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In Edgar Wright’s classic sitcom Spaced, there was an episode (Art) where Tim (Simon Pegg) was obsessed with playing Resident Evil 2. He gets so engrossed in it that he cannot tell reality from fiction (the dose of amphetamines probably didn’t help either), and subsequently batters some arty types in his hallucinatory panic. It’s the strongest showing of Wright’s love for a particular zombie movie in the series, but there are tributes to George A. Romero littered everywhere in the show.
It’s little surprise that Wright’s first movie would take horror as a launch point. Shaun of the Dead took Wright’s love of Dawn of the Dead and fused it with his frenetic direction and comedy stylings. It became a smash hit and launched the movie career of star Simon Pegg. It’s a pop-culture reference machine gun with a barrage of nods to all kinds of media. However, it still manages to retain an identity of its own.
Life isn’t exactly on the up and up for Shaun (Simon Pegg). He lives with his layabout best friend Ed (Nick Frost), constantly neglects his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield), and has issues with his stepdad Philip (Bill Nighy). After a bungled anniversary dinner, Liz dumps Shaun. He then vows to get his life back on track. Unfortunately, this is also the day the dead have decided to return to life. With a cricket bat and Ed by his side, Shaun sets out to rescue the people closest to him and head to the sanctuary of The Winchester.
The movie blends humor, heart, and horror with surprising ease, and much like its follow-up Hot Fuzz, it’s endlessly quotable.
Dead Good Tribute
For fans of Romero, it’s a monument to the man’s Living Dead saga — from entire shots to little Easter Eggs. One of the earliest homages comes from our introduction to Shaun as he shuffles half-asleep into his kitchen in a mirror of Day of the Dead titles scene.
Shaun’s workplace is called Foree Electric in tribute to Dawn of the Dead’s Ken Foree. The aforementioned Winchester pulls double duty. It’s not only named after the rifle featured in Night of the Living Dead — there’s a real rifle inside, and you’d better believe it gets used to splatter some undead craniums.
There are even musical cues, as Goblin’s Dawn of the Dead score plays over the Universal logo and later during a planning sequence. Dawn’s memorable closing song, The Gonk, also plays right at the very end of Shaun of the Dead’s credits.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg stuff. There are far more subtle homages, tributes, and nods to the late director’s work. Even some that flew over his head, such as the ”We’re coming to get you, Barbara” line. Romero liked the movie so much, he invited Wright and Pegg to play cameo roles in Land of the Dead as a pair of undead.
As much as Wright’s body of work has lived in more comedic waters, it’s a shame he didn’t get a crack at filming — or just participating in the lost Romero film Twilight of the Dead.
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