Shaun of the Dead
Focus Features | Release Date: September 24, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews
Positive:
35
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleCarla Meyer
Remarkably fresh and inventive. Read full review
90
NewsweekDevin Gordon
Takes the prize. It's a bloody hoot. Read full review
90
Screen RantGrant Hermanns
It's not only a modern classic of the zombie genre, but one that is sure to stand the test of time for the next 20 years and beyond. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
The most original comedy from either side of the pond in years. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneRobert K. Elder
A gleefully gory, pitch-perfect parody of George Romero's zombie films. But this isn't a movie about other movies. Shaun of the Dead stands on its own. Read full review
88
PremiereAaron Hillis
Whatever you want to label this quick-paced crowd-pleaser, it is definitely one of the year's must-sees. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
The daffy, innately British joke that propels the cheeky U.K. comedy hit Shaun of the Dead is that although real zombies have risen up -- slacker wankers Shaun (Simon Pegg) and his best pal and roommate, Ed (Nick Frost), are too slack, wankerish, and blitheringly British to notice. Read full review
83
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
It's bloody brilliant. Read full review
80
Film ThreatJim Agnew
Extremely funny, side splitting good time. Read full review
80
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Mixing horror and humor is no mean feat, but Shaun Of The Dead tightens throats in fear without making the laughs stick there in the process. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyErnest Hardy
In this truly retro horror flick, the heroes and heroines don't just quip over the action (though they do get off some funny lines); they're knee-deep in it, and scared sh------. Read full review
80
The New York TimesStephen Holden
By treating the genre as a joke, this satire, whose title plays off George A. Romero's 1979 golden oldie, "Dawn of the Dead," yields ironic dramatic dividends. Read full review
80
Washington PostDesson Thomson
The movie's wonderfully original, fast-moving and funny. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Pegg and Wright are out of their depth in the second half, when they try to engage the more disturbing elements of Romero's movies, but their disaffected slacker take on the genre is a welcome alternative to the usual bloodbaths. Read full review
80
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
If the zombie genre steadfastly refuses to die, we can be grateful to Shaun of the Dead for breathing fresh, diverting life into the form, with subtle visual humor and a smart, impish sense of fun. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Blast of fright and fun. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Mines a great deal of its humor from the can't-be-bothered attitude of British culture, but the jokes survive the trip across the Atlantic mostly intact. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
This gory horror romp is a goofball medley of "Dawn of the Dead," "28 Days Later" . . . , and Monty Python-style severed-limbs/blood-spurting sicko comedy. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. Musetto
Pegg and director/co-writer Edgar Wright mix numerous references to other zombie flicks with hilarious bits of their own. The best has Ed and Shaun deciding which LPs can be used as ammo. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Every moment... is a cleverly constructed live-action joke on aloofness: The world is ending, and these people are too self-centered to notice. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
I like the way the slacker characters maintain their slothful gormlessness in the face of urgent danger, and I like the way the British bourgeois values of Shaun's mum and dad assert themselves even in the face of catastrophe. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Leah McLaren
Plays perfectly on two levels — it's a clever comedy, but disguised as a fun, dumb horror flick. A movie made to delight, and even accidentally enlighten, both the living and the dead. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
Its social satire is so dead-on. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Offers a welcome riff on a well-worn horror standard. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
This is an unusual source of entertainment. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterRay Bennett
It's worth sticking around for the coda too as it contains some hilarious and very politically incorrect suggestions as to how zombies might be put to work once they've been tamed. Read full review
70
VarietyDerek Elley
A classic example of a clever idea that could easily have run out of steam halfway. However, co-scripters Pegg and Wright structure it as a classic three-acter (set-up, journey, finale) with enough twists, character development and small set pieces to keep the comedy boiling. Read full review
70
The New YorkerAnthony Lane
Pegg co-wrote the screenplay with the director, Edgar Wright, and together they have fashioned a smart, cultish, semi-disgusting homage to the fine British art of not bothering. Read full review
70
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
The actors are all on target (particularly Penelope Wilton as Shaun's relentlessly cheery mum), and taken on its own shaky legs it's a wittier genre coda than "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein." Read full review
70
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
Good, goofy fun, but given the attendant hype, there may be a danger of excessively high expectations from horror fans. Read full review
70
SlateDavid Edelstein
The comic high point in Shaun of the Dead comes when Lucy Davis, from the great BBC sitcom "The Office," teaches the band of survivors how to lurch like zombies so that they can pass among the undead. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
It's a grisly but sweet ode to friendship, love and the George Romero zombie trilogy. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Both genuinely funny and authentically horrifying, it puts the average horror comedy to shame. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
Enjoys the weird distinction of being one of the year's funniest comedies and one of the best zombie movies ever made. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
For those who like their spoofs silly and their cartoonish gore vivid, Shaun offers some amusement. Read full review
More From This Movie

76 Critic Reviews

8.5 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 72 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL