Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
Director
Edgar Wright
Cast
Simon Pegg,
Kate Ashfield,
Lucy Davis,
Nick Frost,
Dylan Moran,
Bill Nighy
Genre
Horror,
Comedy
30-something loser Shaun lives a supremely uneventful life which revolves around his girlfriend, his mother, and, above all, his local pub. But this gentle routine is threatened when the dead return to life and make strenuous attempts to snack on ordinary Londoners. With his best friend at his side, Shaun must rise to the occasion and lead both his girlfriend and his mother to safety.
'Shaun of the Dead' is a proper good zombie flick. Wright dials the British humor up to eleven in this homage to the zombie apocalypse genre and all of its tropes, creating seemingly as many endearing moments as there are grotesque, oftentimes both at the same time. The 'Don't Stop Me Now' bar scene is easily one of my favorite sequences within the admittedly limited genre of comedic horror.
San Francisco Chronicle by Carla Meyer
Remarkably fresh and inventive.
Newsweek
Takes the prize. It's a bloody hoot.
Newsweek by Devin Gordon
Takes the prize. It's a bloody hoot.
Screen Rant by Grant Hermanns
It's not only a modern classic of the zombie genre, but one that is sure to stand the test of time for the next 20 years and beyond.
Austin Chronicle by Marc Savlov
The most original comedy from either side of the pond in years.
Premiere by Aaron Hillis
Whatever you want to label this quick-paced crowd-pleaser, it is definitely one of the year's must-sees.
Chicago Tribune by Robert K. Elder
A gleefully gory, pitch-perfect parody of George Romero's zombie films. But this isn't a movie about other movies. Shaun of the Dead stands on its own.
Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum
The daffy, innately British joke that propels the cheeky U.K. comedy hit Shaun of the Dead is that although real zombies have risen up -- slacker wankers Shaun (Simon Pegg) and his best pal and roommate, Ed (Nick Frost), are too slack, wankerish, and blitheringly British to notice.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer by Sean Axmaker
It's bloody brilliant.
Film Threat
Extremely funny, side splitting good time.
L.A. Weekly by Ernest Hardy
In this truly retro horror flick, the heroes and heroines don't just quip over the action (though they do get off some funny lines); they're knee-deep in it, and scared sh------.
The A.V. Club by Keith Phipps
Mixing horror and humor is no mean feat, but Shaun Of The Dead tightens throats in fear without making the laughs stick there in the process.
Film Threat by Jim Agnew
Extremely funny, side splitting good time.
Rolling Stone by Peter Travers
Blast of fright and fun.
The Hollywood Reporter by Ray Bennett
It's worth sticking around for the coda too as it contains some hilarious and very politically incorrect suggestions as to how zombies might be put to work once they've been tamed.
Village Voice by Michael Atkinson
The actors are all on target (particularly Penelope Wilton as Shaun's relentlessly cheery mum), and taken on its own shaky legs it's a wittier genre coda than "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein."
The New Yorker by Anthony Lane
Pegg co-wrote the screenplay with the director, Edgar Wright, and together they have fashioned a smart, cultish, semi-disgusting homage to the fine British art of not bothering.
Variety by Derek Elley
A classic example of a clever idea that could easily have run out of steam halfway. However, co-scripters Pegg and Wright structure it as a classic three-acter (set-up, journey, finale) with enough twists, character development and small set pieces to keep the comedy boiling.
The Hollywood Reporter
It's worth sticking around for the coda too as it contains some hilarious and very politically incorrect suggestions as to how zombies might be put to work once they've been tamed.
Loading recommendations...
Loading recommendations...