What to do on Hiatus Week Three: Zom-Coms

This week we’ll take a look at the long-running tradition of zombie comedies. For years zombies have been used for much more than horror, providing some of the genre’s best and most beloved work. These are just some of the many great zom-coms out there.

The Evil Dead (1981)

Sam Raimi’s classic tale of a group of college kids travelling to a remote cabin for the weekend. They come across the Necronomicon, an ancient book that brings about mass possession and death.

The film is completely over the top, allowing for some of the best slapstick humor since The Three Stooges. When Ash (played by the legendary Bruce Campbell), has to put his fellow campers to rest during their violent bouts of demonic possession the screen is filled with more blood and gore than most films manage to deliver.

The film’s “anything goes” mentality makes it both a hilarious and disgusting romp that spanned two equally entertaining sequels and an upcoming remake.

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

British comedy heroes Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright took their love of zombie films and made fun of the genre while paying tribute to it.

Pegg plays Shaun, a man moving nowhere fast. Caught in a dead end job, a girlfriend he neglects and a bum of a best friend, Shaun stumbles through life much like a zombie would. One day he wakes up to find the world has gone to hell and zombies have taken over. Shaun and his friends begin their quest to save his girlfriend, his precious “mum” and his much hated stepfather in the midst of the zombie epidemic.

Shaun of the Dead is a great example of zombie comedy done right. It has great laughs, ridiculous gags and still manages to maintain a certain degree of horror in between.

Re-Animator (1985)

Stuart Gordon directed this 80s classic that delivers an Lovecraft inspired tale of death, and as the title suggests, re-animation.

The film follows a young medical student named Dan Cain who receives a new roommate in the form of Dr. Herbert West. West is an eccentric recluse who conducts strange experiments in the basement of their apartment. Cain discovers that West has learned how to re-animate the dead. Unfortunately, West is a little crazy and his experiments come back to life as murderous corpses.

The film is a staple of 80s horror, and rightfully so. Much like Evil Dead, the abundance of gore and often slapstick comedy help make the film a fun and disturbing experience.

Return of the Living Dead (1985)

Another 80s offering, Return of the Living Dead is a loud, obnoxious and fantastic film from the screenwriter of Alien and the producer of Night of the Living Dead.

The film is about a group of teenagers who decide (poorly) to party at a graveyard while they wait for their friend to get off of work at a nearby medical supply warehouse. A chemical is leaked into the air, causing the dead to rise and attack the teens. This film was one of the first to feature running, more intelligent zombies.

Though it reeks of the 80s, this film has a charm that is undeniable. A must watch for anyone interested in the genre.

These are just a taste of what zom-coms have to offer, and in a future installment I’ll cover some more greats. Next week, we’ll turn our attention to zombie books.

Related posts:

1. What to do on Hiatus Week Seven: Return of the Zom-Coms Fido (2006) Set in an alternate version of the 1950s,...
2. What to do on Hiatus Week Six: Fast Zombies! REC Kicking off our week of films that feature “fast...
3. What To Do On Hiatus: Week One Hiatus is upon us. The time for waiting and wondering...
4. What to do on Hiatus Week Eight: Vintage Games Zombies Ate My Neighbors by Konami Zombies Ate My Neighbors...
5. What to do on Hiatus Week Five: Zombie Video Games The Left 4 Dead Series by Valve The Left 4...