Year: 1990
Runtime: 94 mins
Language: English
Director: Malcolm Marmorstein
After a hard‑boiled anchorman is killed while probing a local drug‑dealing operation, a mysterious cleaning woman uses a voodoo ritual to resurrect him. Back among the living, he uses his journalistic instincts and a supernatural edge to track down the criminals responsible and settle the score.
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Barry Baron Elliott Gould is a news anchor who uncovers a drug-smuggling ring operating out of the very building where he works. The revelation sets off a deadly chase, and he is pursued by the criminals, ultimately shot dead as they close in on him.
His co-anchor, Dulcie Niles Melissa Sue Anderson, discovers Barry’s body, calls the police, and prepares to document the investigation for their audience. But before the authorities can arrive, the building’s cleaner, Chafuka [Mabel King], steals Barry’s corpse and taps into voodoo powers to reanimate him as a zombie, using the living dead to seize control of Barry’s luxury apartment.
To keep up appearances, Chafuka has Barry, who can no longer speak on his own, continue delivering the news by manipulating him with a voodoo doll, while Dulcie presses on with her investigation of the drug operation. She receives help from Jordan Penrose [Mark Moses], an inept detective whose efforts often miss the mark but who remains a stubborn ally in the quest for answers.
The head of the drug ring, Nolan [Philip Bruns], spies one of Barry’s broadcasts and assumes his men botched the murder. He dispatches them to the station to finish the job, only for a string of mishaps to derail their plan, resulting in their deaths and leaving Nolan’s henchmen as new zombies under Chafuka’s control.
Panic spreads as Nolan seeks refuge with Alex Cavanaugh [Jack Betts], the station’s owner who is revealed to be the mastermind behind the operation. Nolan abducts Dulcie and Jordan and orders them restrained, while Nolan is forced to drive them to safety as Barry’s zombie entourage closes in. In the ensuing pursuit, Dulcie and Jordan are rescued, and a violent crash claims the lives of Nolan and Cavanaugh.
With the danger escalating, Chafuka turns Cavanaugh and Nolan into zombies and consolidates control over the station. Barry’s true personality gradually returns, allowing him to resume his role as the lead anchor, while Jordan abandons the police to become the station’s head of security. The zombie Nolan and his undead henchmen transition from threats to a peculiar security detail, guarding the new order at the station as the surreal, supernatural elements of the story intertwine with the world of televised news.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:54
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Gritty detective stories invaded by the bizarre and otherworldly.If you liked the mix of crime-solving and voodoo in Dead Men Don’t Die, you'll enjoy these movies where gritty investigations collide with the supernatural. These films combine a dark sense of humor with mysterious, unsettling plots for a uniquely bizarre experience.
The narrative follows a classic investigative path—a crime occurs, a protagonist digs deeper—but is complicated by supernatural forces like zombies, ghosts, or magic. The climax often involves confronting the criminal element while also managing or defeating the supernatural chaos they've unleashed.
Movies in this thread are grouped by their unique fusion of crime and supernatural genres. They share a darkly comedic tone, a fast pace driven by both the mystery and the weirdness, and protagonists who must adapt to a world where the impossible is real.
The recently deceased return with a grudge and a ghoulish sense of humor.Fans of the zombie news anchor seeking payback in Dead Men Don’t Die will love these films. They focus on witty, vengeful undead characters blending horror and comedy, delivering satisfying revenge stories with a darkly funny and supernatural edge.
The journey begins with a wrongful death, followed by a supernatural resurrection that grants the protagonist a unique advantage. The plot revolves around their single-minded pursuit of revenge, often involving creative and darkly funny confrontations, leading to a resolution that balances justice with the strangeness of their new existence.
These movies share a core premise of supernatural revenge executed with comedy. The tone is consistently darkly humorous, the pacing is fast as the revenge plot unfolds, and the emotional weight is medium, focusing on cathartic payback rather than pure horror or tragedy.
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