Shaun of the Dead (2004)

This critically and commercially successful British horror-comedy – co-written by director Edgar Wright and star Simon Pegg and self-described as a “rom-zom-com” (romantic zombie comedy) – was made for just $6 million, went on to gross $38.7 million globally, and became an instant cult classic.

Shaun (Pegg) is an unmotivated, 29-year-old electronics retail salesman stuck in a dull London routine.

His girlfriend, Liz (Kate Ashfield), breaks up with him because he spends all his free time drinking with his lazy flatmate Ed (Nick Frost) at their local pub, The Winchester.

When an abrupt (unexplained) zombie uprising sweeps across London, Shaun is initially so oblivious to the chaos that he walks right past the early signs of the undead during his morning shop run.

As the zombie situation across London rapidly deteriorates, Shaun must step up, gather his mother, his stepfather, Liz, and her friends, and guide them to the safest place he knows to ride out the invasion – The Winchester pub.

The film follows in the footsteps of horror legend George A. Romero by using zombies to mock contemporary culture. It highlights how modern-day citizens – glued to phones, dragging through commutes, and working dead-end jobs – already act like zombies before the real outbreak even occurs.

Romero was so impressed by the spoof that he gave the creators his endorsement and invited Pegg and Wright to cameo as zombies in his 2005 picture, Land of the Dead.

Shaun
Simon Pegg
Liz
Kate Ashfield
Ed
Nick Frost
Dianne
Lucy Davis
David
Dylan Moran
Mary
Nicola Cunningham
Pete
Peter Serafinowicz
Nelson
Arvind Doshi
Noel
Rafe Spall
Danny
Sonnell Dadral
Philip
Bill Nighy
Yvonne
Jessica Stevenson
Snakehips
Stuart Powell
John
Steve Emerson
Bernie
Phyllis MacMahon
Barbara
Penelope Wilton
Declan
Martin Freeman
Mark
Reece Shearsmith
Maggie
Tamsin Greig
Yvonne’s Mum
Julia Deakin
Cousin Tom
Matt Lucas
Keith Chegwin (voice)
Himself

Dircteor
Edgar Wright