{"id":9387,"date":"2021-03-08T14:16:14","date_gmt":"2021-03-08T14:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/?p=9387"},"modified":"2023-02-09T18:49:23","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T18:49:23","slug":"shaun-of-the-dead-2004","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/film\/shaun-of-the-dead-2004\/","title":{"rendered":"Genuine Horror in Shaun of the Dead (2004)"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Film<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Never the butt of the joke:<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Genuine horror in<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Shaun of the Dead<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Parody or pastiche? Nick Bartlett revisits Shaun of the Dead to explore the balance between horror and humour, finding it a heartfelt homage to Romero’s vision…<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

One of the first horror movie experiences of my life was sitting with my dad and watching the iconic An American Werewolf In London<\/em> (John Landis, 1981) when I was far too young.<\/strong><\/p>

I remember thinking how funny the opening was, how likeable both David and Jack were. They aren\u2019t your typical heroes; they\u2019re dorky, likeable and genuinely funny. I was utterly shaken by the suddenness and brutality of the first attack, and much of this is due to actually liking the characters. For the first half-hour of the film, you laugh along with them and put yourself in their shoes, which makes the inevitable horror all the more unnerving \u2013 in the best way possible. The comedy actually makes you relate to these characters in a way that you never can with the generic, square-jawed heroes of most conventional horror films, and it only serves to intensify the horror.<\/p>

This applies just as much to Shaun Of The Dead<\/i><\/b> (Edgar Wright, 2004). Frequently and justifiably held up as one of the best comedy horrors of all time, it is often referred to as pure comedy but the horror elements are there and played admirably straight. The comedy is genuinely funny and the horror is at least authentic, if not outright scary.<\/p>

\"shaun<\/p>

You could nitpick all day over the latter point but I would argue that most zombie films, particularly the original trilogy by Romero, aren\u2019t exactly terrifying, but rather incredibly fatalistic stories filled with horrifying gore effects, more concerned with story than scares. The moments where you cover your eyes aren\u2019t traditionally scary as much as incredibly suspenseful. In this regard, Shaun Of The Dead<\/i><\/b> is undeniably cut from the same cloth, and, if anything feels like a new instalment of Romero\u2019s series. (It certainly feels more in-keeping with the original trilogy than any of Romero\u2019s later sequels.)<\/p>

Paul Martinovic addresses this in his article for Den Of Geek: \u2018What sets Shaun apart from its horror-comedy peers is its commitment to the Romero zombie framework \u2013 Braindead<\/i><\/b> (Peter Jackson, 1992 ) and\u00a0Evil Dead 2<\/i><\/b> (Sam Raimi, 1987) are magnificent, innovative comedies, but they forgo the more horrific aspects of zombie lore that are so well-articulated in the Romero films in favour of turning them into gloopy, slapstick cannon fodder.\u2019[1]<\/b>\u00a0Shaun Of The Dead<\/b>, by comparison, remains faithful to Romero\u2019s zombie mythology. While there are some really slick comedy set-pieces, it\u2019s consistent in its depiction of the undead.<\/p>

Wright and Simon Pegg transpose the pop culture-infused, dynamic aesthetic they perfected with Jessica Hynes on Spaced<\/i><\/b> (Channel 4, 1999-2001) to a horror setting, and the result is pretty much a perfect comedy horror. Shaun (Pegg) is in a dead-end job and on the verge of being dumped by his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield). After the initial zombie outbreak \u2013 sorry, I know we\u2019re not supposed to use the Z-word \u2013 Shaun leaps into action, trying to save his girlfriend, his mum (Penelope Wilton) and his relationship, all in the safe sanctuary of their local pub, The Winchester.<\/p>

\"shaun<\/p>

What distinguishes Shaun Of The Dead<\/i><\/b> from the swathe of comedy horrors that followed is the way that everyone plays their characters completely straight. There\u2019s no ironic detachment or self-awareness here; the comedy comes from their reactions to the outbreak (\u2018we\u2019ve drawn the curtains\u2019) and pre-existing interpersonal dynamics. There\u2019s the tension between Shaun and his infantile best friend Ed (Nick Frost), Shaun\u2019s refusal to accept his stuffy stepfather Philip (Bill Nighy) as his dad, and the all-too-plausible love square (?) of Shaun, Liz, and her flatmates: the priggish David (Dylan Moran) and theatrical Dianne (Lucy Davis).<\/p>

This also applies to the zombies themselves. They are never the butt of the joke and present a constant and legitimate threat. As Keith Phipps puts it in his piece for The AV Club: \u2018The zombies come straight out of a George Romero film, lumbering along with a fearsome intensity.\u2019[2] <\/b>By way of contrast, in Cockneys vs Zombies<\/i><\/b> (Matthias Hoene, 2012), Richard Briers escapes a zombie while using a zimmer frame and exclaiming \u2018Oooh! Zombieees!\u2019 In Shaun Of The Dead<\/i><\/b>, these aren\u2019t \u2018comedy zombies\u2019 and the threat is treated as very real. The final act is as dark as any horror, and David\u2019s gruesome death is treated as horrific \u2013 unlike, say, This Is The End<\/i><\/b> (Evan Goldberg\/Seth Rogan, 2013) where the celebrity deaths are treated as punchlines. There is an urgency to Shaun that means a lot of the jokes are easy to miss, but it respects the monsters enough to never nod and wink at the audience.<\/p>

Wright has since drifted into more overtly comedic territory, to the extent that it\u2019s now a little jarring to watch the nastier scenes of Shaun Of The Dead<\/i><\/b>. Hot Fuzz<\/i><\/b> (2007) and The World\u2019s End <\/i><\/b>(2013) are excellent \u2013 much better than they are given credit for \u2013 and both have moments of pathos that Wright handles deftly. However, Shaun Of The Dead<\/i><\/b> is undoubtedly the most successful at seamlessly weaving together the disparate elements. From the moment the survivors reach The Winchester, it strays very quickly away from comedy and into pure horror.<\/p>

\"shaun<\/p>

In fact, everything happens so quickly from this point that it\u2019s easy to miss just how many genres the film is straddling. First, we have the \u2018Don\u2019t Stop Me Now<\/i>\u2019 sequence, which is often referred to as the highlight of the film from a comic standpoint. Straight after that comes the first proper attack by the zombies, complete with John Carpenter-esque music and a thrilling Assault On Precinct 13<\/i>-style shootout (Moran\u2019s hand-flapping panic is a great encapsulation of the suspense). This is followed by the reveal that Shaun\u2019s mum has been bitten; she quickly succumbs to the bite in an incredibly raw and emotional moment, which in turn becomes a Mexican standoff as David tries to shoot her. Once the tension has abated, and David gets his long-overdue punch in the face, he attempts to shoot Shaun and is subsequently torn to shreds by zombies. This is an insane range to go through. Even after David\u2019s death, which is undoubtedly the film\u2019s nastiest moment, Wright keeps the intensity up. The zombified Pete (Peter Serafinowicz) appears, and the rest of the dead overwhelm the pub. It\u2019s quite an achievement, and shouldn\u2019t be written off as \u2018just\u2019 a silly comedy. In fact, by the time the ending rolls around, we could not be further from the light-hearted comedy of the first half.<\/p>

I think a popular misconception is that Shaun Of The Dead<\/i><\/b> is a horror parody or spoof. It\u2019s not. It\u2019s a pastiche that is also a comedy. Wright clearly respects the horror genre, paying loving homage to his favourite horror films, from the obvious references to George A Romero and John Carpenter to more niche ones including Sam Raimi, John Landis and Lucio Fulci. He emulates shots and sequences from classic films as well as putting his own unique spin on the genre. The whip pans and quick cuts he mastered in Spaced<\/i><\/b> are present and give the film a kinetic quality. Yes, there are jokes in there too, but it\u2019s also a film with real drive behind it. The gags, especially those early on, all serve to keep the story moving and contribute to the heightened drama of the climax. It\u2019s a meticulously constructed film.<\/p>

Another reason it works as well as it does is that the characters are all living, breathing people. Romero\u2019s films tend to be populated with archetypes rather than fully fleshed-out characters, while the characters in Shaun Of The Dead<\/i><\/b> are painfully human and motivated by that most uniquely human trait, love. Shaun himself is striving to be better and protect his friends and family at all costs, and the price he pays is so painful because of the warmth and affection we feel for the group. In his piece for Film School Rejects, M. J. Mcintyre writes: \u2018When Ed dies at the hands and teeth of the zombie horde, your heart breaks for him and for Shaun, because the love they had was palpable and the lengths they would go to help their friend were endless.\u2019[3] <\/b>Wright\u2019s film has a genuine heart to it, and, while you could argue that this dilutes the horror, in fact, it makes it all the more relatable.<\/p>

In a good horror, we relate to the main characters. In a good comedy, we love them. Shaun Of The Dead<\/i><\/b> is an incredibly funny film, with appropriately horrific moments, and scenes of pathos that are raw and realistic. However, it\u2019s also full of warmth and love for its characters, which makes it all the more upsetting when they start getting picked off. It\u2019s a perfectly judged mixture of comedy and horror, and the varying degrees of success enjoyed by subsequent British horror-comedies, combined with the fact that they are invariably compared to Shaun Of The Dead<\/i><\/b>, speaks of its enduring appeal, and its continued potency as the highpoint of this blend of genres.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Sources<\/u>:<\/p>

[1]<\/b>\u00a0Looking Back At Shaun Of The Dead<\/a>, <\/em>Den Of Geek, Paul Martinovic (2012)<\/p>

[2]<\/b>\u00a0Shaun Of The Dead<\/a>, <\/em>AV Club, Keith Phipps (2004)<\/p>

[3]<\/b>\u00a0Shaun Of The Dead and finding horror with humor and heart<\/a>, <\/em>Film School Rejects, M. J. McIntyre (2019)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Picture\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNick Bartlett\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Huge film geek, doodler and owner of a moody cat. Writes for @frontrowreviews @criticalpopcorn @Right_Movies and @deadfinksdontblog.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\"Bernard<\/a><\/div>
\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tBernard Cribbins: The Lost Interview\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t28\/07\/2022\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tA never before published interview with the late Bernard Cribbins, originally conducted almost 30 years ago by Adam Jezard, in which the actor discusses his work in the genres of horror, fantasy, and science fiction...\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/article><\/div>
\"A<\/a><\/div>
\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tTyranny, Patriarchy and Coercion: Ritual Control in A Dark Song (2016)\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t30\/09\/2020\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tJoe Howsin explores themes centred around the notion of control in Liam Gavin's 2016 British horror, A Dark Song...\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/article><\/div>
\"rewilding<\/a><\/div>
\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tInspiring Rewilding (2023)\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t08\/02\/2023\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tAs the folk horror anthology Rewilding lands on Prime Video, its director Ric Rawlins discusses ten of its key inspirations \u2013 from Moomins to M.R James\u2026\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/article><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

More British horror films ><\/a><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Parody or pastiche? Nick Bartlett revisits Shaun of the Dead to explore the balance between horror and humour, finding it a heartfelt homage to Romero’s vision…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":125613,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[1405,1403,1404,1426],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/MV5BMTM1NjM2MDUyNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODUwMzIyMw@@._V1_.jpg?fit=2048%2C1346&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9387"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9387"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9387\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":125631,"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9387\/revisions\/125631"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horrifiedmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}