'Braindead' as the name suggests, is a zombie film. But wait! This doesn't make it like any other zombie film. In fact this is the powerhouse of a splatter! As a gatekeeper of the cinema hall, I request all the haters of gore go home and welcome all those who love the twisted tale of splatter and walking innards that set history in the world of splatter. People had seen gore before 'Braindead' was released, but what sets this one apart from the other gore films is that 'Braindead' falls into the 'comedy horror' genre. Since it's no disturbing stuff, the lovers of splatter may revel this twisted tale for years together.
The film begins with the scene of Skull Island, where we come across a New Zealand zoo-officer (Bill Ralston) who has dared catch a Sumatran Monkey with the help of local guides and poachers. The spear-wielding tribal inhabitants show unwelcoming attitude towards the intruders and follow them. Fortunately they happen to take the monkey along, but the zoo-officer gets bitten. The poachers lose no time in decapitating and beheading the helpless zoo-officer for his sole good, for they fear that the monkey's bite would transform him into something bizarre! The monkey reaches Wellington and is kept in a zoo.
Cut to Wellington, we meet a young man Lionel Cosgrove (Timothy Balme), who lives with his over-possessive, domineering, and snobbish mother Vera (Elizabeth Moody). Vera loves making Lionel work for hours together and keeps him engaged in several odd jobs. It so happens that Lionel begins his first affair with a dashing Spanish belle Paquita (Diana Peñalver) and the two decide to visit a local zoo. Vera is suspicious about Lionel's objectives and follows them. Unfortunately, Vera gets bitten by the same Sumatran Monkey and Lionel somehow brings her home.
Vera objects to this relationship calling Lionel irresponsible and unapologetic. The next day the bite begins showing its effect and Vera dies. Moments later we see Vera's corpse animating back to life, but this time she has become more like a rotting corpse or more precisely a zombie. Lionel somehow believes that his mother could be cured and does everything to keep her alive. The townspeople believe that Vera has died and gather at her funeral. That night Lionel visits her grave and exhumes Vera's corpse. He is hampered by a pack of hooligans who think he is a body snatcher and beat him mercilessly. Vera's corpse comes out of the grave and infects the hooligans and a priest Father McGruder (Stuart Devenie). In order to hide his mother's tale, Lionel has to make arrangements for all the zombies at the basement of his palatial house, he has inherited from his family. But his uncle Les (Ian Watkin) has his own plans about this inheritance. How Paquita and Lionel try to reunite against all the odds and fight away a pack of several hundred zombies forms the crux of the story.
'Braindead' is a perfect splatter entertainer in all sense. The film captures some of the more bizarre and disgorging images that may leave the viewers in discomfort. I think they spent most of the budget on fake blood because gore and splatter are the ingredients that set the viewers' mood. Also, it has some of the wittiest dialogs I've ever enjoyed listening to. I remember I liked Tom Holland's 'Fright Night' for its witty dialogs and its credibility as a next door tale. 'Braindead' too is close to any other credible next door tale, except that Lionel's house is the home of raging and murderous zombies. Now there are zombies of all age and sizes and Lionel's interaction with them is more of a spectacle. The scene where Lionel deals with the zombie baby is ludicrous and a great stress buster. People may berate this one for its offensive imagery, I still say that gore hounds and the admirers of bizarre and twisted have an ample scope to quench their thirst! So before planning to watch this one, here is a sample for you:
Paquita: (Screaming) Your mother ate my dog!
Lionel: (Taking dog's fur out of Vera's mouth)...Not all of it!
The film begins with the scene of Skull Island, where we come across a New Zealand zoo-officer (Bill Ralston) who has dared catch a Sumatran Monkey with the help of local guides and poachers. The spear-wielding tribal inhabitants show unwelcoming attitude towards the intruders and follow them. Fortunately they happen to take the monkey along, but the zoo-officer gets bitten. The poachers lose no time in decapitating and beheading the helpless zoo-officer for his sole good, for they fear that the monkey's bite would transform him into something bizarre! The monkey reaches Wellington and is kept in a zoo.
Cut to Wellington, we meet a young man Lionel Cosgrove (Timothy Balme), who lives with his over-possessive, domineering, and snobbish mother Vera (Elizabeth Moody). Vera loves making Lionel work for hours together and keeps him engaged in several odd jobs. It so happens that Lionel begins his first affair with a dashing Spanish belle Paquita (Diana Peñalver) and the two decide to visit a local zoo. Vera is suspicious about Lionel's objectives and follows them. Unfortunately, Vera gets bitten by the same Sumatran Monkey and Lionel somehow brings her home.
Vera objects to this relationship calling Lionel irresponsible and unapologetic. The next day the bite begins showing its effect and Vera dies. Moments later we see Vera's corpse animating back to life, but this time she has become more like a rotting corpse or more precisely a zombie. Lionel somehow believes that his mother could be cured and does everything to keep her alive. The townspeople believe that Vera has died and gather at her funeral. That night Lionel visits her grave and exhumes Vera's corpse. He is hampered by a pack of hooligans who think he is a body snatcher and beat him mercilessly. Vera's corpse comes out of the grave and infects the hooligans and a priest Father McGruder (Stuart Devenie). In order to hide his mother's tale, Lionel has to make arrangements for all the zombies at the basement of his palatial house, he has inherited from his family. But his uncle Les (Ian Watkin) has his own plans about this inheritance. How Paquita and Lionel try to reunite against all the odds and fight away a pack of several hundred zombies forms the crux of the story.
'Braindead' is a perfect splatter entertainer in all sense. The film captures some of the more bizarre and disgorging images that may leave the viewers in discomfort. I think they spent most of the budget on fake blood because gore and splatter are the ingredients that set the viewers' mood. Also, it has some of the wittiest dialogs I've ever enjoyed listening to. I remember I liked Tom Holland's 'Fright Night' for its witty dialogs and its credibility as a next door tale. 'Braindead' too is close to any other credible next door tale, except that Lionel's house is the home of raging and murderous zombies. Now there are zombies of all age and sizes and Lionel's interaction with them is more of a spectacle. The scene where Lionel deals with the zombie baby is ludicrous and a great stress buster. People may berate this one for its offensive imagery, I still say that gore hounds and the admirers of bizarre and twisted have an ample scope to quench their thirst! So before planning to watch this one, here is a sample for you:
Paquita: (Screaming) Your mother ate my dog!
Lionel: (Taking dog's fur out of Vera's mouth)...Not all of it!