Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Director:

Edgar Wright

Writers:

Simon Pegg (written by) and
Edgar Wright (written by)

Release Date:

9 April 2004 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

It's just one of those days when you're feeling a little...dead.

Plot:

A man decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living.

Plot Keywords:

Zombie | Love | Cricket Bat | Pub | Record Collection

Awards:

6 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Simon Pegg	...	Shaun
Kate Ashfield	...	Liz
Nick Frost	...	Ed
Lucy Davis	...	Dianne
Dylan Moran	...	David
Nicola Cunningham	...	Mary
Keir Mills	...	Clubber 1 (as Kier Mills)
Matt Jaynes	...	Clubber 2
Gavin Ferguson	...	Football Kid
Peter Serafinowicz	...	Pete
Horton Jupiter	...	Homeless Man
Tim Baggaley	...	The Usher
Arvind Doshi	...	Nelson
Rafe Spall	...	Noel
Sonnell Dadral	...	Danny (as Sonell Dadral)

Also Known As:

Shaun of the Dead (France)
Tea-Time of the Dead (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for zombie violence/gore and language.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

UK | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

Iceland:16 | France:-12 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R13 | Singapore:R21 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Archway, London, England, UK

Company:

Studio Canal

Trivia:

Night of the Living Dead (1968) director George A. Romero was given a private viewing of the film near his home in Florida. During the scene in which Ed (Nick Frost) yells into the phone, "We're coming to get you, Barbara," Romero was oblivious to the fact it was a direct lift from his film Night of the Living Dead (1968) and only found out later after a phone conversation with director Edgar Wright.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the start of the movie, when the camera pans across the road, the red Renault Megane that is subsequently used by Shaun and his friends is missing the Renault badge. It appears and disappears again several times during the movie.

Quotes:

[first lines]
John: Last orders, please!

Movie Connections:

References King Kong (1976)

Soundtrack:

The Gonk (Kid Koala Remix)

Fried Gold!

Some 5 years before the making of this film the same team behind it wrote and directed series (season) 1 and 2 of an offbeat UK sitcom named "Spaced". Massively overlooked at the time of broadcast yet with a hardcore fan base of loyal devotees a third series was long overdue but never did materialise.

Shaun of the Dead is the continuation of what went before; of a similar format yet in a completely new setting, with new characters, plus new cast members and for the first time a feature-length run time for the big screen. So how does it play out? Even with such a departure from the original setting, the history of TV to cinema adaptations is a dodgy one to say the least. Fortunately for those of us who already fans or (more likely) if you've never seen the series before prepare to be impressed.

The style is all it's own. With inventive direction and editing making the visual impact which fans will instantly recognise, to the writing which importantly is firstly genuinely funny, interspersed with references to popular culture of the past two decades, always with a self-knowing grin, a wink to the viewer rather than a pretentious nod. And of course several self-references and in-jokes of the TV series all fill in the gaps between the tastefully presented killings. There is blood, after all this is a "rom-zom-com" or "romantic zombie comedy" - a self-proclaimed new genre and rightly so. This is as about as original as it gets. They actually manage to pull off humour, violence, decapitations, action, romance, suspense, sadness and joy all within the space of 90 minutes!

This is the best film I've seen in ages, and a real credit to British film, we already knew about "Fried Gold", now the rest of the World can see it too. An instant classic.