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]
Release
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]
Reception
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]
References
^ abc"Dead". NZ On Screen. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2023.