Coming in on our DOTM Horror Countdown to Halloween is the
incredible Shaun of the Dead. Shaun of the Dead is the first of a three films
trilogy that Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright are collaborating on. The
second, Hott Fuzz, wasn’t as good as Shaun of the Dead but was still original
and fun. They are currently working on the third film of the trio which is
called The World’s End and I’m really looking forward to it.
Shaun of the Dead is one of my favorite movies regardless of
genre. It’s so original, fun and well put together that you can’t help but love
it. It’s also a film that pushed me into a love of cinema (I’m a late comer I
know). Shaun of the Dead follows Simon Pegg as Shaun who is having trouble with
his girlfriend Liz. She is upset that he refuses to ditch his best friend,
played by Nick Frost, and take her out once in a while. Shaun is a bit of a
slacker and doesn’t seem to be doing anything with his life. It seems the only
thing Shaun will do is go to the local pub lovingly known as The Winchester.
Shaun promises his girlfriend he’ll change, so to make things up to her he
promises a nice night out together at a nice seafood restaurant. Shaun forgets
to make reservations and suggests they go to The Winchester. Liz uses this as a
catalyst to split up with him.
Shaun, lamenting his loss, starts to notice things aren’t quite
right in his little English town. So he flips on the telly and finds reports of
the recently undead returning to life. His town is overrun with zombies, or
“the zed word,” and despite recommendations from the news report to stay inside
he decides to go out with his best friend Ed to make sure his mum and Liz are
safe. A long the way he picks up his step dad that he’s never gotten along with
and Liz’s friends (a twat and a failed actress). They decide to go to the
safest place they know, The Winchester. From that point on it’s this rag-tag
group versus the zombies.
Simon Pegg describes Shaun of the Dead as a romantic comedy with
zombies. Others refer to it as a zomedy. Regardless of what sub-genre you call
it, it’s amazing. The film starts with an amazing musical interlude that has
zombies and people who go through life as zombies bobbing their head and
dancing as only a zombie could. It’s one of the most memorable opening title
sequences and the catchiest. Pegg and Wright wrote this film together and they
were diligent in making everything tie together; it’s one of the things that make
this film an easy re-watch. There is ton of foreshadowing and nods to other
scenes, things that you would only catch upon multiple viewings of the film.
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost at the helm of this movie is another thing that makes
it so great. The comedy duo plays off each other perfectly. It’s easy to tell
that they are good friends on and off the camera. One of my favorite scenes has
Shaun, Ed and liz fighting the owner of The Winchester turned zombie to the
tune of the Queen song, “Don’t stop me now” when the juke box just happens to
come on. There fight is perfectly choreographed to the song and seems like the
perfect scene to lead up to the climax when the bar is taken over.
I think this film is a must own and the Blu-Ray has a ton of great
features. .
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