‘Shaun of the Dead’ is hilarious zombie satire
Shaun of the Dead is a brilliantly silly love letter to zombie films. George A. Romero should be proud.
Edgar Wright, who went on to direct Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, spins a lovably horrific tale with his co-writer and star, Simon Pegg. The premise is pure zombie, but the results are pure comedy. There is a tongue permanently planted in the cheek of every single line in this film.
Pegg plays the title character, a British man happy to glide through life without too many cares in the world. He has a stable relationship with a girlfriend. He lives with his best friend, Ed (the funny Nick Frost), and still gets along with his mother (though not so much with his step-dad, played by Bill Nighy).
Eventually, the world turns upside down. Walking around the corner to his usual pit stop at the convenience store, Shaun begins to suspect the neighborhood may be a little off. It’s only when he comes back to his house that he finds a zombie in the backyard, and then the carnage begins.
Shaun and Ed, plus a motley crew of their friends and family, head out for shelter at a local pub, but before getting there, they have to spear, shoot and even throw broken records at the walking dead. Look for a cameo by Jessica Hynes, Pegg’s co-star on the great television series Spaced.
The horror makeup gags are well done, and if it weren’t for all the non-stop jokes, the movie would make a decent horror film in its own right. Enthusiasts will recognize many of the scenarios as lovingly pulled from zombie lore, and that’s where Shaun of the Dead excels the most: when it’s serving up a fitting homage to horror movies.
It’s apparent after watching the 100-minute film that Wright and Pegg are huge fans of horror movies, so much so that they love riffing on them to our enjoyment.
John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
- Shaun of the Dead
- 2004
- Directed by Edgar Wright
- Written by Wright and Simon Pegg
- Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Morgan, Jessica Hynes and Bill Nighy
- Running time: 100 minutes
- Rated R for zombie violence/gore and language
- Rating:
Revised
