Dead Alive

Horror Subgenre: Gorefest!

Dead Alive is a masterpiece of the gore genre. Never before (or since) has there been a film to match the amount of blood and body parts contained in this film. Long before Peter Jackson was the Lord of the Rings, he concocted this ridiculous horror film a about a stop-motion, virus-spreading rat-monkey. It’s a crowd pleaser for everyone out there. There’s a little star-crossed romance for the ladies. There’s a complex mother-son relationship for families to identify with and discuss. And there’s zombie sex for, well, everyone else.

This isn’t a scary movie by any means. It’s an attempt to put as much dismemberment, brains, and blood on the screen as possible. It’s also a technical wonder. The practical effects in this movie are astonishing, and even the ones that aren’t (a zombie baby played by a midget) are played up for humor. Bodies are ripped apart and mangled with such a playful zest that it’s often hard not to laugh at the over-the-top nature of each bloody, ripped-out rib cage.

There are so many inventive kill shots, it’s difficult to choose a favorite. Dead Alive makes brilliant use of the following things: a garden gnome, a lawnmower, a giant puppet with puppet-y boobs, and attacking flatulent intestines. And I haven’t even given away the good parts! Now look, this movie is bloody, violent, and over the top. It makes Kill Bill look like Care Bears. I’ve shown it to people who can’t stomach it (although my younger sister loves it and bought it for me for Christmas, making her the only girl in history to adore a movie about a monkey who was raped by a rat). But one thing is guaranteed: You will NOT be bored or fall asleep to this one. I love gory movies that take the violence to such an extreme that it becomes almost like a dare to see how creative and ridiculous they can get with human dismemberment. Dead Alive is at the top of the Gorefest genre, made with a bloody wink to audience and a real love for special effects.

Must-See Moment: When Lionel finally realizes his destiny and takes to the zombified party-goers with a lawnmower. It’s a scene filled with so much blood and guts, Lionel has trouble standing on the slippery floor.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 4:05 pm and is filed under Film, Horror Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Dead Alive

Horror Subgenre: Gorefest!

Dead Alive is a masterpiece of the gore genre. Never before (or since) has there been a film to match the amount of blood and body parts contained in this film. Long before Peter Jackson was the Lord of the Rings, he concocted this ridiculous horror film a about a stop-motion, virus-spreading rat-monkey. It’s a crowd pleaser for everyone out there. There’s a little star-crossed romance for the ladies. There’s a complex mother-son relationship for families to identify with and discuss. And there’s zombie sex for, well, everyone else.

This isn’t a scary movie by any means. It’s an attempt to put as much dismemberment, brains, and blood on the screen as possible. It’s also a technical wonder. The practical effects in this movie are astonishing, and even the ones that aren’t (a zombie baby played by a midget) are played up for humor. Bodies are ripped apart and mangled with such a playful zest that it’s often hard not to laugh at the over-the-top nature of each bloody, ripped-out rib cage.

There are so many inventive kill shots, it’s difficult to choose a favorite. Dead Alive makes brilliant use of the following things: a garden gnome, a lawnmower, a giant puppet with puppet-y boobs, and attacking flatulent intestines. And I haven’t even given away the good parts! Now look, this movie is bloody, violent, and over the top. It makes Kill Bill look like Care Bears. I’ve shown it to people who can’t stomach it (although my younger sister loves it and bought it for me for Christmas, making her the only girl in history to adore a movie about a monkey who was raped by a rat). But one thing is guaranteed: You will NOT be bored or fall asleep to this one. I love gory movies that take the violence to such an extreme that it becomes almost like a dare to see how creative and ridiculous they can get with human dismemberment. Dead Alive is at the top of the Gorefest genre, made with a bloody wink to audience and a real love for special effects.

Must-See Moment: When Lionel finally realizes his destiny and takes to the zombified party-goers with a lawnmower. It’s a scene filled with so much blood and guts, Lionel has trouble standing on the slippery floor.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 4:05 pm and is filed under Film, Horror Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.