Scenes from Shaun of the Dead That Live On

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead by seeing it in a theater. The 2004 masterpiece, which features Simon Pegg and Nick Frost fighting off a zombie apocalypse between trips to the pub, has been fully remastered with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos and will be screening in select AMC theaters, starting August 30.

So to celebrate, we’re showcasing five fantastic clips from this beloved zom-rom-com.

Shaun of the Dead is in select theaters tomorrow—so get your tickets now!

Title Sequence

With its unique sense of humor, the film’s title sequence subtly suggests that being a zombie might just be the real state of modern life. Before the undead rise up to take over the world, the living—from checking out grocery items to waiting for the bus—already appear nearly soulless. Set to a jaunty tune and clothed in the cheerful pastel hues of baby blue, white, and pink, the scene demonstrates how the film, according to Den of Geek, is rooted “firmly in mundane inanity of modern life, a febrile area for both comedy and horror.” Look for these title characters to reappear later in the film, often as zombies, albeit not acting all that differently than they do in this sequence.

"Have You Got Any Papers?"

Hungover and distracted, Shaun strolls to his local convenience store to pick up a Cornetto and soda, oblivious to the rising carnage around him. The Today Show singled out the scene for capturing the “kind of comedy that makes Shaun of the Dead a rare successful hybrid…a horror movie that’s funny, intelligent—and, yes—horrific, and seamlessly so.” Although this was the first scene the film shot, it captures everything that makes the movie so fun. Listen to the Bollywood song being played in the back of the store. Pegg told Film School Rejects that the man speaking Hindi on the track is actually saying, “The dead have come back to life. This is not a prank.”

Garden Fences

When Shaun points to the Winchester pub way in the distance, David (Dylan Moran) snidely responds, “Just over there, over the 20 garden fences?” In so doing, he sets up one of the greatest gags in cinematic history. Wright seized on a trope that would connect the Cornetto Trilogy. In each film—from Shaun of the Dead to Hot Fuzz to The World’s End—Pegg and Frost encounter the same fences again and again. For Wright, the scene has an extra personal meaning. “When I used to walk to school,” Wright told Mic, “I always wanted to take a shortcut through gardens, and I never did, so I'm living vicariously through the movies.”

“Zombie Practice”

When the only way to get to the Winchester is by blending in with the zombies, Diane (Lucy Davis)—a former actor-turned-drama-coach—helps the gang get in touch with their inner zombie. The hilarious training was a bit of art imitating life. Desperately in need of more undead actors, Wright recruited everyone he could. He reached out to fans of the TV series Spaced he directed, and even enlisted a group of locals who were pelting the set with eggs. “They went through full makeup and eventually became teenage zombies,” Wright told IndieWire. “It was a case of keep your friends close but your zombie enemies closer.”

Queen Fight Scene

Wright demonstrated his astounding ability to use popular songs to create unforgettable scenes when Pegg, Frost, and Kate Ashfield (who plays Shaun’s girlfriend, Liz) get ready to take on the zombies to the tune of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.” The infectious hit—which, as Metro UK reports, was named the world’s happiest song by a University of Missouri research team in 2013—has the perfect message, mood, and music for the scene. Edgar Wright wrote on X, “Not only did I love “Don’t Stop Me Now” & thought it would be a great soundtrack song, but I was really convinced it should be in Shaun Of The Dead…Perfect for killing zombies.” Brian May and the members of Queen agreed, even licensing their international hit to the film at a discounted rate.