If farcical satire, a little bit of gore, and winking film references are your cup of tea then you're going to love Zombieland. Another "zom-com" in the wake of Shaun of the Dead's cult following, this is most likely to be on my end of the year list as one of the best horror films of 2009, even if it is more comedy than anything. It joins last years Dance of the Dead as evidence that funny things can be done with the gut-munching sub-genre and both films are a welcome, and highly entertaining, injection of life (see what I did there?) into the undead canon.

We first learn that zombies have overrun America from our unlikely hero, and narrator, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), who is so named because it's the city he hails from. In fact, he's trying to make his way back there from college in hopes that his family is still alive. Not the most macho of teenagers, he's nonetheless managed to survive by following a list of rules he's created over time. Rules such as "Cardio", "Seatbelts", and the immensely enjoyable "Doubletap" are some of the examples and they pop-up at the most unexpected times in the film and manage to make you smile every time.

After he survives an attack at a gas station we're treated to what is the best credits sequence in a horror movie since 2004's Dawn of the Dead. Just like Zack Snyder's remake, these moments showing zombies overrunning the World (mostly in glorious, and inventive, slow-motion), are hugely enjoyable for the soundtrack selection. In Dawn it was Johnny Cash's "When the Man Comes Around" that heralded in the undead apocalypse, here it's Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls".

From here Zombieland becomes a sort of twisted 'buddy comedy' as Columbus ends-up travelling with the Redneck cowboy, Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) who absolutely loves killing zombies and is on a constant quest to find a Twinkie. This gives scripters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (who worked together on the forgettable Spike reality/comedy series, "The Joe Schmo Show") the opportunity to have plenty of humourous moments including Columbus' retelling of how the hot girl from next door tried to bite him after turning and a supermarket zombie hunt that starts with Tallahassee plucking out the famous "Duelling Banjos" from Deliverance.

Eventually the story settles down into a road trip groove as our two unlikely companions are double-crossed numerous times by con artist sisters Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) before they all band together and end-up on a side journey to California which leads to a sequence set in a Hollywood mansion that contains what is possibly the best cameo in recent memory and a finale filled with hungry zombies at an amusement park.

Under the direction of the debuting Ruben Fleischer, Zombieland is a fast-paced and stylish effort that works incredibly well thanks to a game cast, many visual gags that are funny without being overused, and a tone that just clicked. While there are a few moments of gore during the first half-hour (and a little bit more at the end), it's not the main thing here. In fact, the zombies aren't either, as the script spends more time focussing on our weary travellers and they cross a barren American landscape. And I was perfectly fine with that because I was having so much fun watching their mishaps and adventures that it never upset me this wasn't what you'd call a 'balls to the wall' horror flick.

In the lead role, Eisenberg brings a cautious, nerdy, and anal-retentive vibe to Columbus, though it did feel like the character was written for Michael Cera (Superbad, "Arrested Development"). I've always felt that Harrelson was an underrated comedic talent (case in point, Kingpin) and he runs with it here making Tallahassee the right mix of badass and hidden softie. Stone and Breslin also supply able support with the younger Breslin stealing some scenes and giving her best performance since Little Miss Sunshine.

Zombieland represents the best kind of movie going experience. It's one that came out of seemingly nowhere and gave me one of my most enjoyable times in the theatre this year. It might not quite reach the ingenious levels of Edgar Wright's Shaun but it offered a refreshing break amongst the, often bleak, zombie movies of late. Even better, it's turned out to be a surprise box-office hit, proving that with the right mix of blood and chuckles it's possible for this type of film to garner an audience. (Chris Hartley, 10/26/09)

Directed By: Ruben Fleischer.
Written By: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick.

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin.