| Dead | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Hayden J. Weal |
| Written by |
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| Produced by | Hayden J. Weal |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Tammy Williams |
| Edited by | Kerri Roggio |
| Music by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Language | English |
Dead is a 2020 New Zealand comedy horror film, starring Tom Sainsbury and Hayden J. Weal. [1]
Dane 'Marbles' Marbeck can see ghosts with the help of a homemade drug. While out on his day job of connecting people with their deceased loved ones, he's confronted by a freshly dead cop, Officer Jayson Tagg, who wants help hunting his killer. [2] [3]
The script was co-written by Sainsbury and Weal, with both also performing the two lead roles. Weal also directed and produced the film. [1]
The film was released in New Zealand in August 2020, and internationally on 6 October 2020. [4]
The film was later released as an eight-part web series. [1] [5] In New Zealand, the series is available to view on TVNZ's free-to-air streaming service TVNZ+. [3]
Kate Rodger of Newshub praised the film, stating that it had great performances and a cracking script. Rodger wrote that Dead "was, in fact, full of life, and death and was an unexpected delight" and gave it four out of five stars. [2] Writing for Stuff , reviewer James Croot stated although there were some inspired moments, "Dead’s combination of the supernatural and silly behaviour just felt a little too forced," and rated the film three stars. [5]
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 16 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4 out of 10. [6]