Shaun Of The Dead Analysis

Shaun of the Dead
Kelsie Saddler
Wesleyan College

Rotting corpses, blood and guts are all unpleasant yet these elements are essential to any great horror film. Spoofing of horror films became popular in the year 2000 with films like Scary Movie that added ironic comedy and exaggerated plots to the gory slayings of serial killers and psychopaths. Most recently, zombies are all the rage. Zombies have hit the media full force with films and shows such as Zombie Land, 28 Days Later, I am legend, The Walking Dead, and World War Z. Shaun of the Dead is a British horror movie spoof about a unambitious 29 year old man, Shaun, who is trying to turn his life around and save the love of his life and his mum from a zombie apocalypse.
His roommate gives Shaun a lecture, similar to his talk with Liz, complaining that Shaun is being held back by Ed who refuses to leave, pay rent, or close the front door. Shaun’s roommate mentions that everyone at his office is out sick and that some crack-heads bit his hand on is way home the previous night. Shaun heads to his menial job where none of the other employees, who are mostly much younger high school kids, take him seriously. Shaun is left in charge due to the fact that everyone else mysteriously called in sick. His step father shows up at Shaun’s work to remind him about their dinner with his mum and suggests Shaun brings flowers to compensate for forgetting last time. This shows that Shaun is unreliable and irresponsible, even to his family. Shaun goes out to buy his mum flowers the day before their dinner, obviously not thinking. To no one’s surprise, Shaun doesn’t remember to make the reservation for his date with Liz so she dumps
She nonchalantly mentions that the people outside her house were “bitey” and that her husband has been bit. Shaun allows his stepfather to escape with them knowing that he will soon turn into a zombie. They pick up Liz and her roommates who were not particularly happy about Shaun’s plan. While on their way to Winchesters, Shaun and his father have a heart to heart just before he dies. Once Shaun notices his step father’s cloudy eyes, he makes everyone get out of the car and leave on foot. Once they reach the pub, they realize it is surrounded so they decide to act like zombies to get through the crown unnoticed. Their plan would have been successful if Ed would not have answered his cell phone. This infuriates Shaun, who finally snaps on Ed, drawing more attention to them by the surrounding man eating zombies. This is a pivotal moment in the movie for Shaun in whom he realizes that Ed is holding him back and decides to become the hero. Shaun begins to jump up and down while screaming to get the zombie’s attention. Shaun acts as a distraction and leads the mob of zombies away so his friends and family can survive. Once inside, Shaun’s mum confesses to Liz that she has been infected. Shaun returns and they convince him that he has to kill her before she kills them. At this moment, they start to see silhouettes of zombies outside where they had returned. Typical Ed, not