SHAUN OF THE DEAD
By Steve Biodrowski
One of the best horror films of 2004, this self-described "romantic comedy, with zombies" is not just a campy parody; it really is a romantic comedy rammed headlong into a horror film. A witty homage to zombie flicks of the past (with visual and verbal references to everything from NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD to 28 DAYS LATER), SHAUN OF THE DEAD is, nevertheless, not so much a spoof of genre clichés as a character-oriented comedy, in which much of the humor derives from the characters' frantic response to the outrageous situations.
Significantly, this British Film is from Working Title, the production company that has given us several lovely films like FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL, ABOUT A BOY, BRIDGET JONES' DIARY, and LOVE ACTUALLY. What's charming about SHAUN OF THE DEAD is the way it includes some of that Working Title sensibility and splices it into a very cool, very effective zombie flick. This isn't just a tongue-in-cheek horror movie with a love story subplot; the comedy, romance, and horror are given equal weight, creating a movie that is funny, endearing and frightening -- and even touching. Amidst the gut-splitting laughter and the (sometimes literally) gut-wrenching gore, there are some keenly felt dramatic moments, scenes that bring a tear to the eye and make you take the story seriously, even admits the jokes and bloodshed.
The story follows Shaun (Simon Pegg), a nice guy who enjoys going with his mates to the pub but can't quite get his act together when it comes to his relationship with his girlfriend. His normal routine is disrupted by the arrival of a meteor that turns his neighbors into zombies, giving him a chance to play the hero and redeem himself in her eyes.
Rather like the cult play ZOMBIE ATTACK (a midnight staple in Hollywood for years), SHAUN OF THE DEAD begins as a relationship movie, then lets the genre elements crash into the romantic plot. The difference is that ZOMBIE ATTACK intentionally used the zombies to overwhelm the relationship aspect of its story; after all, who cares whether you can sort out things with your old friends when you're all about to be eaten alive?
SHAUN OF THE DEAD pretends to do this. ("This isn't about us," Shaun tells the girl who just dumped him. "This is about survival.") But really the zombie complication exists so that Shaun can prove himself and win her back. Along the way, there is some nicely done character interaction Shaun's friends, family and acquaintances get on each others nerves during a crisis situation that involves some unpleasant choices (do you let your mother come back from the dead as a zombie, or do you put a bullet through her brain?).
Amazingly, despite the humorous tone, the film never loses its tension, and these serious moments work without feeling jarring or misplaced. Some even bring a tear to the eye (for instance, the deathbed speech made by Shaun's step-dad). This deft combination of elements elevates the film several level above the usual genre piece, without making it seem ashamed of its subject matter. Unlike 2004's RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPSE and ALIEN VS PREDATOR, which require audiences to roll their eyes and go along for the thrill ride even if the story is incredible, SHAUN somehow remains convincing, even when piling on the jokes and blood.
Even so, the film is not quite perfect. There are two extended sight gags that don't work, yet director Edgar Wright lets the run on as if they were hysterically funny. In the first, Shaun and his roommate, with no convenient weapon at hand, hurl Shaun's old vinyl records at two approaching zombies. The joke is that Shaun is picking through the albums one at a time, deciding which he wants to keep and which can be sacrificed. Although an amusing idea, it becomes immediately obvious that the records are useless as weapons, so the continuing decision-making process ceases to be funny and just becomes pointless.
In the second scene, set in the Winchester Bar where Shaun and his friends have holed up, a jukebox plays the old Queen song "Don't Stop Me Now" while our heroes bash a zombie with pool sticks -- in time with the music. This is even less funny than the vinyl record gag, and it goes on longer. The problem is that by this point in the movie, the characters know they need to bash the zombie's brains out order to stop them, but for some reason they keep beating this one around the neck and shoulders. So the zombie doesn't die immediately, which lets Wright milk the gag for a few more seconds.
Fortunately, those are the only two obvious glitches in a film that otherwise consists of many brilliantly executed scenes. Just to give one example: On the morning when the undead phenomenon first becomes apparent (to the audience, at least), Shaun walks through his established morning routine (leaving home, crossing the street, popping into the local shop for a soda) in such an oblivious, habitual way that he fails to notice that the usual people he meets have all become the walking dead.
The joke of course is that the neighbors have always been zombies to some extent, and Shaun's monotonous existence is zombie-like as well. Luckily for him, the ensuing crises knocks him out of his rut and lets him emerge as the hero.
TRIVIA
The title SHAUN OF THE DEAD is an obvious homage to George A. Romero's 1979 DAWN OF THE DEAD. Ironically, SHAUN was released in 2004, the same year that saw a DAWN OF THE DEAD remake; in fact, SHAUN's U.K. release was delayed two weeks to put some breathing room between the two films.
As if to emphasize that SHAUN OF THE DEAD is an homage to the original DAWN OF THE DEAD (and not to the 2004 remake), SHAUN uses music from the 1979 Romero film. During the fantasy montage sequence (in which Shaun imagines different scenarios that involve rescuing his mother from his zombie stepfather), the track "Zombie" can be heard playing. This is music from the DAWN OF THE DEAD soundtrack by the rock group Goblin; in a sense, it is the "title track" of the movie, at least in Italy, where DAWN OF THE DEAD was retitled ZOMBIE.
George A. Romero rewarded SHAUN OF THE DEAD's creators, Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg, by casting them in cameo roles as zombies in LAND OF THE DEAD. They are the two undead ghouls chained up in the booth where humans can have their picture taken with a zombie.
