100 Greatest Horror Movies Of All Time

7. Shaun Of The Dead

Shaun Of The Dead
StudioCanal

The movie that invented the rom-com-zom genre, and the first entry in Edgar Wright’s incredible Cornetto Trilogy, Shaun of the Dead is much more than a mere Dawn of the Dead riff.

Yes, the movie does serve as a loving satire of and homage to the legendary works of George A. Romero, including utilising elements of the score from his classic movie, but crucially it stands as a worthy entry into the zombie genre on its own merits too.

The chases and kills may be played more for laughs, but there is a genuine sense of dread for the characters, as evidenced by just how many of them we lose along the way, and its zombie kills are as gory and inventive as anything the genre has thrown up before or since.

Led by the magical chemistry of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and an early showcase for just how good Wright is at melding together humour, heart, action, music, and genre influences, this is a wonderfully fresh, riotously funny take on the tale of the living dead.

[JH]

Advertisement
In this post: 
Horror
 
First Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

WhatCulture's former COO, veteran writer and editor.

Gaming Editor
Gaming Editor

WhatCulture's Head of Gaming.

Contributor

Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.

Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.

Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.

Contributor
Contributor

Horror film junkie, burrito connoisseur, and serial cat stroker. WhatCulture's least favourite ginger.