Shaun Of The Dead (2004)


The zombie apocalypse is coming, but Shaun has his own problems.

Shaun (Simon Pegg), a bored salesman, and his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) don't have much of a social life. In fact, it consists of spending their evenings down at The Winchester with Shaun's housemate Ed (Nick Frost) and Liz's flatmates David (Dylan Moran) and Dianne (Lucy Davis). Liz has had enough of their monotonous life though and leaves Shaun.

While Shaun's got his problems, GM crops are being blamed for strange mutations of dead humans who eat the living. Shaun does however, have a plan. Get Ed, get Liz, get his mum and take them all somewhere safe. It can't be that difficult, can it?

In the movie world, parodies rarely go down well with critics. Worse still are parodies that mock brilliant films - as they often anger the fans too. What's the point in taking apart a film that is adored by all? So, when Shaun of the Dead was released in 2004, I never had any intention of going to watch it.

Shaun of the Dead also comprises of my two worst fears; horror films and parody films (both for very different reasons). Having seen Dawn of the Dead earlier this year (and loved it) and with the A-Z Challenge coming up, I figured that now was the perfect opportunity to watch a parody that I've heard is actually good. Still, I did have some reservations as I never really understood Pegg and Edgar Wright's other parody, Hot Fuzz.

The Trilogy of the Dead heavily featured amusing moments amongst the grotesque horror, and in that department Shaun of the Dead feels like an extension of George A. Romero's classic films albeit from a more personal point of view. Pegg and Wright's parody plays more on the fact that Shaun's problems are far more concerning to him than the fate of the world.

The extension continues by playing on Romero's satirical view of society as the zombies continue their daily lives in a human-like manner (with a tad more drooling). While Romero preferred to flick between scenes of a zombie infested mall with zombies pushing the trolleys, Shaun of the Dead details zombies in a corner shop picking up groceries. If anything, Shaun of the Dead is a little less subtle, but that is clearly to be expected.

I still prefer Romero's classics, but this is an excellent take on the series.

4 stars

Comments

  1. This is hands down the funniest horror movie I have ever seen. I also loved the fact that much like Drag Me To Hell, they didn't tone down the scares in spite of it being a comedy. Another +1

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    1. It's very similar to the films it is based on - which is why it works.

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  2. I love this movie. Best ZomRomCom ever.

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    1. Never heard of the term ZomRomCom - but I love it!

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  3. Ya know, I have meant to que this up in the DVD player so many times and always skip it for something else. Making up my mind to watch it this weekend!

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    1. Push it forwards in your list. I can't believe I kept putting it off.

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  4. I like this film but Hot Fuzz is sooo much better, at least for me, probably due to that fact that I am not mad about Horror but love a good Action movie.

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    1. I'm not a big fan of Hot Fuzz. I was younger when I tried to watch it so perhaps I will give it another go soon.

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  5. It's just funny that our current cultural obsession with zombies has embraced both parodies (this and Zombieland) and straightforward versions (The Walking Dead) without really missing a beat.

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    1. Zombieland is funny, but this edges it for me. The Trilogy of the Dead is amusing too (despite being more focused on horror).

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  6. Awesome, I'm glad I found your blog. Good luck with the rest of the challenge!

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