Shaun of the Dead

In the great tradition of zombie films comes the comedy zombie flick Shaun of the Dead. Billed as a ‘romantic comedy with zombies’ or ‘rom zom com,’ this British romance/comedy/zombie flick delivers laughs, gore, and social commentary galore. Though this film is not directly related to the George Romero’s Dead trilogy it does share common themes of how the change from man to zombie is not a great leap and how man is responsible for his own destiny. In addition Shaun of the Dead tips its hat on numerous occasions to the great traditions of the zombie classics. The film is at times hilarious and horrifying and overall a true joy to behold.

Shaun of the Dead is a comedy, an English comedy to be sure, but a comedy that is accessible to the American audience. There is Shaun (Simon Pegg from the UK’s comedy ‘Spaced’, a manager in a television store whose life is so dreary that it takes him days to notice the zombies appearing around him. Shaun is a nice enough guy. He is just a guy in his late twenties who has no respect in his dead-end job and no goals for his future. He lives in a day-in, day-out haze of work and hanging out with his mates. Shaun’s best mate is Ed (Nick Frost), Shaun’s loafer of a roommate, who spends his days sitting on the couch playing video games and his evenings at the Winchester, a local pub. Liz (Kate Ashfield), Shaun’s girlfriend, wants more to her life than evenings at the pub and she breaks up with him because of his lack of drive and direction. In this, she is supported by her friends and flat mates Dianne and David, who play the parts of disposable hangers on and later of zombie fodder. There is also Shaun’s mum Barbara (Penelope Wilton), a small tribute to Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, and his father-in-law Philip (played by Bill Nighy).

Of course when Shaun and his buddy Ed do finally realize that there are zombies attacking everyone they spring into action. It seems that a zombie invasion is exactly the kick in the pants that Shaun needs to gear up and get his life on track. Shaun is forced out of his lethargy into action, the action of beating zombies, and the action of forming a plan to save the ones he loves. Now the hero is no Einstein, the plan consists of: rescuing his mum, killing his step dad Philip (who has already been bitten), picking up his girlfriend Liz, and heading to the local pub to wait out the zombie invasion with a pint of beer. A simple enough concept that is complicated by group infighting, Ed’s cell phone use, and of course scores of restless and hungry zombies.

As in Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, the location that the small band of heroes seek is a major character. Instead of a shiny shopping mall drawing the remainders of the zombie’s brains to endless shopping, The Winchester pub draws them on to endless beer drinking and commiserating. Instead of fountains and escalators there is the juke box and darts to entertain the heroes and their zombie invaders. Of course like in Dawn of the Dead the refuge turns into a prison because of both the zombies and the personal infighting among the group of heroes. Though they were trapped in close proximity to each other in the Winchester their differences kept them far apart from being a cohesive group with a clear plan for survival much like the farmhouse group in Night of the Living Dead. Thus it is shown that humans can be just as monstrous and inhumane as the living dead.

Of course what puts this film over the top and makes it a surefire cult classic are the production values. The makeup in the film is first rate, even though the budget was limited the zombies look just the way zombies ought. There is plenty of gore and zombies munching on the still living. There is even the quintessential pulled through a window and torn into while still alive scene done with true horror film aplomb. Blood spurts freely from zombie related wounds as the humans fall one by one.

In addition the film remembers its human elements, its story, its characters, and their motivation. Shaun’s mother remains britishly unassuming to the end. Shaun remains a dunce and saves the day through perseverance and luck more than strategy and wiles. Thus the films ends with one of the great finales that reminds the audience that humans can not only deal with any adverse circumstances, but that they can commercialize and capitalize on it as well.