20 Comedy Movies You Must See Before You Die

11. Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg has already worked together to phenomenal effect on the cult TV series, Spaced, where their obsessive love of all things popular culture (but films, mostly), and a panache for frantic storytelling, resulted in one of the most rewatchable and brilliant idiosyncratic shows ever made - indeed, it was a particular segment of Spaced that saw Pegg's Tim Bisley fighting against the undead that inspired the pair to set about on a fully-fledged zombie movie, fixed to the rules of a George R. Romero flick, but lovingly etched out in a comedy style.

Incredibly dense and incredibly funny, Shaun of the Dead isn't just a brilliant comedy movie because of the memorable one-liners, calls backs, pop cultural references, flawless casting and relentless pacing (though that all helps); the movie transcends its genre limitations by successful melding two genres (horror and comedy) to flawless effect.

The plot, which has a hapless loser trying to get to a pub when the apocalypse strikes, is inherently British, but the movie is such a beautifully constructed blast, it's hard - impossible, even - not to appreciate every second.