Shaun of the Dead review

Listening to the brilliant Shaun of the Dead soundtrack and was inspired by its electronica-zombie vibes to scribe a quick capsule review of the film in question in the style of my late lamented horror film website... You never know I might even pop some of the old reviews up here...

Shaun of the Dead

Tags
A Romantic Comedy. With Zombies.

Ever felt you were surrounded by zombies?

In a time of crisis a hero must rise...from his sofa.

Director Edgar Wright
Writer Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright
Stars Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Dylan Moran, Lucy Davis, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton
Certificate 15
Year 2004

Dastardly Plot
Shaun (Simon Pegg) has enough to worry about. He’s just been dumped, his best mate is a freeloading waster who is causing problems at home and his job is deadest of ends. No-wonder he hasn’t noticed that the recently snuffed it have risen in Crouch End. Zombies are trudging through the street spurning the allure of Cornetos to chow down on the flesh of the living.
When the scales fall from his eyes, Shaun must prove himself by saving his ex and his mum from the legions of hell and ensuring that his mates can stay alive and unchewed long enough to get to the safety of the pub.


Vicious Verdict
Horror spoofs can be an absolute nightmare, neither funny or terrifying. If you’re in any doubt of this fact then I refer the honourable gentleman to ‘Dracula: Dead and Loving It’. I still shudder when I think of it.
Then praise be that Shaun of the Dead is an absolute gem that will have you in serious danger of seat-wetting, be that through hysterics or the sight of spilt entrails. There’s enough blood and guts to keep horror fans happier than a vamp in a bloodbank and humour on a par to Pegg’s superb sit-com Spaced.
But the most surprising aspect of the film is it’s genuine heart (and I’m not talking about the kind that's regularly ripped out). While Shaun’s step-dad’s sudden pre-Zombie transformation into a caring parent is a little forced and obviously ready to set up another gag, the final scenes with his Mum in the movie’s final act is genuinely moving, helped along by Pegg and Penelope Wilton’s performances. Likewise the relationship between Shaun and his girl is in no-way more touching than his obvious love of Nick Frost’s hilariously slobby Ed. At many times you don’t care a jot if Shaun saves Liz, but the thought that he may not play Playstation 2 games with the true love of his life is unbearable.
Best of all, director and co-writer Edgar Wright has hinted that Shaun 2 may be on the way, although this time there the luckless salesman won’t be facing Zombies but yet another monstrosity. Fingers are therefore crossed that the sequel will be more Aliens than Friday the 13th part six.

Sinister Soundbite
“I’ve obviously reached that difficult age where I can only portray men from other dimensions. I’ve been the undead and now I’m the living dead. God knows where we go from here – I suppose I play a corpse.” – Bill Nighy to Empire Magazine


Terrifying Trivia
* Shaun’s mind-numbing job is at Foree Electronics. The actor Ken Foree played Peter Washington in the 1978 Dawn of the Dead (plus a cameo in the 2004 remake)

* Fulci’s Restaurant, the place ‘that does all the fish’ is named after cult Italian horror director Lucio Fulci.

* A comic strip prequel to the film featuring the transformation of Mary, the zombie that the boys find in their garden appeared in prog 1384 of UK comic 2000AD. The story, which was entitled “There’s Something About Mary” was written by Pegg and Wright.

* The newsreader’s mention of “claims that the epidemic was due to escaped laboratory monkeys infected with Rage” is a tip of the hat to 28 Days Later

Quaking Quotes

“We’re coming to get you Barbara.”

“Who died and made you king of the zombies?”

“Don’t forget to kill Philip.”

“ Stone Roses?”
“No.”
“Second Coming?”
“ I liked it.”
“ Dire Straits?”
“Chuck it!”

High Points
Too many to mention. Early highlights include Shaun’s oblivious walk through a zombie-infested suburb and Bill Nighy (all praise his name) as his crabby and oppressive Step-Dad. Then there is Penelope Wilton’s marvelously bewildered mum and the use of crappy records as an anti-zombie decapitation device.
And for some reason I find the reaction to the first zombie that makes it into Shaun’s house unbeliavely funny – ‘Ugh, he’s got an arm off!’ What a very British response to the lurching undead.

Low Points
You really have to scrabble around at the bottom of the blood-soaked barrel to find anything wrong with this film. If anything, the biggest wasted opportunity is the sudden disappearance of Lucy Davis’ character. Davis sparkles in the film, proving once again her comedy talent, and her exit is blink and you miss it quick. She deserved more.

Skulls out of five
FOUR!