Braindead (US: Dead Alive) [1991]

1991

A jealous mother, bitten by a rabid rat-monkey, turns into a zombie and threatens the entire neighbourhood.

Braindead (US title, Dead Alive) played to packed houses, firstly at the Cannes Film Festival, and subsequently worldwide. It has gone on to become New Zealand's greatest cult classic. Richard and Tania were hired to look after the design and fabrication of the creatures, gore effects, special props and miniatures and the onset mayhem that ensued in the making of this film.

Those of you who have seen this film will appreciate that the abundance of gore and injury rigs, unique puppets, miniatures and general splatter, made for an incredibly enjoyable shoot and a fantastic experience. Richard hired a team of nine young Wellington effects enthusiasts and, over the next year and a half, turned the national television studios into a veritable bloodbath of apple pulp and maple syrup! Needless to say, the old timers at the studios were less than impressed. The highlight came when their highly pressurized blood pump exploded over the Sale of the Century television game show set, twenty minutes before recording was supposed to begin.

Here are two short clips from the movie:

Clip I

Clip II