Top 10 Funniest Shaun of the Dead Moments

Shaun and Ed take their sweet time discovering that they’re in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Shortly after waking up from a night of drinking, the guys discover that there’s a girl in their backyard. Whereas in a typical zombie flick, this would serve as an immediate wake up call for the duo, Shaun and Ed instead mistake her for a drunk. Hey, it IS more plausible . . . at least at first. From cracking jokes at her expense to taking pictures with her, the guys do everything a normal person wouldn’t, and that’s what makes this scene so funny!

In an effort to mend his rocky relationship, Shaun pays a visit to Liz’s apartment, hoping to make up for his numerous past transgressions. Shortly after arriving he presents Liz with a bouquet of flowers. There’s just one small problem: Shaun forgot that he originally purchased the flowers for his mother. It doesn’t take Liz long to notice that the flowers weren’t meant for her, despite Shaun’s best attempts at improvisation. While this little flub wasn’t exactly the straw that broke the camel’s back, it certainly didn’t help Shaun’s cause.

In “Shaun of the Dead’s” opening scene we’re introduced to Liz’s flatmates, David and Dianne. While Dianne seems relatively agreeable, David is presented as a condescending prick of the highest order. It’s clear that every word that escapes David’s mouth infuriates Shaun, and as anyone who’s ever had to deal with an insufferable snoot will tell you, this eventually reaches a boiling point. After being reamed out by Liz, David quips that Shaun’s nine lives are up, and Shaun EXPLODES. Sure, it might not be the cleverest insult, but it still had us chuckling.

After spending the night drinking away his relationship sorrows with Ed at the Winchester, Shaun and his best mate stumble home together. Along the way, they burst into a drunken rendition of “White Lines” by Duran Duran. Suddenly, they’re interrupted by the moans of a nearby zombie, who also happens to be stumbling down the street. Instead of running away in terror, Shaun and Ed incorporate the zombie’s moans into the song, lambasting him when he doesn’t say the right words. The scene is short and sweet but nevertheless serves as a perfect example of Shaun and Ed’s obliviousness to the zombie outbreak.

After successfully defeating all the zombies in their path up to this point, Shaun and the gang are faced with their biggest challenge yet: finding a way through the massive horde of dead people standing between them and the Winchester. However, Shaun and Dianne have a plan, and it involves everyone in the group doing their best zombie impression. An actress by trade, Dianne coaches the gang on how to sound and move like the dead. Each character’s impression fits with their personality, and in the end it serves as the perfect foil to the seemingly insurmountable task at hand. Well, until they find the doors of Winchester locked, that is…

It took a little while, but Shaun and Ed eventually realize that there’s something serious going on outside. After listening to the news they learn that the only way to defeat the zombies is by “removing the head or destroying the brain”. They then immediately set to work arming themselves, returning to their backyard with a basket of cheap household crap that stands little chance of doing any actual harm. When this predictably fails, they grab Shaun’s record collection and start heaving albums at the zombies. What makes this scene hilarious, inventive and extremely memorable is the way Shaun and Ed analyze each record before throwing it.

One of the film’s most enduring images is of a clueless Shaun going about his morning routine, oblivious to the zombie apocalypse that has engulfed London. The scene mirrors one from earlier in the film, and while some of the differences are obvious (blood stained glass, car alarms going off, freakin’ zombies everywhere!) others are more subtle. For example, in the first scene Shaun is passed by a jogger in a blue sweater and in the second scene that same jogger passes him again, only this time he’s literally running for his life. It’s a bit of filmmaking that’s not only hilarious, but also brilliant.

Honestly, every moment Shaun and company spend in the Winchester near the end of the film is comedic genius. However, the best bit has got to be when Shaun, Ed, and Liz attack John the barman with pool cues. Instead of using the moment to up the dramatic tension and veer away from comedy, director Edgar Wright flips the script and has the gang beat John to the tune of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now”. Not only that, but the timing of their attack syncs up perfectly with the beat of the song. It’s one of the film’s most inspired comedic scenes and we’re laughing just thinking about it.

The Easter eggs, running jokes, and themes that appear in each of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy are too numerous to list in one video. So, we’ve decided to focus on just one: taking a shortcut. The gag first appeared around the midpoint of “Shaun of the Dead”, and featured Shaun attempting to take a shortcut by jumping over a fence. Of course the fence gives out and he falls face first onto the grass. The film may be best known for its acerbic wit and the ways in which it subverts the horror genre, but some of “Shaun of the Dead’s” best moments involve nothing more than good old fashioned physical comedy.

Before we unveil our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions:

A Nod at “Night of the Living Dead”

Big Al Was Right . . . About at Least One Thing

Setting the Record Straight

Seeing Red

The One-Armed Man

Few scenes encapsulate Edgar Wright’s frenetic directing style and Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s quick wit quite like this one. Finally grasping the severity of their situation, Shaun and Ed decide to form a plan. With the help of three hilarious montages that get faster each time, the hapless duo comes up with a plan of action that fits all of their necessary criteria (i.e. safety, familiarity, the ability for Ed to smoke). It’s scenes like this one that caused icons like Stephen King, Quentin Tarantino, and George A. Romero to heap praise upon “Shaun of the Dead” for its brilliant mixture of horror and comedy.