6. Dead Heat (1988)
Before its release, Dead Heat was a much-anticipated melding of zombie horror and the buddy-cop formula; its wild, off-kilter visual effects constantly graced the covers of Fangoria magazine and its premise of an undead officer hunting down those who killed him was perfect for a cinema climate drunk on Lethal Weapon and 48 Hours. The movie turned out to be an unfortunate flop, possibly down to the fact its headlining team of Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo were not exactly box-office dynamite and its mixture of gross-out violence and weird science fiction were too much for the intended popcorn-munching action audience. Over the years, though, Dead Heat has amassed a modest cult of admirers and its easy now to see it for what it always was; a fun, freaky and inspired twist on the undead that isnt afraid to go for broke in the strange department. The script by Terry Black, brother of Shane, is a surprisingly cohesive subversion of the reigning actioners of the day and Williams is excellent as Roger Mortis (yea, thats his name), the cop whos brought back from death and left with 12 hours to solve his own murder before hes nothing more than pulpy detritus on the pavement. Sure, Piscopos acting amounts to wise-guy grinning and bicep-flexing but together these two are a winning team, and their reactions to fx whiz Steve Johnsons monstrous and disturbing creations are consistently priceless. Johnson, who worked on Videodrome and Big Trouble in Little China, delivers creature carnage that you wont soon forget, including the frozen meat products of a butchers freezer staging an animated assault that evolves into some kind of camp masterpiece. As if that wasnt enough, Vincent Price and Darren McGavin show up as the behind-the-scenes baddies and Treats last line offers an epic take on Casablancas famous closer.