DVD review of Shaun of the Dead

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Shaun of the Dead

December 3rd 2006 22:51

Generally I prefer my horror served up dark and serious. There are exceptions, such as Braindead (1992), which for obvious reasons (see previous post) earns a special place in my little horror heart. Horror comedies work a fine balancing act of creating just enough tension between the laughs, a little gore with the grinning, the delicate fine art of violence vs. laughter.

Shaun of the Dead (2004) is up there in the league of great horror comedies, or to be more precise: “A romantic comedy. With zombies.” (probably one of the funnier tag-lines to date too).

What makes it successful as a comedy is the superb characterizations and dialogue. Although it has obvious set-pieces and numerous gags, much of the humour is cumulative, like Withnail and I (another very English comedy). Director Edgar Wright who penned the screenplay with lead actor Simon Pegg, has a natural flair for visual comedy and also a keen kinetic eye for mise-en-scene. The film blares along at a great pace with some neat well-timed montage sequences.

In a pub nutshell, Shaun spends most of his spare time at the Winchester, drinking beer with his mate Ed. He has issues with his mum, his girlfriend and his girlfriend’s best friends. The blood hits the fan when Shaun is dumped, which occurs roughly around the same time as the dead start returning to life causing much panic in the streets of London.

Making numerous clever references to the whole zombie cinema mythology, as well as modern pop culture, Shaun of the Dead is driven brilliantly by the central performance of Shaun (Simon Pegg). Although the support actors are all well-cast (including the always hilarious Bill Nighy as Shaun’s sted-dad, and actors from The Office and Black Books) it is Pegg who nails it. Obviously part of the master plan was to write himself a killer role, and the screenplay really is top-notch.

The DVD of Shaun of the Dead is definitely one for the collection packed full of glorious extras, including some genuinely uproarious outtakes (Pegg is a natural corpser), some enlightening SFX comparisons and make-up tests (bloody good work actually), and superb commentary from Pegg and Wright. There are even plot-holes tied-up, a classic scene alternate where expletives are replaced, and a fascinating clip with Pegg and Wright showcasing the trajectory of the film’s narrative via a flip chart, which was videoed before the screenplay was even written.

If you love horror and you like a bit of giggle, Shaun of the Dead is essential viewing. It very skillfully captures and upturns a hard basket: a love of zombies, a love of laughter, a love of the movies, and a love of life’s little ironies. It’s the best romantic comedy a horrorphile could ever hope for.

* the images on this page were taken from the following wikipedia page:
Shaun of the Dead

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: No Category

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Comments

21 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Adrian

December 3rd 2006 23:24

Philosophy Blog

Hey Bryn, so what other horror comedies do you recommend? Army of darkness?

Comment by Bryn

December 3rd 2006 23:39

Horrorphile

Army of Darkness is very silly. Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn is better.
Night of the Creeps is quite good. Slither is also quite good (both on the schlocky tip) ...

Comment by JohnDoe

December 3rd 2006 23:55

Film & TV on DVD

Hi Bryn,

Totally with you, Shaun ofthe Dead is a classic horror comedy that respects the genre and is hilarous.

Im also a big fan of the TV Series Spaced which Simon Pegg did before this. Fun referential comedy that has the same sensabilities.

Comment by Cibbuano

December 4th 2006 01:07

Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak

Bryn, Shaun of the Dead is one in a million.... the satire is biting, the tributes to other zombie flicks it well noted, and it's just a really good film.

For some reason, it cracks me up when the fat guy says 'Cornetto!' without even thinking. I dunno...

Comment by LaurenD

December 4th 2006 01:17

Brilliant! Bravo! I adore this film. And the quip at the end, 'No, it wasn't caused by rage-infected monkeys,' as a jibe at '28 Days Later' [another favorite of mine] just cracked me right up.

Has anyone seen 'Zombie Honeymoon'? I had my hand on it at the vid store several times but wasn't sure if it wasn't just a clanger trying to be funny.

Another strange dark horror comedy I can think of is the French film, 'Man Bites Dog,' about a film crew following a serial killer around. It gets a bit crazy, but it does have its moments. In one scene, the film crew and their killer bump into another serial killer *and his film crew* in a parking garage. The two killers are rivals and are quite annoyed that they aren't the first to have a doco made.

Finally, I found 'American Werewolf in London' quite funny as well. The accumulation of the werewolf's victims, especially rapidly decomposing best friend and the newly married couple who are gored and can't stop giggling with each other, make it quite funny.

LaurenD

Comment by KylieW

December 4th 2006 02:49

Celebrity Obsession

I LOVE this movie.

I love the very end when Shaun goes out to the back shed to play playstation with Ed, who despite his affliction had changed very little! Very funny.

Like you JohnDoe I also really liked Spaced as well. Pegg is very funny!

Comment by Eric

December 4th 2006 03:01

Mal Gadget

You got red on you

Comment by katyzzz

December 4th 2006 09:47

Photography Tips
MS Paint Art

Bryn,

All this stuff is lost on me but I'll take other people's word for it.

It strikes me that people are very compex, indeed, and I am learning this by looking at such things as your post.

And of course, admiring this blog's spectacular appearance.

Your little horror sister, still in training.

katyzzz

Comment by JoshZ

December 4th 2006 10:25

I loved this movie.

Not always a fan of copious swearing, these guys used copious swearing to their advantage.

The cinematography was brilliant, the dialogue excellent. It also managed to be quite emotionally intense for a comedy. I love what the ad I saw said about it.

"A romantic comedy, with zombies!"

JZ

Comment by Cibbuano

December 4th 2006 23:37

Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak

The best part about this movie is how Pegg and his friend are so utterly self-absorbed that they don't notice the zombie menace. It's like this toss at Romero movies, except that the main characters aren't smart enough to watch the news reports!

Comment by KylieW

December 5th 2006 03:23

Celebrity Obsession

I agree Cibby, I love how long it takes for them to realise that there's even anything wrong!

Comment by Bryn

December 5th 2006 05:57

Horrorphile

Great to see that this flick is so adored. A true cult classic!!!
If you haven't checked out the extras on the DVD, you have to! The outtakes alone are bloody hilarious!

Comment by Bryn

December 5th 2006 06:00

Horrorphile

Lauren,
I haven't seen Zombie Honeymoon. I saw it at the vid store, and something told me to stay away!
Man Bites Dog is brilliant. I'll be doing a post soonish on "urban rage" ...
An American Werewolf in London is a bonefide classic. Another good horror comedy is The Return of the Living Dead. Also Night of the Creeps. Though none of these has the same sardonic wit as Shaun of the Dead.

Comment by Tracy

December 6th 2006 04:14

Movies and Life

Hi

I also loved this film, thought it was a horror riot...great combination.

Tracy

Comment by Bryn

December 6th 2006 12:11

Horrorphile

It is indeed Tracy, cheers for stopping by!

Comment by Whatever

December 7th 2006 02:30

Cinema of Australia
Music Times Australia

My favourite part of this film, except for the delayed reaction already mentioned, was when they were pretending to be dead... sooo funny

Comment by Bryn

December 7th 2006 22:37

Horrorphile

Too many classic moments alright!

Comment by suitably*wounded

December 12th 2006 03:54

Eternal Days; Author: Illness, M.

Mr. Bryn, "There is no 'I' in team, but there is an 'I' in pie."

Comment by Bryn

December 12th 2006 05:29

Horrorphile

Hahaha .... (red) spot on s*w!

Comment by Werewolf wanabe

August 18th 2008 00:42

Night of the creeps freaked the hell outta me. I wore earplugs and had to breath through my nose for the whole rest of the week while I searched for UFO's and kept taking double takes of every movement I saw. Shaun of the dead was funny, and it was very well tied to other zombie movies. I too like the ending and the part where the fat guy says "Cornetto!" without a reason. I also like the delayed reactions from the mains.
I have never seen american werewolf in london, sadly... *Sniffles........ Aaaaaaaaargh!!!!!!!!* A Wolf bit me yesterday and I checked symptoms of a werewolf, and I had ALL OF THEM!!!!!!!! It scared the crap outta me!!!!