‘Knockout’ 00s horror comedy finally available to stream to celebrate 20th anniversary
The iconic film is now available to watch from the comfort of your own home (Picture: Big Talk/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s ‘incredible’ 00s horror comedy Shaun of the Dead is now available to stream to mark its 20th anniversary.
Released in 2004 as part of the duo’s Cornetto Trilogy – also featuring Hot Fuzz and The World’s End– Shaun of the Dead follows Shaun (Pegg), a slacker living in London who is dumped by his frustrated girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) after he fails to plan an anniversary date.
At his favourite pub, The Winchester, a heartbroken Shaun drowns his sorrows with his best friend Ed (Frost). When they return home, their housemate Pete (Peter Serafinowicz) shows them a bite wound he sustained from a mugger and, similarly frustrated with Shaun, tells him to get his life together.
The next day, the world is overrun by zombies, with Shaun endeavouring to take the car, rescue his mum (Penelope Wilton), kill his stepfather Phil (Bill Nighy) (who he believed to have been bitten by a zombie), grab Liz, go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over.
Directed by Edgar Wright, Shaun of the Dead was a smash hit and received two nominations at the British Academy Film Awards.
It was ranked third on the Channel 4 list of the 50 Greatest Comedy Films, and it’s now available to stream on ITVX as the film celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost starred in 2004 zom-rom-com Shaun of the Dead (Picture: Oliver Upton/Big Talk/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
It follows slacker Shaun and his loved ones during a zombie apocalypse (Picture: Oliver Upton/Big Talk/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
The film holds a strong 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics’ consensus reading: ‘Shaun of the Dead cleverly balances scares and witty satire, making for a bloody good zombie movie with loads of wit.’
Reviews at the time of its release were overwhelmingly positive, with The Daily Telegraph writing: ‘It may only be April, but what we have here is pretty likely to be the British comedy of the year, its knockout final punchline planting a silly grin on your face that takes some while to fade.’
London Evening Standard said: ‘Shaun of the Dead is a cute, successful zombie spoof built on a central joke: if the undead actually came to London, supposedly turned-on town of nattering youth, no one would really notice.’
The Washington Post added: ‘If the zombie genre steadfastly refuses to die, we can be grateful to Shaun of the Dead for breathing fresh, diverting life into the form, with subtle visual humour and a smart, impish sense of fun.’
The film became an instant classic and was critically acclaimed (Picture: Oliver Upton/Big Talk/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
It celebrates its 20th anniversary this year (Picture: Big Talk/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
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Despite it hitting our screens two decades ago, co-creator Pegg has revealed he doesn’t want to see the film rebooted.
‘I mean, Universal owns it. If they choose to reboot it, then they can if they want I guess. Although Edgar and I would be incensed,’ he told The Hollywood Reporter.
‘Shaun of the Dead is incredibly personal. There’s so much of us in that film. There’s so much of our own heart and soul in that film.
‘If someone were to reboot it, it would be a cynical and exploitative exercise. I would hope that people are in love with our Shaun enough to resist a reboot.’
Shaun of the Dead is available to stream on ITVX.
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