Shaun Of The Dead

SHAUN OF THE DEAD (MOVIE)
StudioCanal

Original release: April 9th, 2004
Running time: 99 minutes

Director: Edgar Wright
Writers: Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg

Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost

Sometimes it’s nice to have a best friend to do stuff with. Actually no, scratch that – it’s always great to have a best friend to do stuff with. Whether it’s a night out with a few drinks, a lazy day in the park, a holiday abroad or skipping work and heading off to the beach, you know you’re in for a good time with your best friend there with you. Sure, there might a few pointless squabbles along the way, you might even want to kill each other at some point during all the years you’ve been friends, but it’s never over anything truly serious. Even running over the family cat, or the family altogether, can’t keep the two of you apart.

At least that’s how it for me and my best friend. Through thick and thin we’ve been there for each other, but what about when the shit really hits the fan? We’ve often wondered how we’d fare during something like a zombie apocalypse; would we have the guts to do what really needs to be done? There’ve been a number of films over the years that deal with similar conundrums, but none more so than Edgar Wright’s seminal cult horror film/buddy movie, Shaun Of The Dead

Starring Simon Pegg (co-writer) and Nick Frost as a pair of best friends, Shaun and Ed, the film takes us to North London where things don’t look much different from how it usually is. People are seen going about their daily lives with the same lifeless glazed over look as always. On the buses they look barely awake, in the shops they stammer around and on street corners they don’t even know which way they’re going. It’s something we see every day but we never really pay attention to because we probably do it so often as well.

Shaun probably does it more than he’d like to admit. His life isn’t what you’d call an exciting one. He works at an electronics store where he’s surrounded by idiots 9 to 5, his relationship with his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) is less than fulfilling, mostly because they spend every evening at the local pub, the Winchester, and he lives with a permanently tense housemate, Pete (Peter Serafinowicz). At least he’s got Ed to always cheer him up, but Ed is lazy, unemployed, and everyone else hates him because he’s rude and just always seems to be where he’s not wanted.

When Liz ends up dumping Shaun after he fails to come up with something nice for them to do on their anniversary that doesn’t include Ed or the Winchester, the boys decide to have a booze-up, but then the next morning they realise things outside seem a little more dead than usual. The way Shaun gradually realizes this is hilarious because all around him are the obvious signs, but he’s too busy dealing his messy life to see it. Coming face to face with a zombie woman in the back garden, the pair resort to some unconventional ways to kill her once and for all, including Shaun’s old records, a cricket bat and a shovel, before learning from a news report that they should remove the head or destroy the brain.

Now they know about the zombie apocalypse that’s paralyzing the nation, Shaun’s first instincts are to gather Liz and his dear old mum and together with Ed they can find somewhere safe. That’s all fine and well, but where’s safe? Their group ends up being a little bit bigger with Liz’s friends David (Dylan Moran) and Dianne (Lucy Davis) and Shaun’s odd stepdad Phillip (Bill Nighy) thrown into the mix, and inevitably they end up with no other choice than to head for a lockdown at the safest place Shaun can think of – the Winchester!

Shaun Of The Dead was one of the most surprising horror films in recent decades. Effortlessly combining gore with comedy, it sends up everything we’ve learnt from the films that came before it while at the same time introducing us to two characters who’d go on to become synonymous with the horror genre. Shaun and Ed’s relationship at times verges on the absurd and childish, but there’s no denying that underneath all their teasing and joking they really do care for each other – and even a slight case of zombification can’t get in the way of such a bro-mance.

Patrick Samuel

The founder of Static Mass Emporium and one of its Editors in Chief is an emerging artist with a philosophy degree, working primarily with pastels and graphite pencils, but he also enjoys experimenting with water colours, acrylics, glass and oil paints.

Being on the autistic spectrum with Asperger’s Syndrome, he is stimulated by bold, contrasting colours, intricate details, multiple textures, and varying shades of light and dark. Patrick's work extends to sound and video, and when not drawing or painting, he can be found working on projects he shares online with his followers.

Patrick returned to drawing and painting after a prolonged break in December 2016 as part of his daily art therapy, and is now making the transition to being a full-time artist. As a spokesperson for autism awareness, he also gives talks and presentations on the benefits of creative therapy.

Static Mass is where he lives his passion for film and writing about it. A fan of film classics, documentaries and science fiction, Patrick prefers films with an impeccable way of storytelling that reflect on the human condition.

Patrick Samuel ¦ Asperger Artist

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