Horror-tober 1: Shaun of the Dead

What is there not to like about Shaun of the Dead? I have seen this movie very many times, and each time I find something more to like about this little gem.

Shaun of the Dead is set in a little suburb town in England. Shaun (Simon Pegg) and Liz have been together for 3 years, but she has grown weary of going to the same pub with Shaun and his friend Ed (Nick Frost), so she dumps him. Shaun and Ed go to the same pub, the Winchester, to drink away his sorrows. That night, Shaun decides he will get Liz back and change his life. That morning, nothing seems different except there is a strange girl in the backyard. Shortly after, Shaun and Ed discover there is something very wrong with her.

Alright, enough of the synopsis. That is really just to point out how unique this film is. It is not a spoof on zombie movies. But a comedy, with some romance, and a zombie twist. It is also as much a buddy comedy, as it is apparent how long Shaun and Ed have been friends and how tight that friendship is throughout the film. As can be said for the real-life friendship between Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The humor is pretty light-hearted and quite clever. On the zombie end, it stays pretty true to the original zombie standard: they're slow and consumed by their hunger for flesh. They are not light on the carnage in this film either. When poor David (Dylan Moran) is consumed by the zombies, he is eviscerated and torn apart in front of his friends.

A fun little game to play while watching this one is to make note of the people you see that are alive and then later when you see them dead or undead as is the case with those that are zombies. That is something that makes this film so much fun, it is pretty solid in plot and details all the way to the end. I guess, except that the outbreak is contained pretty quickly. But it also brings back the soildity in the details of the film, where early you see some television programs, that later the surviving zombies are featured on.

Snakehips alive

Snakehips dead

There is also this little surprise for fans of Spaced which is something I hadn't noticed until this viewing of it. Bottom right corner, it's Tyres, the raving bike messenger! I knew that Daisy (Jessica Hynes) was in it, but never noticed Tyres until now.

Tyres raving as a zombie

I hold this one in high esteem, and have to give it 5 skulls. Also, Joey has said he will join me on a few movies this year, and he gives this one 4 skulls.

Joey's rating:

My rating: