Shaun of the Dead

November 15, 2006

For all zombie fans out there, this is not only a must-see than it's a "must-have". This film resonates to the core of all horror fans everywhere with it's great mix of comedic prose, devilish gore in just the right scenes, & lovable homages.

The truth of what the director hammers down throughout the film also fits perfectly with the way most working societys interact these days...especially with their fellow humans. The movie begins with our main character Shaun(Simon Pegg) walking to his local "Quickie Mart" for the paper and a morning pick me up before heading off to work in his everyday(white button up, red tie) outfit. It's the same routine over and over for poor Shaun and it continues in this style even in his free time. Rather then mix it up for a change, like most humans, he sticks with what he's comfortable with in having a pint or two at the ole Winchester Pub with his friend Ed(Nick Frost) and girlfriend Liz(Kate Ashfield)...It's always that same routine for Shaun and director Edgar Wright's quick to point out that we, humans, have similiar routines within us all which correlate with the main character. It's just human nature.

Basically, one way or another, we all have that zombie like routine in our own lives and getting out of it can be hard to do.

When Wright's zombies enter the picture for our two buddies Shaun and Ed, the comedy mixed with the horror of the situation is so well blended, it's almost easy to forget this is a movie based off the living dead.

Let's not forget all the wonderful homages from Wright and Pegg(whom co-wrote the screenplay) to their hero George A. Romero.

Just a few references for the horror fans out there:

"Ash won't be coming into work, he's sick"---Evil Dead reference

"..that claims that the epidemic was due to rage infected monkeys have now been dismissed as b..."---28 Days Later reference

-The tv reporter in Shaun utters the same words of warnings as the tv reporter in Night of Living Dead(1968)

-When Shaun is walking to the mini-mart, a radio news bulletin is detailing how "a space probe called Omega 6 entered Earth's atmosphere several days early over the southwest of England and broke apart over a well-built area"---Night of the Living Dead(1968) reference


"We're coming to get you, Barbara!"--Night of the Living Dead(1968).

-The music playing when Shaun & Ed are discussing picking up Liz and Barbara is the same music playing on the horror cult classic Dario Angento's Zombi

There is many more references and more then enough joy to take out of this film if you call yourself a horror fan.  This movie belongs on the DVD shelf right there next to your Romero classics Night of the Living Dead(1968), Dawnof the Dead(1978), Day of the Dead(1985) & Land of the Dead(2005) films....With Diary of the Dead(2007) coming very soon, you can add Shaun and make it a proper 6 movie set on the shelf.

Ratings:

Against other Zombie movies: 10/10
Amusement: 10/10
Horror Classic: 10/10
Overall: 10/10




Click here to read the staff review by Mania.