Greatest zombie / horror film… EVER.
Ok - there may or may not (probably the latter) be a lot of people on this board that can appreciate this film, but "BrainDead", or as it is called in the US Version, "Dead Alive" is one of my favorite movies of all-time. Directed by Peter Jackson (I think it was his 3rd film), it's said to be the goriest film of all-time. It's a classic zombie film in the sense that it's very claustrophobic, very gory, and very distrurbing - However it is also hysterical what Jackons does with the characters.
The hero, Lionel, is a "mama's boy" who falls for a little mexican shop girl, but isn't allowed to show his affection due to his controlling and nagging mother. An evil monkey-rat infected with an evil curse is brought to the local zoo, where he bites the mother on the leg, infecting her with the zombie curse that gets the film off and running… Lionel does his best to keep his mother's "illness" a secret by keeping her locked away in the house, but when she starts falling apart (literally) and eventually eating their houseguests, all Hell breaks loose, and zombie madness ensues.
This film is disturbing, interesting, hilarious and genius. It's got everything… You want zombie fuc*ing? You got it. You want kung-fu priests that "kick ass for the Lord!" - You got it. You want dirty Uncles that throw swinger parties and eventually turn into an axe-wielding zombie cuisinart machine? You got it. There's even a "cute" little zombie baby that gets birthed and wreaks havoc on the local playground after escaping the house (one of the funniest and weirdest moments in horror movie history)
It's definitely not for the faint of heart (lots of blood, limbs, and gore), but if you like horror movies, it's a must see. The camera work is superb, the acting is about as good as it gets with "B-grade" actors, and Peter Jackson even makes a cameo appearance (surprise!)
If you can get it, watch the New Zealand version 1st - If not, then watch the American version instead… The differences are subtle, but it's worth seeing the extra footage that was left out of the US-cut version.