Shaun of the Dead

English TV comedians Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg cheekily throw down the gauntlet to George Romero et al., reviving the zombie-comedy genre with a distinctly British vengeance. Shaun (Pegg) spends all his nights at a local pub called the Winchester (the social equivalent of a mall, meaning that Dawn of the Dead fans know where this is going) with his fat slob of a best friend named Ed (Nick Frost), who likes to play video games, pass gas, and say things like "You know what we should do tomorrow? Keep drinking!" You might wonder what Shaun's girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) sees in her man, and indeed, she breaks up with him the night before zombies start to take over the world. Shaun of the Dead is good, goofy fun, but given the attendant hype, there may be a danger of excessively high expectations from horror fans. So let's be clear: This isn't an all-out gorefest, and Shaun is no Bruce Campbell in the slapstick caricature department. It's all a bit more subtle.