Shaun of the Dead poster & wallpaper

Arvind Doshi, Dylan Moran, Kate Ashfield

On Friday, Shaun is in a rut. At 29, he's coasted through life--and still hasn't gotten very far, usually winding up at the local pub, the Winchester. His roommate Ed looks up to him--when he can take...( read more  read more... ) his eyes off the TV, that is. Liz is re-evaluating their relationship, particularly after Shaun fails to do something special for their anniversary on Saturday. That day, there are train delays, people fainting in the streets, TV news reporters on unexplained calamities. No, it can't be--but it is--the dead have risen. Saturday's isolated incidents mushroom into a full-on zombie assault and, once daylight breaks, it's Sunday bloody Sunday. As manners and flesh take a beating, it's time to separate men from meat, humans from zombies, and living from undead. Shaun and Ed grab whatever is at hand to repel the attacking zombies, summoning reserves of strength they didn't know they possessed and straining muscles they forgot they had. Rounding up friends and family, they press on towards the sanctuary of the Winchester. All that stands in their way are hordes of the flesh eating undead.

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91% liked it

440,689 ratings

Critics

91% liked it

171 critics

R, 1 hr. 37 min.

Directed by: Edgar Wright

Release Date: September 24, 2004

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DVD Release Date: December 21, 2004

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Shaun Of The Dead Shaun of the Dead Shaun of the Dead Mary and Shaun Nick Frost and Simon Pegg HEHEHE. Cast of Shaun of the Dead Shaun of the Dead Acting like Zombies In a time of crisis a hero must rise...from his sofa. Cast of Shaun of the Dead Shaun Of The Dead Shaun of the Dead ZOMBIES Shaun Of The Dead Shaun of the Dead Shaun of the Dead Cast of Shaun of the Dead
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Flixster Reviews (47,395)

  • SirPant
    September 7, 2009
    SirPant
    Probably in the top 5 funniest British films of all time! Definitely the best British Zombie film, although competition is minimal. This is one of my favourite cinema experiences and the only time I've actually 'Rolled on the floor' with laughter. An absolutely brilliant homage t...( read more)o Romero's Zombie films that spoof, but in a very affectionate manner.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    June 26, 2009
    DragonEyeMorrison
    A good homage to the genre, but i do think it's more for genre fans. The humour was more open in Hot Fuzz, i also think the later is overall more solid.
  • ohagankieran
    June 15, 2009
    ohagankieran
    Shaun (Simon Pegg) is in the midst of a lousy patch--he hates and is embarrassed about his job, he gets no respect from other employees, one of his roommates is on his case about the other roommate--a slacker friend of Shaun's, his girlfriend is on his case about the fact that al...( read more)l the ever do is hang out at a pub, and he hates his stepfather, who is also on his case about doing something nice for his mum. As if that's not bad enough, suddenly, everyone is turning into a zombie. Shaun must both straighten out his life and fight for it at the same time.

    Shaun of the Dead is a superb blending of horror and comedy ala An American Werewolf in London (1981), Idle Hands (1999), Frankenhooker (1990), or the Evil Dead films (beginning with the 1981 original, although there is progressively less to more comedy in that series). It manages to successfully both pay homage to and spoof a number of classic zombie films and horror film zombie mythology in general.

    The film begins firmly in very British comedy/drama territory, with a number of stylistic directorial flourishes that seem like a cross between Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream (2000) and Danny Boyle's Trainspotting (1996). The horror material enters gradually, beginning with a couple background gags, then entering Desolation Boulevard territory via another Boyle reference, this time to 28 Days Later (2002) (although that itself was basically a version of The Last Man on Earth (aka L'Ultimo uomo della Terra)(1964), based on Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend). This arrives in the guise of Shaun crossing over to the corner store to buy his morning soda. He doesn't notice the deserted streets or store because he's so hung over from the night before.

    Before long, our ragtag bunch of heroes is in the midst of a full-fledged zombie apocalypse--of the traditional, slow-moving zombie type. Acknowledging the cultural differences that strict gun laws bring about, they have to use their wits to commit the requisite head busting, enlisting unwanted LPs (after some debate over the merits of each), cricket bats, shovels and other items for the job. Of course it would be easier if any of our heroes were the slightest bit athletic and had any aim, but they get the job done. More or less.

    Furthering genre-fan fun, director/writer Edgar Wright and co-writer Pegg insert a lot of references to other zombie films--especially when it comes to explaining the source of the "epidemic". The "scientific" explanations given in Resident Evil (2002), 28 Days Later, all of Romero's Dead films--beginning with Night of the Living Dead (1968)--and possibly even Romero's The Crazies (1973) and then some are all mentioned in the background, but resolutely cut off before they're finished. Part of the reason might be that usually, the explanations were pretty ridiculous, and we didn't really care--we just wanted to get to the cool zombie stuff, such as limbs being torn off, guts being eaten, and brains being blown or smashed out of skulls.

    Wright and Pegg also insert clever nods to the subtexts of zombie films. Shaun looks and walks like a zombie when he's waking up. We see zombie like office workers, retail workers, and so on. There's also an amusing nod to filmic attempts to study and tame zombies, as well as organized militaristic defenses (both very prominent in 28 Days Later, but present in other films as well). There are interesting, more subtle and original zombie subtexts in Shaun of the Dead, also, such as the "mirrored" scene where Shaun and his crew meet up with Yvonne and her crew.

    As long as you like outrageous comedy, somewhat gory horror, and you don't mind mixing the two, Shaun of the Dead should provide an enjoyable ride. Although it is the most fun when you're very familiar with the source material it is spoofing and referencing, it is still a great comedy-horror film if viewed with fresher eyes, and not so much as a spoof.
  • stopitgoaway
    April 28, 2009
    stopitgoaway
    The great British sit-com has undergone something of a revival in recent years. Galvanised by the new wave of smart, sassy imports from the US, the Brits have girded their loins and produced a spate of quality comedies that have banished memories of the bland, identikit dross of ...( read more)the late eighties and early nineties.

    One such series is Spaced, a wholly original and delightfully quirky comic bagatelle which has built up a small but dedicated following in the UK. Now writer/actor Simon Pegg and director Edgar Wright have teamed up once again to give us Shaun of the Dead which is, in a nutshell, a feature-length episode of Spaced (with added zombies). Happily timed to coincide with the Hollywood remake of the 1978 classic shocker Dawn of the Dead, Shaun is the perfect antidote: Irreverent, warm and very funny.

    Shaun (Pegg) is your stereotypical sit-com loser: An ineffectual slob in a dead-end job, he is terminally afraid of commitment and spends all his time with his flat-mate Ed (Nick Frost, also from Spaced) who is an even bigger loser. After his girlfriend dumps him, Shaun and Ed seek solace in their local pub the Winchester - a good old-fashioned English hostelry with warm beer and pork scratchings which is infamous for its lock-ins. They stagger home in a state of advanced refreshment, unaware that the dead are now walking the earth. Indeed, it takes Shaun a little while to work it out the following morning despite interacting with a few of them (one of the recurring themes is that most of us go through the drudgery of our daily routines in a trance close to inertia).

    When the penny drops, Shaun resolves to rescue his mother and his (ex) girlfriend and generally stand up for himself for the first time in his life. There is not much more of a plot than that. The film, like Spaced relies on a flawless script, observational humour and the theatre of the absurd. Pegg has perfected this in his writing but he is also a surprisingly good actor. It helps that he has surrounded himself with the pick of the British comedy fraternity who seem to have been lining up (literally in one scene) for a cameo. The stars of similarly acclaimed series' such as Black Books, The Office and Little Britain are all on show here as well as Jessica Stevenson, Pegg's Spaced co-writer, who plays a jolly-hockey-sticks human vigilante with a stiff-upper lip and can-do attitude ready to give those nasty zombie's what-for.

    Veteran support comes from Penelope Wilton (a sit-com stalwart from a bygone age) as Shaun's curtain-twitching mother and Bill Nighy as her fearsome second husband who performs one of the most dignified and poignant descents into zombieness ever caught on camera.

    Despite all the high praise, it must be acknowledged that Shaun of the Dead is still a spoof - a comic tool that you could argue is as low a form of wit as sarcasm. But where it scores highly is in its respect for the original material. Most spoofs (the Scary Movie franchise, for example) are vicious lampoons that unmercifully mock the films they are taking off. Shaun of the Dead gently pokes fun but doesn't lose sight of the fact that if something is worth parodying, it must have some merit. Pegg is also careful to ensure that his film can stand up on its own - there is barely a minute goes by without a very good joke and despite the light-heartedness, there are some satisfyingly scary moments and ample gore.

    What is most encouraging is that us Brits have started playing to our strengths. It took a long time for comedy writers to realise that making an English version of Friends is doomed to failure (in the same way that The Office will not work with an American make-over). We should celebrate the Britishness of this film, laugh knowingly at the in gags, and be proud that it doesn't take a huge budget or movie stars to entertain people at the cinema.
  • sanjurosamurai
    April 5, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    along with hot fuzz this stands as simon peggs best work. hilarious and inventive, the quirks of the film make it work. enjoyable escapist british comedy.
  • 21rclemente
    November 17, 2009
    21rclemente
    Pegg has a great sense of humor. Very funny cast and writer
  • ythelastman89
    November 16, 2009
    ythelastman89
    What I love most about Shaun of the Dead is that it's not a spoof. It honors the horror genre and you can see how much time they took to do so. Adding comedy in so seamlessly makes the movie enjoyable without seeming like a waste of time. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are probably on...( read more)e of the funniest and charming pairs out there. It was also nice to see a lot of originality in a well established genre. The tone of the movie is so dead beat, never getting that slap-sticky feel that a lot of comedies get into.
  • desmondbane
    November 11, 2009
    desmondbane
    all time best british comedy movie ever Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are the best actors i have ever seen they continued there awesomeness with the movie hot fuzz
  • MovieGuruDude72
    November 8, 2009
    MovieGuruDude72
    One of the very few zombie movies out there that is funny, but is not satric or a parody of itself. Simon Pegg is an underrated talent in terms of acting and writing. I laughed so hard at this movie but at the same time was spooked at times. A very rare thing to do outside a Geor...( read more)ge Romero film.
  • holocaustoinfer
    November 5, 2009
    holocaustoinfer
    looking at life and the system like being a repetitive annoying zombie, cool!

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Critic Reviews

September 24, 2004
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

A wonderfully funny spoof of zombie movies ... and of the kind of life that can turn a man into the walking dead. full review

September 24, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Has its pleasures, which are mild but real. full review

September 23, 2004
David Edelstein, Slate

I love George Romero's zombie pictures, and I love deadpan English humor, but I had no idea that the two would mesh as happily as they (mostly) do in Shaun of the Dead. full review

September 23, 2004
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Screamingly funny. full review

September 21, 2004
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker

A smart, cultish, semi-disgusting homage to the fine British art of not bothering. full review

September 10, 2004
Nick Schager, Filmcritic.com

Shaun of the Dead's splattering of scatological jokes and goofy gruesomeness never fully congeals. full review

September 3, 2004
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Though I prefer the hard-core zombie scares of Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, Pegg and Wright -- who are rumored to resemble a real-life Shaun and Ed -- keep the blood and the laughs gushing. full review

View more Shaun of the Dead reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • noniman2007
    September 14, 2009
    noniman2007
    THIS MOVIE IS EXTREMELY FUNNY
  • ratedRvampire
    February 23, 2009
    ratedRvampire
    love it
  • jeffidiyah
    July 1, 2008
    jeffidiyah
    rainbowsaur is crap and pointless
  • Shootness
    May 24, 2008
    Shootness
    I don't understand Flixster's summaries sometimes. What is wrong with the mucked up bill? Simon Pegg is 9th on the Flixster bill. It's a damn outrage.
  • Lizzieiee
    May 7, 2008
    Lizzieiee
    reallllllly wanna see this movie ever since hot fuzz been dieing to see it. wish i was 15 to buy it lol
  • rainbowsaur
    January 25, 2008
    rainbowsaur
    i hate this film; its crap and pointless
  • jamesthemoss
    October 30, 2007
    jamesthemoss
    LOL this and Hot Fuzz are the best aye just nick frost in any movie makes it worth while
  • dmontero
    October 26, 2007
    dmontero
    I just can't get enough of this movie. I love it to bits!!

    Ed: Any zombies out there?
    Shaun: Don't say that!
    Ed: What?
    Shaun: That!
    Ed: What?
    Shaun: The zed-word. Don't say it!
    Ed: Why not?
    Shaun: Because it's ridiculous!
    Ed: Alright... are there any out there though?
  • Santastalker16
    August 16, 2007
    Santastalker16
    LOVED THIS MOVIE!!!! It was so funny...much better than Hot Fuzz
  • eledev666
    July 25, 2007
    eledev666
    this movie is one of my favourtie and plus it was so funny and very good
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Shaun of the Dead Trivia

  • In which film do Shaun of the Dead creators Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright appear as zombies?  Answer »
  • The word 'zombie' was only uttered in which of the following movies?  Answer »
  • Before Shaun of The Dead was made, what was it actually going to be called  Answer »
  • Which movie has the following tagline: "A romantic comedy. With zombies"?  Answer »
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