"Shaun of the Dead" is a grisly, gory, and shockingly effective horror comedy from England. Since this odd film also includes some romantic moments, it is reminiscent of the Japanese zombie film, "Stacy."

"Shaun of the Dead" creatively plays with zombie film conventions and it has great comic timing. It also pays homage to previous zombie films and it has references to George Romeo’s zombie trilogy as well as the recent "28 Days Later." At one point one of the characters even yells out, "They’re coming to get you, Barbara."

Shaun is a lovable loser/anti hero, content with his meager job in a shop. He has little chance of becoming the new Donald Trump. On a typical day, he works, visits his girlfriend, and then drinks at the pub until he passes out. He is crushed when his girlfriend leaves him for not having enough ambition. His best friend Ed tries to cheer him up by getting him drunk. The next day Shaun is so hung over and out of it that he doesn’t realize that the neighborhood has been taken over by zombies.

When he finally decides to take charge of his life Shaun saves the lives of his ex and her friends. Then he assembles a group of zombie fighters that use whatever they can find lying around as weapons. They are especially fond of using cricket bats.

The music in the film is highly original and often ironic. In one of the zombie scenes, we hear the lyrics from a Queen song; "Ohhhhhh, you make me live." Some of the actors in the film were involved in a cult British sci-fi film called "Spaced." If the series is anywhere near as good as this film then it is well worth seeking out.

The only weak point is the unbelievable upbeat ending, but some of us may prefer seeing it as a dream.

"Shaun of the Dead" is not particularly ambitious, but it hits all its targets and plays well with genre conventions. It’s one of the more pleasant surprises of the year and horror fans should get a rise out of it.