Shaun Of The Dead is the best horror/comedy in years and it's a perfect mixture of witty banter, laughs, and zombie mayhem. The most surprising thing about it though is the fact it comes to us from Britain, a country not exactly known for their walking dead flicks.

Co-writer Simon Pegg stars as the titular Shaun, a twenty-nine-year-old regular joe who isn't overly ambitious, lives with his somewhat obnoxious best friend Ed (Nick Frost, who almost steals the show at times), and has just broken up with his fed-up girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield). As if his life couldn't get any worse there's soon an outbreak of flesh eating zombies in London and it's up to Shaun and Ed to try and stay alive (and kill a few undead here and there) while they head-out to save Liz (and maybe, just maybe, Shaun'll be able to reconsile), Shaun's mother, and anyone else who they run into.

Destined to be a cult classic, and already gaining that status in its home country, this is what makes being a horror fan great. It's a lot of fun, there's tons of references specially in the movie for us fans, and it's satricially funny but at the same time doesn't shy away from gore scenes (of which there are plenty in the finale).

If you're looking for a riotious time and you want to see one of the best unserious horror flicks since 1992's Dead Alive, then Shaun Of The Dead fits the bill perfectly. Pegg (who does good as the meek hero) and director/co-writer Edgar Wright pack this full of pleasing moments and smart humour and here's hoping this will be as big a hit in North America as it was in England.

My favourite scenes involve Shaun's oblivion to the destruction around him after a night of drinking, the first zombie moment and the great "metal pipe" and "record" parts, and the fact Shaun uses a cricket bat as a weapon for most of the film.

See this now, it's the best horror film of the year so far. (Chris Hartley, 9/19/04)

Directed By: Edgar Wright.
Written By: Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright.

Starring: Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Nick Frost.

Picture Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen.

Picture Quality: Given the lower budget of this film it's quite nice to see that Universal has given it a top class presentation as it looks great and there's no real flaws to take away from your enjoyment.

Extras: Firstly it's good to see the cool as Hell animated menus have survived the films Region 2 DVD. Then it comes to the extras which will please fans of the movie as it's obvious the filmmakers (who are horror fans) had a hand in bringing us a great batch of material including the trailer, the "Zombie Gallery" (a photo gallery, poster design gallery, and the awesome "2000 Ad Strip" which is basically a four page comic book); there's "Raw Meat" which consists of star Pegg's video diary, casting tapes, the flipchart director Wright and star/co-writer Pegg used to lay the movie out before filming, a featurette on the effects, make-up tests, and a EPK featurette (which is basically a "behind-the-scenes); next is "TV bits" which is extended footage of some of the fake TV shows shown during the movie including the interview with rock group Coldplay, some bizarre zombie gameshow, and Rikki Lake-like talk show "Trisha"; then it's "Missing Bits" that has outtakes, "plot holes" (a feature that has some of the films plot holes explained by the characters while a cartoon strip is shown), 15 extended scenes with optional commentary, the hilarious "Funky Pete" scene, and "Man Who Would Be Shawn"; and if that's not enough for you there's also two entertaining commentaries on board one with director Wright and Pegg and the other a rambunctious cast commentary. That's right the best horror film of 2004 is also one of the best DVD's of 2004!