Dead Men Don’t Die
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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Dead Men Don’t Die (1990) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained
Read the complete plot breakdown of Dead Men Don’t Die (1990), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
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
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