct 8, 2026

Only a badass priest would say "I kick ass for the Lord". Lawnmowers are better at massacres than chainsaws. It’s so over the top with crazy camera angles and insane gore, it’s so much fun. There are so many excellent practical effects. The characters are so ridiculous, I love it. There are no boring moments, there are so many chaotic ones. It’s like a chaotic version of Psycho (1960). It also reminds me of Evil Dead II (1987) but slightly less memorable.

See more

B P

@Bradster69 Sep 2, 2026

Definitely Recommend It

See more

Christopher S

@MrRedband Jul 13, 2026

Incredibly underrated. This film still stands as one of if not the best zombie movie ever made. Its hilarious, well written, action packed and full of some of the best practical SFX ever. Not to mention the buckets and buckets of blood. This movie is incredible. Must watch.

See more

Aiden E

@RT13770629 Jul 4, 2026

this movie is so incredibly gory that it is a hilarious masterpiece

See more

Jasmine W

@jasniquejewels Jul 4, 2026

when there’s evil kick ass for the lord Lionel lowkey is braver than me fr, this film was so horror camp they don’t make em like this anymore

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Peter Jackson

Director

Timothy Balme

Lionel

Diana Peñalver

Paquita

Elizabeth Moody

Mum

Ian Watkin

Uncle Les

Brenda Kendall

Nurse McTavish

View more videos

Man's Best Friend

21%

43%

Man's Best Friend

Watchlist

The People Under the Stairs

67%

61%

The People Under the Stairs

Watchlist

Leprechaun

35%

33%

Leprechaun

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Leprechaun

Tales From the Hood

61%

69%

Tales From the Hood

Watchlist

The Lost Boys

73%

85%

The Lost Boys

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

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
Production Co: Avalon/NFU, WingNut Films, NN Film P, New Zealand Film Commission
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

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings