MOVIE REVIEW [Guest] . Shaun of the Dead

by Chris and Kris   ⋅   November 3, 2006   ⋅   Comment now   ⋅    RSS

Shawn of the Dead is likely to be the zombie cult film of our age. While it falls under the category of horror-comedy, the film is fairly witty and pushes the main character through many emotions throughout the course of the story.

The approach toward zombies is quite realistic, as Shawn passes off the first zombies he sees as drunks or homeless people. He is so unbelieving that he even tells his friend Ed not to use the “Zed” word. When they encounter a zombie in their own backyard they can’t help but think she is so drunk she doesn’t even remember her name, and upon finding out the truth they hightail it back inside their apartment. They actually try to kill the first zombies by using his collection of records, making critical judgments of the music before they toss them.

Shawn, now responsible for saving those he cares about, hatches a plan to save the day. Of course, the ensuing madness is great fun, and Shawn’s verbal expressions of inner thought are hilarious, as shown in the instance where he can’t build up the nerve to borrow his friend’s car, “we can’t go up there for two reasons. One he might be a zombie, and two he might still be mad at us.”

While many of the films arguments and human moments are funny, some of them are touching and sadden you in a very different way than you would expect from a horror comedy. This again adds a depth that most horror films don’t come near to touching, or comedies for that matter.

The stretches from reality aren’t so far off, and in the end you’re left with what could honestly happen if the world was attacked by a zombie plague. So don’t worry about bringing your sense of skepticism, sit down and enjoy this film for all of the good clean fun you can handle.

About the Author:

Alex Candia is a student at Academy of Art in San Francisco, and a fan of all things horror and anime. In his spare time he works for noble causes, tutors in English, and fights off the honeys with a stick. A big one.