Dead Heat (1988)

"You're under arrest. You have the right to remain disgusting." - Doug

Two cops try to stop zombie criminals!
Starring: Treat Williams, Joe Piscopo, Lindsay Frost, with Darren McGavin and Vincent Price

Link to IMDB

We almost went a month without a 5 Ham rating, but Dead Heat is here to deliver the goods!

Two rowdy detectives, the cool Roger and loudmouth Doug, are on the case of a recent string of violent robberies that have been happening across the city. The perpetrators are nearly unstoppable, and that's because they are actually reanimated corpses! Roger and Doug follow a lead about a chemical found in one of the dead criminals to a mysterious pharmaceutical lab, where they meet Miss Randi James. She assures them that all the research they do is safe, but Doug sneaks off and discovers a zombie in the lab! While Doug fights the fattest zombie ever, Roger gets locked in a decompression chamber and is killed! Holy balls, the movie just killed one of the heroes!

Roger and Doug

Randi makes a friend

You might guess what happens next... Doug puts Roger in a nearby resurrection machine and he is returned to life, feeling good as new! Their coroner friend, Dr. Rebecca, confirms that Roger is actually undead and only has 12 hours before he decomposes into a slimy puddle.
Doug and Roger try to get some answers from Randi, but she doesn't know anything about the research that her recently deceased father was working on. When more uzi wielding zombies attack, Randi is forced to stick with the guys as they investigate a butcher shop in Chinatown. The movie was already crazy, but the madness exponentially increases when all the butchered ducks, chickens and pigs COME ALIVE and attack them! You haven't seen everything until you see a zombie duck dry-humping a man's leg.

Randi: "Hey, you're hurt."
Roger: "Lady, I'm fucking dead."

Following the clues lead them to more danger and surprises, and there are some very unexpected twists to keep you guessing what is going to happen next. With Roger running out of time and sly villains working against them, can the shocking truth about the zombies be revealed and the undead criminals put in their graves, permanently?!

It's a wacky cop comedy mixed with horror and film noir, and has some truly outstanding make-up effects courtesy of Steve Johnson. This easily could have been a wreck, but with good energy, a great supporting cast, and the deconstruction of old clichés make this weirdo movie work.

You want a fat zombie with three noses and a dozen nipples?
You got it !

Be sure not to miss:
- What's with all the hate for aquariums? They take a lot of verbal and physical abuse here.
- A mustachioed Robert Picardo cameo near the start.
- The machine-gun duel between Roger and another zombie, as they stand 2 feet apart!

Internet review:
"This is the kind of movie getting drunk was made for." - unclefrank

Should I watch it?
Yes!!

Where can I find it?
Stagevu or Vidzi links here.

Dead Heat gets...