Shaun of the Dead 2004

This laddish spin on the zombie classic Dawn of the Dead was a huge hit in the UK. Fans of Re-Animator, get ready; the team behind the cult TV show Spaced has made a (very) bloody-smart horror-comedy that delivers equal doses of humour and viscera. Shaun (Simon Pegg) is a slacker who shares a house with his best pal (Nick Frost), a slovenly couch potato. Shaun’s whole existence revolves around visits to the pub, much to his girlfriend’s chagrin. With such a near-comatose lifestyle, he fails to notice that strange things are starting to occur around him. There are dead people walking the streets and news reports about a virus. Oblivious to the mayhem, he’s more interested in patching up his dire relationship with his girlfriend, until a blood-stained zombie gatecrashes his world. With all hell breaking loose, Shaun (armed with cricket bat and Dire Straits LPs) wants to gather the people he loves and hide out in his local pub. Unfortunately, it doesn’t exactly go to plan. A sure-fire crowd pleaser that is so genuinely affable you can’t help being seduced by its charm. — Ant Timpson