Shaun of the Dead

If moviespeak shorthand abbreviates “romantic comedy” as “romcom,” then this is a “romzom”—a romantic comedy set amid the zombie plague of George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead. Director Edgar Wright and star Simon Pegg, who also wrote the movie, first worked together on a British sitcom called Spaced, and it’s obvious they have great creative chemistry. They’ve created an instant cult classic in the vein (and we use that word advisedly) of Peter Jackson’s Dead/Alive, and provided the biggest laughs we’ve had in a theater all year. It’s not merely parody à la Scream, though these guys really know and love their zombie movies, but smart, character-driven humor that American audiences will find most familiar from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. If you like the genre, Shaun comes highly recommended.