It feels disingenuous to call Shaun of the Dead a spoof of zombie movies, because parody implies mockery, and Edgar Wright’s movie has nothing but affection for the classics of horror cinema.
Thanks to Wright’s homage-driven filmmaking style, Shaun of the Dead references a lot more than just horror movies. It also has nods to The Godfather, King Kong, and Every Which Way But Loose. But, as a movie about the undead, its main source of inspiration is horror cinema, and a select few terrifying cinematic gems are referenced throughout Shaun of the Dead.
Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is a thriller masterpiece that’s still just as tense and terrifying after more than 60 years. Anthony Perkins’ Norman Bates is one of the greatest villains in movie history and the shower murder ranks among the most iconic horror movie moments of all time.
Edgar Wright paid homage to Psycho in Shaun of the Dead when Shaun spots the shadow of a zombified Pete on the shower curtain, mirroring Hitchcock’s shot of the killer creeping up on Marion Crane.
Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
The actual concept of zombies has been around for hundreds of years, originating with Haitian slaves, but the modern zombie was created by George A. Romero in his low-budget masterpiece Night of the Living Dead. The dawdling hordes of flesh-eaters and ragtag bands of survivors stuck in one location began with Romero’s movie.
Edgar Wright’s own zombie movie pays homage to the one that started it all. Ed’s line to Shaun’s mom over the phone – “We’re coming to get you, Barbara!” – is a slight misquote of Johnny teasing his sister in the cemetery at the beginning of Night of the Living Dead: “They’re coming to get you, Barbra!”
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
The mother of all cult classics, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is much more of a musical comedy than a horror movie, but it’s a revered gem among horror fans for its affectionate use of horror iconography.
Shaun of the Dead includes a reference to its horror comedy precursor. Pete says that in college, he once dressed up as Tim Curry’s character from the movie, Frank-N-Furter.
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
Although the 1956 adaptation of Invasion of the Body Snatchers arrived at the perfect time to capture McCarthy-era paranoia, the 1978 version with Donald Sutherland is just as critically acclaimed.
The opening scenes of Shaun of the Dead, in which early signs of the apocalypse appear in the background, are an homage to the 1978 version of Body Snatchers. The man in a suit running in fear is a direct reference to the movie.
Dawn Of The Dead (1978)
After pioneering the zombie subgenre with Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero followed up on his vision of post-apocalyptic America with 1978’s Dawn of the Dead. He swapped out the first movie’s metaphor for racial tensions for a sharp satire of consumerism as hordes of the undead flock to a shopping mall.
The most obvious reference to Dawn of the Dead in Shaun of the Dead is the titular pun. But Edgar Wright’s blood-soaked opus also borrows a few quotes and music cues from Romero’s masterpiece.
Alien (1979)
With perfect pacing, haunting production design, an otherworldly soundscape, iconic moments like the chestburster, and one of the most compelling protagonists of all time in Ellen Ripley, Ridley Scott’s Alien is arguably the all-time greatest entry in the sci-fi horror subgenre.
When Shaun and the other survivors hole up in the Winchester Pub in Shaun of the Dead, Wright establishes the location with a slow 360-degree pan. This is a nod to the 360-degree pan that Scott uses to establish the Nostromo at the beginning of Alien.
An American Werewolf In London (1981)
Before Shaun of the Dead was widely regarded to be the greatest combination of horror and comedy, that title went to John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London. Edgar Wright told The Guardian that An American Werewolf in London is one of his favorite movies and one of the biggest influences on his career.
There are two scenes in Shaun of the Dead that use the old trope of the bathroom mirror. The first such scene, according to the DVD’s “Zomb-O-Meter” bonus feature, was a reference to An American Werewolf in London.
The Evil Dead (1981)
Sam Raimi inspired a generation of independent horror filmmakers with his low-budget directorial debut The Evil Dead. Following a bunch of kids who travel up to a cabin in the woods haunted by demonic spirits, The Evil Dead still holds up as a horror masterpiece (despite its primitive special effects).
Edgar Wright references Bruce Campbell’s Evil Dead protagonist Ash Williams in Shaun of the Dead when Shaun tells his co-workers that their colleague Ash is taking a sick day.
Day Of The Dead (1985)
While it’s not as highly acclaimed as Night of the Living Dead or Dawn of the Dead, George A. Romero’s third zombie movie, Day of the Dead, is still a terrific entry in the genre that explores new corners of the lore.
The movie features a zombie named Bub that a scientist is attempting to train to have intelligent thoughts. This beloved undead character is referenced in Shaun of the Dead, as the pizzeria next to the corner shop where Shaun buys the Cornetto is called Bub’s Pizza.
Evil Dead II (1987)
One of the greatest and most surprising horror sequels of all time, Evil Dead II is essentially a remake of the first Evil Dead movie with a much zanier, more comedic sensibility.
Shaun of the Dead includes a direct reference to one particular shot from Evil Dead II. The shot looking down into the cellar of the Winchester is similar to the shot of the fruit cellar in the Evil Dead sequel.
28 Days Later (2002)
Before Edgar Wright revitalized the zombie genre with a healthy dose of humor, Danny Boyle revitalized it with a little gritty realism in 2002’s 28 Days Later.
Boyle’s movie explained away the zombie apocalypse as a result of the “Rage virus” transmitted by lab monkeys. Wright’s movie mocks this explanation with a snippet of a TV news report: “Claims that the virus was caused by rage-infected monkeys have now been dismissed as bulls**t.”