A legend of a movie in a genre that has some of the worst movies to ever be made

Rating: 9/10 (17 February 2018)

'Shaun of the Dead' is an absolute classic. I'm reviewing this movie as someone who has seen it at best 10 times, if not more, over the years and that should be proof of how good it actually is.
Admittedly, this movie is much more appealing to a British audience since the British culture and humour may be difficult to understand or unfunny to non-Brits. But for those that do get its wittiness and dark sense of humour, it's hilarious and unforgettable.
As a horror fan, zombies and comedies are probably my two least favourite sub-genres, yet 'Shaun of the Dead' manages to combine the two in the most brilliant way. The humour is consistent with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost being the perfect comedic duo to play best friends, Shaun and Ed. It's clear to see that the two have a friendship off-screen that transitions onto screen and provides a very endearing and funny dynamic between them.
With most comedy horrors, the humour falls flat for me, but in Shaun of the Dead, despite it being delivered in many forms, it's always effective. There's the traditional slapstick comedy with the tripping, falling, funny faces (Simon Pegg's excels in this), there's comedy in the disaster of the character's and their numerous failings, the dialogue is dripping with snappy one-liners that are subtle but funny and there's even humour in the repetitiveness and mundane nature of their lives which continues even amidst a zombie apocalypse. There's the irony with lines such as "You're dead" and play-ons/foreshadowing of events to come with lines such as, "You've got red on you" and the opening scene with everybody going about their lives like zombies. These kind of subtleties are really what make the movie so genius.
Despite the comedic nature, there's also very serious scenes interwoven that evoke emotion and lead to reflection. Although fun is poked at the mess Shaun's life has become and death, it knows when to draw the line and take a step back from the humour. Surprisingly, the cast are just as capable of pulling off the more emotional scenes as they are the funny ones and towards the end there are some very heavy scenes that serve as a reminder that for the characters they're very much living through this hell.
What makes 'Shaun of the Dead' so brilliant is that you can see every single detail from beginning to end has been well thought out and meticulously planned. The ending beckons back to the beginning and throughout there are running gags or recurring themes or pieces of dialogue that really define the movie and make it distinctive. The plot and events are foreshadowed or prophesied from the very beginning and everything comes together in a very cohesive way.
In my opinion, 'Shaun of the Dead' is a classic in the horror-comedy genre that, although may not be everyone's cup of tea, has the perfect balance of comedy, emotion and gore supported by a brilliant cast.