Day 4: Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Day Four: Shaun of the Dead (2004)

A Month of Horror

I have always wanted to do a marathon of "HORROR" throughout the month of October, one where I would revisit a new horror movie every day from the first to the thirty-first.  I will revisit the classics as well as new entries into the canon.  There are many movies that define this time of year, and I hope to showcase 31 of them this month...

October 4: Shaun of the Dead (2004)

I might not be a fan of the term "Zom-Rom-Com", but I am a huge fan of this movie.  For year's, the zombie genre had devolved into echoes of George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead", and none of them had the same impact that Romero's seminal black and white effort from 1968 had on the horror community.

What Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright got right with "Shaun of the Dead" was that they chose a different approach when they created what could best be described as a loving tribute to the films that Romero had created up to that point.  Romero himself was such a fan, that he cast Pegg and Wright as zombies in 2005's "Land of the Dead", his first return to the zombie genre he created since "Day of the Dead" in 1985.

"Shaun of the Dead" is a loving tribute, but it is also a movie that can stand tall on proud on its own two shambling feet.  Pegg and Wright wear their hearts on their sleeves throughout, but at no point does Shaun ever feel like just a comedy with zombies.

This is a movie with strong characters who are motivated by real-life situations.  The fact that it takes place during a zombie apocalypse is almost secondary, although it does allow for the conventions of the genre to be gently prodded and mocked throughout the duration of the story.

"Shaun of the Dead" is a film I could watch on a almost daily basis.  It is tender, frightening, and hilarious in equal measures.  This movie holds a special place in my life, and a special place in my "oh crap it's Halloween and I don't have a costume so I guess I will just go as Shaun again" costume repertoire.

Tomorrow's selection is another twisted version of classic Hollywood fare that will leave you squirming in your seat.