Braindead AKA Dead Alive

In what world is Peter “Frodo” Jackson’s Braindead (or Dead Alive if you’re a Yank) unavailable for your streaming pleasure? Well, this one, apparently- so here it is, the movie that has been rightfully called “the goriest film of all time,” waiting for you to watch it. And while, yes, this movie is definitely gory, it is also brilliantly inventive, hilarious, and incredibly fun. For all the blood and guts sprayed all over the screen, what makes Braindead a true masterpiece is Jackson’s inventive storytelling craft- the same craft that allowed him to make great cinema out of a commercial blockbuster project like Lord of the Rings. I mean, the guy is good– and Dead Alive is proof positive that Jackson can spin gold out of a a tiny budget that was mostly spent on 4,000,000 gallons of fake blood. It’s good the way Evil Dead 2 is good, except much, much better.