After Lionel becomes romantically entangled with a girl named Paquita, Vera is bitten by a hybrid rat-monkey creature and begins to transform into a zombie, while also infecting swathes of the city's populace.

[4][5] In 1957, on Skull Island, zoo official Stewart McAlden and his team attempts to smuggle out a Sumatran rat-monkey, a hybrid creature that resulted from the rape of tree monkeys by plague-carrying rats.

To Vera's dismay, Lionel falls in love with Paquita María Sánchez, a Spanish Romani shopkeeper's daughter.

In the ensuing commotion, the gang leader "Void", as well as the local priest Father McGruder, are bitten and become zombies, so Lionel locks them up in the basement as well.

Vera erupts from the basement and pursues Lionel and Paquita to the rooftop as the house catches fire from a burst gas pipe.

Lionel cuts his way out of his mother's body with the good luck pendant, causing Vera to fall into the burning house.

He met with writers Fran Walsh and Stephen Sinclair, who were also interested in creating a zombie film, and the three spent the next several years conceiving the project.

[6] For the film's climactic scene, wherein Lionel massacres a horde of zombies with a lawn mower, a reputed 300 litres (79.2 gallons) of fake blood was used.

[20] In December 2018, Peter Jackson announced that he plans to restore Braindead, along with his previous films Bad Taste and Meet the Feebles for a possible 4K release.

The site's critical consensus reads, "The delightfully gonzo tale of a lovestruck teen and his zombified mother, Dead Alive is extremely gory and exceedingly good fun, thanks to Peter Jackson's affection for the tastelessly sublime.

[30] At the time of its release, David Stratton, writing for Variety, gave a positive review, calling it "Jackson's best film to date" and praising its humour, acting, and technical qualities (gore effects, makeup).

He stated "Kiwi gore specialist Peter Jackson, who goes for broke with an orgy of bad taste and splatter humor.

"[31] Peter Rainer of the Los Angeles Times enjoyed the film, stating that it "is the most hilariously disgusting movie ever made.

"[32] The film received a negative review from The Independent writer Quentin Curtis, who complained that "it never decides whether to make you tremble with laughter or fear, and has outstayed its welcome long before the last limb has been severed and entrail spilled.

"[33] For Entertainment Weekly, Owen Gleiberman wrote that the film was "breezy and good-natured", giving praise to the gore special effects.

Braindead placed at number 91 in a top 100 list produced by Time Out magazine after conducting a poll with several authors, directors, actors and critics who have worked within the horror genre.

[35] Simon Pegg, actor, comedian, and friend of Jackson, wrote in his autobiography Nerd Do Well: A Small Boy's Journey to Becoming a Big Kid that Braindead is one of the main influences on his 2004 zombie film Shaun of the Dead.