Pairing a stoner and a ghost cop, Dead showcases the comic talents of Tom Sainsbury and actor/director Hayden J Weal. Weal plays a "wannabe super cop", who after being murdered enlists the help of Dane Marbeck (Sainsbury) to help him stop a serial killer. Marbeck can see and talk to ghosts, thanks to a medication laced with marijuana. Weal and Sainsbury co-wrote the script; Dead marks Weal's second feature as director, following offbeat romantic comedy Chronesthesia (2016). He later recut it into a web series. The cast also includes Jennifer Ward-Lealand, Michael Hurst and Tōmairangi Ihaia (Waru).