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(About Our Ads) "SHAUN OF THE DEAD" (2004) (Simon Pegg, Nick Frost) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Extreme Moderate *Heavy Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Moderate Extreme None Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate Moderate Heavy Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Comedy/Horror: An ordinary guy tries to get back with his ex-girlfriend while trying to avoid zombies that have overrun the city and want them and their friends and family dead. PLOT: Shaun (SIMON PEGG) is an ordinary and unambitious 29-year-old sales manager at an appliance store in London. Not only is his flat-mate, Pete (PETER SERAFINOWICZ), upset with him over his unemployed freeloader friend Ed (NICK FROST) staying with them, but Shaun is also in the doghouse with his girlfriend of several years, Liz (KATE ASHFIELD). She's disappointed that he forgot their anniversary and that things haven't changed between them, despite him promising just that. Accordingly, she breaks up with him, much to the delight of her friends Diane (LUCY DAVIS) and David (DYLAN MORAN). While dejected, Shaun has more to worry about that than just that. Something has somehow caused the dead to come back to life as zombies and it's not long before the city is crawling with them. After hearing that the way to deal with the living dead is to remove their heads or injure their brains, Shaun and Ed proceed to do just that. Realizing they need to get somewhere that's both safe and familiar, however, they decide to head to their local pub, but not before picking up Shaun's mom, Barbara (PENELOPE WILTON), stepdad, Philip (BILL NIGHY) and Liz if they can convince her to come. She reluctantly does, along with Diane and David, and the survivors then make a perilous and funny journey to the pub where they hope to find sanctuary against all of the zombies that want them dead. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into zombie films, horror-based comedies and/or are fans of anyone in the cast, they just might (as might other general teenagers who hear about it). WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For zombie violence/gore and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: SIMON PEGG plays an ordinary and unambitious sales manager who tries to get his girlfriend back, all while in the midst of a zombie outbreak. He takes control of the situation, kills various zombies, smokes, drinks, and uses strong profanity. NICK FROST plays his equally unambitious and unemployed friend who's crashing at his place. He drinks, smokes, uses strong profanity and joins in the quest to kill zombies and find safety in the pub. KATE ASHFIELD plays Shaun's girlfriend who's just dumped him on the eve of the zombie outbreak. She uses some profanity. LUCY DAVIS plays one of her friends who's pleased that she's dumped Shaun but isn't happy over the zombie situation. DYLAN MORAN plays their other friend, a naysayer who uses profanity and doesn't like Shaun. PENELOPE WILTON plays Shaun's mother who's oblivious to the undead outbreak. BILL NIGHY plays her husband and Shaun's distant stepfather. PETER SERAFINOWICZ plays Shaun's flat-mate who isn't happy that Ed is staying with them. He uses strong profanity. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a quick look at the content found in this R-rated horror comedy. Profanity consists of at least 46 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some sexually related dialogue is present (as is one related hand gesture). Violence consists of zombies and humans killing each other by various means (shootings, blows to the head, being impaled, hit by vehicles, torn limb from limb, bitten, etc.) with extremely bloody/gory results. While mostly played for comedy, those scenes, the sights of the zombies, and various perilous moments may be unsettling, suspenseful and/or downright scary to some viewers, particularly younger ones and/or those with low tolerance levels for such mayhem. Some brief crude humor is present, as are some bad attitudes and tense family material (including a character having to kill his mother after she's turned into a zombie). Various characters smoke and/or drink (with some being drunk), while some drug references are made. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Shaun and others drink in the pub and he then has more. There's a comment about Ed selling a bit of weed, with Pete then admitting that he sold some weed once (to Shaun). Pete mentions a time years ago when they sat up all night drinking apple schnapps. Shaun and Ed have beer. They then have more as well as some shots and later stumble out of the bar drunk. Miscellaneous people drink. Miscellaneous people drink in the pub. The guys find a young girl standing with her back to them in the yard. Ed jokes that she's drunk due to the way she's acting (but she's a zombie). Shaun, Ed, Liz and Shaun's mom have beer in an imagined scene. Philip says that all of the zombies are a bunch of drug nuts gone wild. When David asks what the group is going to do now, Ed states "Get rounded" (drunk). Liz asks Ed to get her some vodka. Shaun then has beer and others have bottles or glasses in front of them (presumably with something alcoholic in them as they're in a deserted pub). Liquor is used to create a protective ring of fire around some survivors. BLOOD/GORE Ed apparently farts as Shaun reacts to the smell. We see bloody handprints on a convenience store glass door and Shaun apparently slips on blood on the floor, but he's oblivious to the situation around him. We see miscellaneous zombies or dead bodies that have varying amounts of blood on them. One of the guys pushes a girl zombie backwards and she falls onto a short pole that impales her all of the way through her body. Blood comes out then and as she then gets off the pole we see a huge, gaping (and bloody/gory) hole all of the way through her body. A zombie has a bloody mouth. Another zombie is bloody and missing an arm. Part of an album breaks off in a zombie's face. Shaun and Ed repeatedly hit zombies with a paddle and shovel. We don't see the impact, but hear the squishy sounds of such bloody violence and see blood splatter onto both guys' shirts and faces. We see blood on a shovel blade. We see a zombie with a badly twisted and bloody leg after a car hits it. When the zombie gets up (with blood on its face), its body makes a loud cracking sound. A zombie bites a man on the neck with very bloody results. We later see a lot of blood on him and his hand as he's driven away. Various zombies are bloody. More zombies are bloody, including one that's missing an arm. As seen on the other side of a fence as the camera passes by, we see various zombies picking a person apart on the ground (only partially and briefly seen, but with bloody results). A zombie drives Shaun through a fence and he then drives a pole through it and jams both back into a tree (with bloody results). Pool cues are used to hit bloody zombies. Diane throws a dart into a zombie's arm, but then accidentally hits Shaun in the head with another (when it's pulled out, a brief spurt of blood comes out). Shaun has some blood down his face. When a bandage is removed from a woman's arm, we see a very gory wound and blood comes out. Humans shoot zombies with a rifle, with varying degrees of bloody results (such as when one is hit in the head with lots of blood splattering onto some curtains). A man has to shoot his own mother who's a zombie. He aims his rifle at her head and then shoots (with bloody results). Zombies grab a person through a window and then tear him apart (yanking his intestines out with very bloody/gory results) while he's still alive. They then pull off his head and legs, etc. while eating his flesh. Zombies bite a person on the arm and neck with bloody results. A zombie is shot in the head with bloody results. A person who's been bitten is very bloody. Ed apparently lets out another silent fart, with Shaun reacting to the smell. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE A subordinate takes a cell phone call as Shaun addresses him and others. Shaun tells some white lies. Trying to make it easier to explain to his mom why it's okay to kill Philip (beyond him being a potential zombie), Shaun says that Philip touched him on several occasions (but then admits that he made that up). Shaun punches David in the face (knocking him to the floor) who then aims a rifle at Shaun and pulls the trigger, but the gun doesn't fire. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Even so, and while much of it is very bloody, the majority is played for dark/sick laughs (thus making it not as intense as a traditional zombie flick). Similarly, most of the zombies (covered in blood and with milky eyes) may be scary looking to very young viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such sights and material. A homeless man who's a possible zombie picks up a pigeon and appears ready to bite it, but a bus passes in between him and the camera, and he and the pigeon are gone once the bus passes by (mostly played for dark laughs). Shaun slowly approaches Philip (whose back is to him) to kill him, but it turns out he's not yet a zombie. Shaun and others try to get away from a person who's turned into a zombie in their car (where child locks keep the back doors from opening from the inside). The group sees that many zombies are between them and the pub where they're heading for safety. The group must act like zombies as they try to walk through a mass of them without being detected, attacked and/or killed. The survivors find themselves holed up in a pub that's surrounded by zombies on the outside (and they start to come inside, one after another in different parts of the pub). GUNS/WEAPONS Rifle/Machine guns/Shovel/Paddle: Used to shoot, wound and/or kill various zombies. Ed plays a first person shooter video game. We see a Winchester rifle above the bar in the pub named after it. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "F*ck-a-doodle-doo," "Get f*cked, four-eyes," "F*ck her," "For f*ck's sake," "Sad old f*ckers," "It's four in the f*cking morning," "He's a f*cking idiot," "Why don't you f*ck off?" "You thick f*cks," "F*ck the man," "F*ck this," "For f*ck's sake," "I f*cking knew it," "Can we just calm the f*ck down?" "Give us a f*cking break," "Whose f*cking idea was that?" "I got wood" (what a t-shirt reads), "You twat," "You're a twat," "Bollocks," "Don't be stupid," "Crackhead," "A bunch of drug nuts gone wild," "Bloody" (adjective), "What's up, nigger?" (from a white guy to a white guy), "What the hell do you think you're doing?" "You stupid moron," "Before he buggered off," "What the hell's going on?" and "You sneaky monkey." It's possible that some highly impressionable kids could take to striking others while acting as if they're zombies that need to be killed. Ed scratches his clothed crotch. Ed playfully gives "the finger" to Liz who isn't there. Liquor is used to create a protective ring of fire around some survivors. JUMP SCENES There are various early scenes set up as "Jump Scenes" but they're not that effective, as they occur before anything scary or suspenseful is transpiring. A person surprises Shaun. A hand suddenly comes out of a shower. The group suddenly runs into other survivors. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of suspenseful and ominous music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 46 "f" words (1 used with "mother"), 2 "s" words, 4 slang terms using female genitals ("tw*t" and a possible "c*nt"), 4 using male ones ("pr*ck" and "c*ck"), 5 hells, 2 bollocks, 4 uses of "Oh my God," 3 of "For Christ's sakes," 2 of "For God's sakes" and 1 use each of "Christ," "Jesus" and "Oh God." SEX/NUDITY Ed jokes with Shaun that the latter's mom rang (called), wondering if he wanted to "eat her out tonight." Liz shows some cleavage. We briefly see a miscellaneous couple making out outdoors at night. Ed talks about someone he claims is an ex-porn star who he says has "done it all" (as he sticks one finger through a circle made by his other fingers to represent sex). Ed wears a T-shirt that reads, "I got wood" (presumably meaning "erection"). A person asks another about a zombie wife, "You go to bed with it?" SMOKING Ed smokes more than 5 times, Shaun smokes a few times and a miscellaneous person smokes. Shaun throws away a cigarette pack to try to appease Liz. Ed wants to go someplace that's same, familiar and where he can smoke. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We hear that Philip is Shaun's stepdad and there's brief talk that Shaun's father died before the boy was 12. Later, Philip apologizes for being a distant stepdad to Shaun. A woman sees that her husband has died and turned into a zombie following a zombie attack. A man has to shoot his own mother who's a zombie. He aims his rifle at her head and then shoots (with bloody results). TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Zombies. Dealing with crisis situations. That Liz dumped Shaun for not changing for her as he promised. VIOLENCE Ed throws some sort of snack from off camera that hits Shaun in the face. We see a couple (from earlier) still looking like they're making out (seen from a distance), but we then see the man's head fall backwards (still on the body), meaning the woman was a zombie. One of the guys pushes a girl zombie backwards and she falls onto a short pole that impales her all of the way through her body. Blood comes out then and when she then gets off the pole we see a huge, gaping (and bloody/gory) hole all of the way through her body. The guys throw various items at a zombie, with Ed eventually smashing an ashtray on the head, killing it. They then throw stuff at other zombies, with part of an album breaking off in a zombie's face. Shaun and Ed repeatedly hit zombies with a paddle and shovel. We don't see the impact, but hear the squishy sounds of such bloody violence and see blood splatter onto both guys' shirts and faces. We see an imagined view of Shaun and Ed having to kill Philip by hitting him on the head (for being a zombie). This is seen several times and played for comedy. A soccer ball hits Shaun on the head. A car drives into a zombie that flips over the top. A zombie bites a man on the neck with very bloody results. We later see a lot of blood on him and his hand as he's driven away. Shaun hits various zombies with a cricket paddle. Shaun and others hit various zombies on their heads in several scenes. A car drives over more zombies. As seen on the other side of a fence as the camera passes by, we see various zombies picking a person apart on the ground (only partially and briefly seen, but with bloody results). A zombie drives Shaun through a fence and he then drives a pole through it and jams both back into a tree (with bloody results). Shaun slaps a phone from Ed's hand. David breaks a window to gain entry to a pub. Pool cues are used to hit bloody zombies. Diane throws a dart into a zombie's arm, but then accidentally hits Shaun in the head with another (when it's pulled out, a brief spurt of blood comes out). A person hits a zombie with a rifle and then smashes the creature into a jukebox. Humans shoot zombies with a rifle, with varying degrees of bloody results (such as when one is hit in the head with lots of blood splattering onto some curtains). A man aims a gun at another guy's mother who's dying and about to become a zombie. Others then hold a broken bottle and corkscrew on him to keep him from shooting. A man has to shoot his own mother who's a zombie. He aims his rifle at her head and then shoots (with bloody results). Shaun punches David in the face (knocking him to the floor) who then aims a rifle at Shaun and pulls the trigger, but the gun doesn't fire. Zombies grab a person through a window and then tear him apart (yanking his intestines out with very bloody/gory results) while he's still alive. They then pull off his head and legs, etc. while eating his flesh. Zombies bite a person on the arm and neck with bloody results. A zombie is shot in the head with bloody results. A bus runs over some zombies, with a wheel squashing one. Soldiers riddle many zombies with machine gun fire and strike others, as do other survivors. Reviewed September 7, 2004 / Posted September 24, 2004