Movie of the Day: Shaun of the Dead
- daniel2645
- Mar 3, 2019
- 2 min read
Why Watch It Now?
Halloween may feel like a more natural occasion, but the film expires from Netflix this week (along with some other stuff you might want to check out).
Any Other Reasons?
Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's first entry in the Cornetto trilogy helped kick start the zombie genre revival (along with countryman Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later) that still dominates cultural discourse to this day. While ostenisbly a B-movie parody and homage to the work of George Romero, the film also makes sharp observations about aimless pub culture in 2000's Britain. Unlike other horror comedies that influenced it -- say, Sam Raimi's Evil Dead 2 -- Wright's movie brings an element of character-driven storytelling to the lightning fast references and in-jokes. In fact, the film's most brilliant insight might be fusing the best tropes of romantic comedies and horror films, two genres that, on the surface, seem to have nothing in common. These qualities have made Shaun of the Dead a standard bearer for this type of filmmaking and separate it from the many other rom zom coms that have been released in the years since. Chances are you've seen this film, but Wright's attention to detail, not to mention the numerous zombie cameos, make this worth revisiting.
Bonus Trivia, TV Edition: Wright and Pegg explored the idea for this film in an episode of their slacker sitcom Spaced. Jessica Hynes, who co-created and co-starred in the series, has a cameo as the leader of the "bizarro" survivor group. In fact, every member of the survivor group has a TV co-star connection to their counterparts.
Don't Take Our Word For It
On the Other Hand...
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