Review: Shaun of the Dead

I took the g-phrase to see Shaun of the Dead this weekend. She was pretty skeptical about a horror movie, so I sold the "A Romantic Comedy. With Zombies." tagline pretty hard. She doesn't think that the romance part of the comedy lived up to the billing, but her first words coming out of the theater were, "Perfect. Just perfect."

Shaun isn't just a send-up of horror movies; it does the horror part pretty darned well. Startling moments, shuffling zombies, a few little gross-out moments, and a sense of impending doom. It's a for real zombie flick that even name-drops Ash from the Evil Dead movies early on.

But it adds a sparkling sense of humor, fun and funny characters, some great memorable scenes, and an ending that had me giggling. In one scene, for instance, with menacing zombies shuffling toward Shaun and his friend, Ed, they take to throwing albums at the zombies. Even though the monsters are only a few feet away, the two take their time in finding albums they're willing to toss. It's a small thing, but it's wonderfully done.

This isn't family fare. You'll find some pretty grisly moments, tons of violence, and a decent amount of profanity. For the adults, though, this is a must-see movie.