Shaun of the Dead (DVD, 2004)

Edgar Wright's horror-comedy film, SHAUN OF THE DEAD, follows the title character (Simon Pegg) through his mundane life in London. Joined by his immature and ever-present roommate, Ed (Nick Frost), Shaun excels at nothing except drinking pints of ale and watching television, which causes friction with his girlfriend, Liz (Kate Ashfield). Before Shaun can save his relationship, however, he's got to fend off a horde of zombies that are slowly taking over the city. Armed with a cricket bat and a vague sense of direction, Shaun must rescue his friends and loved ones, and bring them to the only safe place he can think of--the pub.

Product Details:

Actors: Kate Ashfield, Tim Baggaley, Nicola Cunningham, Sonnell Dadral, Lucy Davis (II)
Directors: Edgar Wright
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English
Subtitles: Spanish, French
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: R
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Release Date: December 21, 2004
Run Time: 100 minutes

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ARCHIVES OF THE DEAD

Hearing that "Shaun of the Dead" is the most popular British zombie comedy of all time does give one pause, simply because you have to stop for a second and wonder as to whether you have simply missed other British zombie comedies or if you maybe took "28 Day Later" way too seriously. The thing is that when you hear "British zombie comedy" you are thinking "Monty Python's Flying Circus" or "Benny Hill" or "Black Adder" or "Asbolutely Fabulous" or "Coupling." You are not thinking something that is as restrained as what Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright have put together (the pair co-wrote the film, Pegg stars as Shaun and Wright directs), which is probably the biggest surprise of all.

"Shaun of the Dead" is only four star funny, but there is another dimension to the film beyond the humor. The tagline tries to tells us that this movie is: "A romantic comedy. With zombies." The really funny thing is that, underneath it all, it really is a romantic comedy. You know: boy meets girl, girl dumps boy, zombies try to kill boy and girl and mom and flat mates, boy tries to rescue girl and mom and flat mates, so on and so forth.

Actually the movie that that came to mind the most, despite the references to the great zombie movies of the past ("We're coming to get you, Barbara!"), was "Young Frankenstein," specifically in terms of the scenes that are played totally straight. There are scenes when Shaun deals with his girl, Liz (Kate Ashfield), his mom, Barbara (Penelope Wilton), and his best bud, Ed (Nick Frost) that are done like they were in a romantic comedy, and not an Adam Sandler "Water Boy" type romantic comedy, but an Adam Sandler "50 First Dates" type romantic comedy. Stripped of the zombies this is a rather pedestrian romantic comedy, but what makes it inspired lunacy is that it IS being done in the middle of a zombie movie.

Of the DVD extras the extended bits and outtakes in "MISSING BITS" are okay, but by favorite are the trio of "Plot Holes," where we get some insights into what we did not see in the movie from three of the principle characters. These are presented in comic book form as opposed to having actual footage, but that simply adds to their charm. There are better bits in "RAW MEAT," the highlight of which is the "pitch" by Pegg and Wright to sell the studio their movie idea. I already talked about the "TV BITS," and no one will be surprised that I the Zombie Trivia available via the ZOMB-O-METER. Overall, the DVD extras are well above average but not knock down dead, get up as a reanimated corpse and try to eat human flesh great.

I love horror movies, especially zombie horror movies. Still, I am always skeptical about zombie movies and even more if they are labeled a "spoof". Too many times spoofs are just scenes taken directly from horror movies done with "comedic" actors who inject their special (juvenile, toilet, fratboy) brand of humor. Rest easy - Shaun is not one of those.

Shaun is a guy who has a dead-end job, lives with his slacker/dope-dealing best friend and has a girlfriend who is on the brink of dumping him. So when the dead come back to life they are the least of his problems. Actually it becomes the ideal situation to be his girlfriend's hero and win her back.
With his best friend Ed, Shaun picks up his mom and stepdad and then picks up his girlfriend and her best friends. So the group has to find a good place to hide and Ed thinks the best place would be their favorite pub - The Winchester. But things don't go well for the survivors but that is ok because it is funny as heck!

There are many references to zombie films throughout the movie - Shaun's mom is named Barbara and Ed pays homage to Night of the Living Dead's most memorable line "We're coming to get you Barbara!", one of Shaun's co-workers, who calls in sick, is named Ash. Like Bruce Campbell's character in the Evil Dead series.

Smart and funny, this is one spoof that will have all bases covered. It will make you laugh but will also keep you at the edge of your seat!

What more could you ask for from a movie?!
Comedy, great acting, a pub in the centre of a zombie takeover and... Shaun! And you know what the best thing about it is? It's British! That's right, you yanks, we're coming back at ya and getting back into the movie making business.
I love the fact that from the beginning scene, in the pub, all of the characters already feel like someone you've known for years. The acting and comedy are completely natural (especially Simon Pegg and Nick Frost - I expect the fact that they lived together has something to do with it!) and I love the parts filmed in proper British suburbia - everytime I watch it I notice different things going on in the background that I hadn't seen before.
Obviously the story is a rip-off from the horror classic "Dawn of the Dead" but, you know what? I really think they did it some justice! "Spaced" fans out there will have already noticed the lads 'borrow' ideas from heaps of other shows and films, and generally pull it off really well!
The zombies of the film are amazingly scary yet comically funny - I think everyone's seen the clip of the girl in their back garden and the record-throwing incident...! And it really helps us in getting an answer to the all-important question; What would YOU do in a zombie attack?! I think a lot of us would do EXACTLY what Shaun did! And don't say you've never thought about it....
A funny, down-to-earth, comedy horror brought to you by British filmakers - highly recommended to all and looking forward to their latest release, Hot Fuzz! Definitely one for a night in with your mates and a damn good giggle - you'll want to watch it all over again by the time it's over!

This is a GREAT movie...it makes me laugh every time and I'll never be able to listen to the Queen track "Don't Stop me Now" with a straight face ever again!
Lets be honest....horror movies, particularly anything that involves the presence of Zombies are usually more ridiculous than they are scary; so taking form this premise....Shaun of the Dead is a farcical play on recent horror offerings, particularly the 2004 release of a similar name " Dawn of the Dead" and 28 days later!
The setting is very British....our lead character Shaun is not a happy man, to say he was a little dissatisfied with his life would be a mammoth understatement...he works in an electrical shop, has just been dumped by his girlfriend and life is not really going anywhere...though he does have his one true joy in life; the local pub - Winchester Arms!!
He decides however, to take control of his life....in fact he is so busy, he fails to notice that Britain has been taken over by Zombies....who are out to kill the living and turn them into one of their own!! He is literally stepping over these characters in one scene until he realizes what is going on and enlists the help of his lazy roommate to attack them....with vinyl albums no less!!
The begins the escape....making sure that the ex girlfriend, her friend and his parents are along for the ride! There begins more ridiculous Zombie antics , and plans to attack....until they reach their destination...oh where could one be most safe from attack....why of course, the Winchester Arms...a familiar place with Beer to boot!! This is also the setting for the funniest scene in spoof history - and hence the reason that Queen song makes me laugh!! This is a crazy, imaginative, hilarious take on Zombie movies and should not be missed!!