Shaun of the Dead is a 2004 zombie comedy film directed by Edgar Wright and written by Wright and Simon Pegg. Pegg stars as Shaun, a downtrodden salesman in London who is caught in a zombie apocalypse with his friend Ed (Nick Frost). The film co-stars Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy, and Penelope Wilton. It is the first instalment in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, followed by Hot Fuzz (2007) and The World's End (2013).
Shaun of the Dead developed from ideas Pegg and Wright used for their television series Spaced, particularly an episode where Pegg's slacker character hallucinates a zombie invasion. The film references the Dead films directed by George A. Romero. Principal photography took place across London and at Ealing Studios between May and June 2003.
The film premiered in London on 29 March 2004 and was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 9 April 2004 and in the United States on 24 September. It was met with acclaim and commercial success, grossing $30 million worldwide on a budget of $6.1 million and receiving two nominations at the British Academy Film Awards. It was ranked third on the Channel 4 list of the 50 Greatest Comedy Films and quickly acquired a cult following. In film studies, the film is seen as a product of post-9/11 anxiety, as well as a model for transnational comedy. The spread of zombiism in the film has been used as a modelling example for disease control.
Plot
In Crouch End, London, 29-year-old electronics salesman Shaun has no direction in his life. He is disrespected by his colleagues, does not get along with his stepfather, Philip, and is dumped by his girlfriend, Liz, after he fails to make decent plans for a date to celebrate their three-year anniversary. Heartbroken, Shaun gets drunk with Ed, his weed-dealing slacker best friend, at their favourite pub, the Winchester. At home, Shaun and Ed's flatmate Pete complains of a bite wound from a mugger and berates Shaun into getting his life together.
By morning, a zombie apocalypse has overwhelmed London. Shaun and Ed are slow to notice until they encounter two zombies in their garden, whom they beat to death with a shovel and cricket bat (after several failed attempts throwing household implements and Shaun's record collection). They devise a plan to rescue Liz and Barbara, Shaun's mother, and then wait out the crisis in the Winchester. They escape from a now-zombified Pete in Pete's car and pick up Philip, who has been bitten, and Barbara. After Ed deliberately crashes Pete's car, they use Philip's Jaguar to pick up Liz and her flatmates, David and Dianne. Philip reconciles with Shaun before Philip becomes a zombie.
Forced to abandon the car and their weapons, the group sneak through their London neighbourhood, running into a group led by Shaun's friend, Yvonne. Shaun defends Barbara from a zombie, which he is forced to impale with a swingball pole. After imitating zombies to get through a horde and reach the Winchester, Shaun and Ed argue after Ed answers his mobile phone, attracting the zombies' attention. After David panics and breaks a window to gain access to the Winchester, Shaun is forced to lure them away using himself as bait. After the group takes refuge inside the Winchester, Shaun discovers that the zombies followed him, and Ed unwittingly attracts them by playing on the pub's fruit machine. Whilst fighting the zombified landlord, Shaun discovers that the Winchester rifle above the bar is functional. Barbara reveals she was bitten, and dies after giving Liz and Shaun's relationship her approval. David attempts to shoot Barbara, but Shaun stops him, causing the group to argue. Shaun accuses David of hating him and being in love with Liz, which Dianne admits she knows is true. Shaun, distraught, is forced to shoot Barbara when she becomes a zombie. Further fighting ensues after David states that Shaun was right to shoot Barbara.
Zombies break into the pub and devour David. Dianne rushes into the horde brandishing David's detached leg, opening a door and allowing it to enter. The zombified Pete appears and bites Ed, and Shaun shoots and kills Pete. Shaun, Liz, and Ed take cover behind the bar, which Shaun sets ablaze; the shells left on the bar ignite, killing several zombies by chance. The three take refuge in the cellar, where, realising they only have two bullets left, Shaun and Liz contemplate suicide while Ed elects to be devoured by the zombies. Shaun discovers a keg lift that opens out onto the street, and Ed volunteers to stay with the rifle as the zombies break in. The British Army arrive with Yvonne in tow, gun down the horde, and take Shaun and Liz to safety.