Edgar Wright’s (Last Night In Soho) 2004 zombie horror-comedy Shaun of the Dead is a fantastic film with a perfect ending that feels finished. But that doesn’t stop fans and studio execs from longing for more of Shaun’s story.
Twenty years later, Wright and co-writer/star Simon Pegg are still asked about it. In a July 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Pegg said that if a reboot, remake, or sequel were to happen, it would be “a cynical and exploitative exercise.” Plus, we have the “Three Flavours Cornetto” trilogy, which includes 2007’s Hot Fuzz and 2013’s The World’s End.
The idea to make a zombie movie was borne from an episode of their underrated series Spaced, created by Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, who plays Yvonne in SOTD. Pegg’s character Tim hallucinates he’s in a zombie apocalypse after an all-nighter playing Resident Evil 2.
A London-based zombie rom-com was a hard sell in the early aughts, but Wright and Pegg first won people over with their dedication and talent. And their film ultimately grossed over $30 million worldwide on a $6 million budget. It also got the seal of approval from the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, and George A. Romero, the iconic “Father of the Zombie Film.”
When we first meet Shaun (Simon Pegg), he’s presented as an unmotivated slacker. He’s sitting in his favorite pub the Winchester, barely paying attention to his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) as she goes on about how things need to change.
For starters, she wants more alone time with her boyfriend, who’s very attached to his best friend Ed (Nick Frost), an aimless drug dealer, so she doesn’t have to drag along her friends/flatmates Dianne (Lucy Davis) and David (Dylan Moran). Liz also doesn’t want to spend almost every night at the same pub, and in general, wants Shaun to sort his life out. It’s a reasonable thing to ask of a 29-year-old.
The next day, Shaun’s flatmate Pete (Peter Serafinowicz) also nags at him for being immature, blaming his inability to grow up on his friendship with Ed. On his way to and from work, he vaguely notices some odd sights — a woman fainting at a bus stop, one man sprinting down the street, another man trying to eat a pigeon. Vacant expressions and sluggish movements abound, his commute is a not-so-subtle metaphor for how unaware we are of our surroundings when we’re in a sea of people.
After he fails to keep his promise to secure a belated anniversary dinner reservation, Liz dumps him. Of course, Ed is right there to cheer him up with a laugh and a pint but getting drunk and spinning records is only a temporary fix for his quarter-life crisis. In true rom-com fashion, Shaun’s goal is to get Liz back. But first, he has some zombies to deal with.
Freshly dumped and hungover, Shaun makes his usual early morning walk to the shop, failing to see the quiet chaos around him. This is one of the many examples of why Shaun of the Dead is a masterclass in planting and payoff. From beginning to end, the entire film shows Wright and Pegg’s knack for foreshadowing and reiteration.
Because of the subjective nature of comedy and its reflection on society, many (or most) comedies don’t hold up. Shaun of the Dead manages to succeed, though. During the pandemic, Pegg and Frost even referenced their use of “gay” as a slur. “I know it’s 2020, but the original joke wasn’t intended as homophobic. It was more a comment on the absurdity of straight male appropriation of homophobic signifiers in order to denote their aversion to emotional candidness.”
Pegg also recently discussed a scene where Ed uses the n-word to greet their all-white group (which I honestly forgot about). “It’s a joke about how a clueless white guy has listened to too much rap music and thinks that that’s appropriate,” adding, “It’s not racist to talk about racism.” Nevertheless, he recognized this wouldn’t be a joke he’d write today.
Shaun of the Dead has more heart than one would expect of a comedy or horror movie, let alone a horror-comedy, particularly about Shaun, his mum Barbara (Penelope Wilton), and stepdad Philip (Bill Nighy). He has touching scenes with each of them individually with such emotional depth that you believe these three actors are an actual family with years of unsaid feelings.
Twenty years on, Shaun of the Dead continues to stand the test of time as a hilarious zombie flick about the mundanity of daily life interrupted by a zombie apocalypse. It pays homage to genre classics, while also having genuinely emotional moments, character growth, and an unmistakable Britishness. Although many have tried to replicate its greatness, it’s simply a perfect movie that’s one of a kind.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Shaun of the Dead returns exclusively to Dolby Cinema at AMC Theatres on August 30, 2024, for a limited time. It is also available to rent on Prime Video.
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