The western and the "siege" films such as The Alamo (1960) and Rio Bravo (1959) are notable influences on the zombie genre.ġ5 For the first 20 minutes of the film, this opening scene defines a dominant narrative and a dominant genre.ġ6 This dominant narrative frames our reading of the early scenes.Ġ4:00 Romero's "zombie walk" is pastiched by a sleepy Shaun, in his early morning routine.Ġ8:23 12:20 Later, on the bus, a scene repeated twice shows commuters as haggard zombies.ġ7 In particular, zombies appear as metaphors of an alienating lifestyle, as opposed to a threat.ġ8 Meanwhile, horror is relegated to peripheral hints and elements. The opening scene thus establishes the rom-com by borrowing from notable precursors and setting up some of the commonly found components of the genre:Ī white male protagonist, Shaun, who is the main obstacle to his own fulfillment.Ī sheltered place where lovers can meet and be protected from daily life (Mather 2006: 122,169)Ī distinct British setting, at a time when the successful cycle of neo-Ealing films of the mid to late nineties had established rom-com as a British specialty.ġ3 Yet, many of the elements introduced in the first scene are later repurposed in a different genre.ġ4 From the prominence of Ed's abject body (fat, sweaty, and unshaven), which foreshadows the abjectness of the zombie bodies, to the distinctively American and bellicose name of the place, which conjures up an intercultural and intergeneric subtext. By contrast, Ed successfully assists and advises Shaun, to the point where he briefly replaces him.
The last one to speak is Spike, who strongly disapproves of William's decision to reject Anna, and helps him realize his mistake.ġ1 Spike’s entrance into the room signals a reversal of the dynamics of approval of William’s ill-advised decision by a change of camera angle that symbolically reintroduces Spike as part of the space from which excessive rationality had excluded him.ġ2 Later in the film, the siege of the Winchester Pub is crucial in reestablishing the complementarity of Shaun and Ed, while confirming the subsidiary status of Dianne and David as mere auxiliaries. Grant) seeks guidance from his friends regarding his relationship with Anna Scott (J.
Ed's inclusion therefore bolsters the rom-com reading of the scene.ġ0 Ed's introduction specifically echoes a pivotal moment in Notting Hill : the scene where William Thacker (H. The kind of embarrassment felt by the protagonist in social circumstances has to be interpreted as an indirect way to acknowledge his own desires. Ifans) in Notting Hill (1999) and Scarlett (C.Coleman) in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994): an eccentric type whose idiosyncratic ways come to express the drives and impulses the white male hero has been repressing. Davis) are introduced via an unexpected cut (again triggered by Shaun's decision to acknowledge their presence).ĩ Ed embodies a rom-com archetype, similar to Spike (R. The fast pan later becomes a recurrent visual effect, putting Shaun in contact with his limits and the challenges he faces.Ĩ By contrast, Liz's friends, David (D. His gaze directs the editing of the scene, joining people through camera movements or marking their separation through (sometimes humorous) cuts.ħ This grammar of cuts and movements is specifically used to establish the intimacy between Shaun and his flatmate, Ed (N. This elevated status is confirmed throughout the scene by his role as a focalizer. Pegg) is introduced as the visual and narrative center of the film. The promised zombie outbreak will change "things".Ĥ If we seek to place Shaun of the Dead in the Romero tradition of zombie films, what are the effects of this hybridity on the genre's structure, themes and subtext?ĥ While the peritext frames the viewers' expectations in terms of horror primarily, this first scene is explicitly rooted in the conventions of romantic-comedy, or rom-com, with Shaun as its main protagonist.Ħ “Shaun!” … is the first thing we hear after the credits. In addition to the near homophonous titles, a musical nod to Dawn of the Dead (Romero 1978) can be heard during the producers' credits. The Thing From Another World and its many remakes).ģ What are these "things"? How do they change?ĭoes it refer to the parameters of the faltering relationship between Shaun and his girlfriend, Liz (K. "Thing" is a long-standing euphemism to refer to monsters in horror movies (cf. Credits: Jean-François Baillon and Nicolas Labarre.ġ The first scene in Shaun of the Dead (Wright 2004) hinges on a specific line: “Things are going to change, I promise!”Ģ The line can be read in the context of that first scene, as a romantic-comedy and/or within the set of expectations set up by the film's peritext (poster, trailers, etc.).
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