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IMDbPro

Shaun of the Dead

  • 2004
  • R
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
567K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,407
8
Kate Ashfield, Nick Frost, and Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead (2004)
From 'A Fistful of Fingers' and 'Shaun of the Dead,' to 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' and 'Last Night in Soho,' we track the filmmaking techniques of writer, producer, and director Edgar Wright.
Play clip2:17
Watch A Guide to the Films of Edgar Wright
6 Videos
99+ Photos
ComedyHorror

The uneventful, aimless lives of a London electronics salesman and his layabout roommate are disrupted by the zombie apocalypse.The uneventful, aimless lives of a London electronics salesman and his layabout roommate are disrupted by the zombie apocalypse.The uneventful, aimless lives of a London electronics salesman and his layabout roommate are disrupted by the zombie apocalypse.

  • Director
    • Edgar Wright
  • Writers
    • Simon Pegg
    • Edgar Wright
  • Stars
    • Simon Pegg
    • Nick Frost
    • Kate Ashfield
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.9/10
    567K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,407
    8
    • Director
      • Edgar Wright
    • Writers
      • Simon Pegg
      • Edgar Wright
    • Stars
      • Simon Pegg
      • Nick Frost
      • Kate Ashfield
    • 1.1KUser reviews
    • 273Critic reviews
    • 76Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 3 BAFTA Awards
      • 13 wins & 20 nominations total

    Videos6

    A Guide to the Films of Edgar Wright
    Clip 2:17
    Watch A Guide to the Films of Edgar Wright
    Shaun Of The Dead: Title Sequence
    Clip 0:29
    Watch Shaun Of The Dead: Title Sequence
    Shaun Of The Dead: Have You Got Any Papers
    Clip 0:43
    Watch Shaun Of The Dead: Have You Got Any Papers
    Shaun Of The Dead: Throwing Records
    Clip 0:46
    Watch Shaun Of The Dead: Throwing Records
    Shaun Of The Dead: Zombie Practice
    Clip 0:51
    Watch Shaun Of The Dead: Zombie Practice
    Shaun Of The Dead: Don't Stop Me Now
    Clip 0:44
    Watch Shaun Of The Dead: Don't Stop Me Now

    Photos165

    Peter Serafinowicz in Shaun of the Dead (2004)
    Nick Frost and Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead (2004)
    Kate Ashfield and Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead (2004)
    Mark Donovan and Edgar Wright in Shaun of the Dead (2004)
    Nick Frost and Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead (2004)
    Mark Donovan, Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, and Nicola Cunningham in Shaun of the Dead (2004)
    Bill Nighy and Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead (2004)
    Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, and Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead (2004)
    Nick Frost in Shaun of the Dead (2004)
    Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Nick Frost, Dylan Moran, Simon Pegg, and Penelope Wilton in Shaun of the Dead (2004)
    Martin Freeman and Jessica Hynes in Shaun of the Dead (2004)
    Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead (2004)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Simon Pegg
    Simon Pegg
    • Shaun
    Nick Frost
    Nick Frost
    • Ed
    Kate Ashfield
    Kate Ashfield
    • Liz
    Lucy Davis
    Lucy Davis
    • Dianne
    Dylan Moran
    Dylan Moran
    • David
    Nicola Cunningham
    • Mary
    Keir Mills
    Keir Mills
    • Clubber 1
    • (as Kier Mills)
    Matt Jaynes
    • Clubber 2
    Gavin Ferguson
    • Football Kid
    Peter Serafinowicz
    Peter Serafinowicz
    • Pete
    Horton Jupiter
    • Homeless Man
    Tim Baggaley
    • The Usher
    Arvind Doshi
    • Nelson
    Rafe Spall
    Rafe Spall
    • Noel
    Sonnell Dadral
    • Danny
    • (as Sonell Dadral)
    Samantha Day
    • Woman on Trisha
    Trisha Goddard
    Trisha Goddard
    • Trisha Goddard
    David Park
    • Grave Scientist
    • Director
      • Edgar Wright
    • Writers
      • Simon Pegg
      • Edgar Wright
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      George A. Romero, creator of the movies to which this movie pays homage and lampoons, was so impressed with Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright's work that he asked them to cameo in Land of the Dead (2005) as zombies.
    • Goofs
      When Ed lights the Molotov cocktail, it disappears when the zombies drag him.
    • Quotes

      Shaun: David, kill the Queen!

      David: What?

      Shaun: The jukebox!

    • Crazy credits
      The credits end with the incidental Mall Muzak from Dawn of the Dead (1978).
    • Connections
      Edited into Funky Pete (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      Ghost Town
      Written by Jerry Dammers (as Dammers)

      Performed by The Specials

      Courtesy of EMI Records Limited

    User reviews1.1K

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    May be the best comedy-horror mix of recent years
    Shaun (Simon Pegg) is in the midst of a lousy patch--he hates and is embarrassed about his job, he gets no respect from other employees, one of his roommates is on his case about the other roommate--a slacker friend of Shaun's, his girlfriend is on his case about the fact that all the ever do is hang out at a pub, and he hates his stepfather, who is also on his case about doing something nice for his mum. As if that's not bad enough, suddenly, everyone is turning into a zombie. Shaun must both straighten out his life and fight for it at the same time.

    Shaun of the Dead is a superb blending of horror and comedy ala An American Werewolf in London (1981), Idle Hands (1999), Frankenhooker (1990), or the Evil Dead films (beginning with the 1981 original, although there is progressively less to more comedy in that series). It manages to successfully both pay homage to and spoof a number of classic zombie films and horror film zombie mythology in general.

    The film begins firmly in very British comedy/drama territory, with a number of stylistic directorial flourishes that seem like a cross between Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream (2000) and Danny Boyle's Trainspotting (1996). The horror material enters gradually, beginning with a couple background gags, then entering Desolation Boulevard territory via another Boyle reference, this time to 28 Days Later (2002) (although that itself was basically a version of The Last Man on Earth (aka L'Ultimo uomo della Terra)(1964), based on Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend). This arrives in the guise of Shaun crossing over to the corner store to buy his morning soda. He doesn't notice the deserted streets or store because he's so hung over from the night before.

    Before long, our ragtag bunch of heroes is in the midst of a full-fledged zombie apocalypse--of the traditional, slow-moving zombie type. Acknowledging the cultural differences that strict gun laws bring about, they have to use their wits to commit the requisite head busting, enlisting unwanted LPs (after some debate over the merits of each), cricket bats, shovels and other items for the job. Of course it would be easier if any of our heroes were the slightest bit athletic and had any aim, but they get the job done. More or less.

    Furthering genre-fan fun, director/writer Edgar Wright and co-writer Pegg insert a lot of references to other zombie films--especially when it comes to explaining the source of the "epidemic". The "scientific" explanations given in Resident Evil (2002), 28 Days Later, all of Romero's Dead films--beginning with Night of the Living Dead (1968)--and possibly even Romero's The Crazies (1973) and then some are all mentioned in the background, but resolutely cut off before they're finished. Part of the reason might be that usually, the explanations were pretty ridiculous, and we didn't really care--we just wanted to get to the cool zombie stuff, such as limbs being torn off, guts being eaten, and brains being blown or smashed out of skulls.

    Wright and Pegg also insert clever nods to the subtexts of zombie films. Shaun looks and walks like a zombie when he's waking up. We see zombie like office workers, retail workers, and so on. There's also an amusing nod to filmic attempts to study and tame zombies, as well as organized militaristic defenses (both very prominent in 28 Days Later, but present in other films as well). There are interesting, more subtle and original zombie subtexts in Shaun of the Dead, also, such as the "mirrored" scene where Shaun and his crew meet up with Yvonne and her crew.

    As long as you like outrageous comedy, somewhat gory horror, and you don't mind mixing the two, Shaun of the Dead should provide an enjoyable ride. Although it is the most fun when you're very familiar with the source material it is spoofing and referencing, it is still a great comedy-horror film if viewed with fresher eyes, and not so much as a spoof.
    helpful•116
    43
    • BrandtSponseller
    • Feb 12, 2005

    FAQ13

    • What is "Shaun of the Dead" about?
    • Is "Shaun of the Dead" based on a book?
    • Is this a parody of "Dawn of the Dead"?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 24, 2004 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • France
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Rogue Pictures (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Giữa Bầy Xác Sống
    • Filming locations
      • The Duke of Albany - 39 Monson Road, New Cross, London, England, UK(exteriors: The Winchester)
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • StudioCanal
      • Working Title Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • £4,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $13,542,874
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,300,000
      • Sep 26, 2004
    • Gross worldwide
      • $38,365,002
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 39 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital EX
      • DTS-ES
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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