It is impossible to make a funny zombie movie

[Paul Beardsley]

Evidence: Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, Dead Set and that Simpsons halloween episode with zombies.

Working backwards: The Simpsons halloween episode had only two funny bits. The moment when Homer gunned down Flanders, and everyone assumed Homer knew Flanders was a zombie, when in fact Homer just gunned him down because he hated him. The moment when the zombies - who in this confused take on the myth craved brains rather than just human flesh - ignored Homer because of his lack of brains.

Similarly, the more recent Simpsons take on 28 Days Later worked well because it was a very effective piece of brutal storytelling. But funny? Hardly. Not that it matters - The Simpsons has been so funny so often that it can afford to do something other than comedy from time to time.

Dead Set - a genuinely horrific TV film with zombies more akin to the ones in the remake of Dawn of the Dead. I neither knew nor cared who the "real" people were in this - stars of "reality" TV, apparently - but I was delighted with the subtext: anyone who watches "reality" TV is ipso facto among the ranks of the undead. But funny? Again, not really.

Zombieland. Not really a zombie film, as the monsters are simply diseased. They're no more zombies than the infected in 28 Days Later. There's an "unserious" vibe that runs throughout the film, which includes the rather tedious "twist" of the tough hero doing anything for a twinkie, and there's an overlong cameo by An Actor Playing Himself that really doesn't work. It's easy to see how it was intended as a comedy, but it's never really funny.

Shaun of the Dead. I suppose the trailer was quite amusing, and there's a nice sequence where Shaun goes to his local shop and completely fails to realise there's a zombie apocalypse going on. But as my brother observed, "I was expecting to be hurting from laughing. Instead, all I could manage was a couple of chuckles." Maybe it works better for people who aren't very familiar with zombie stories.

Which brings me to my theory. Anyone who finds themselves immersed in zombie movies will at some point have come up with their own spoofs. The more scared you were by the real movie, the more imaginative your jokey response. And if you're so steeped in zombie movies that you've even watched the really terrible films - Zombie Diaries, for instance - then your mind cannot help but create even worse mickey-takes.

In short, no zombie comedy will ever match up to your own imagined undead laugh-fest.

[Van Rijn]

I'm tired of the Simpsons, and I haven't seen Dead Set. I thought Zombieland was funny, but I agree on Shaun of the Dead. High expectations (based on recommendations) probably didn't help. Like your brother, I was expecting a very funny movie, but it didn't work for me.

[stutefish]

So basically, the OP is just a special case of "it is impossible to tell a joke that appeals to everyone's sense of humor"?

[grapes]

Obviously someone was laughing, because the expectations were so high!

[danscope]

I am certain that Roger Corman could do it !!!

[Paul Beardsley]

I am certain that Roger Corman could do it !!!

Mods, can you change the thread title to "It is impossible to make an intentionally funny zombie movie" please?

[Paul Beardsley]

So basically, the OP is just a special case of "it is impossible to tell a joke that appeals to everyone's sense of humor"?

True, but I'm interested in people's responses.

[SkepticJ]

Well, I was amused by Zombieland. It was worth seeing in the theater, to me.

It didn't have me crying with laughter, but few things do.

[Ara Pacis]

What about The Evil Dead movies?

[Jim]

I enjoyed both Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead. And I even liked the cameo by That Famous Hollywood Actor. Were they full-out laugh a second comedies? No, but they did have some funny moments... as many as the large majority of other Hollywood comedies.

Oh, and you forgot The Return of the Living Dead, a tongue-in-cheek horror-comedy. (There was no The Living Dead movie for this one to sequelize, so the title was a joke itself.)

[stutefish]

True, but I'm interested in people's responses.

Oh. Well in that case, my response is that it is a known fact that making a funny zombie movie is possible, as evidenced by such films as Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland. I'd go into more detail, but as they say in the old country, "you can't argue with taste".

[Doodler]

What about The Evil Dead movies?

The second one, maybe. The first was actually pretty terrifying (to a younger me) and Army of Darkness actually had me ashamed of being an otherwise rabid Bruce Campbell fan.

[Paul Beardsley]

Oh, and you forgot The Return of the Living Dead, a tongue-in-cheek horror-comedy. (There was no The Living Dead movie for this one to sequelize, so the title was a joke itself.)

Return of the Living Dead was an official sequel to Night of the Living Dead, which was co-written by George A. Romero and John A. Russo. Romero and Russo went their separate ways with sequels; the former's Dawn of the Dead portrayed a worsening zombie apocalypse, whereas in the latter's Return of the Living Dead, characters knew about the first film but discovered the "real" events on which it was based. (Incidentally this was the film that introduced the idea that zombies craved brains; this was never a part of the Romero sequence.)

As for comedy, I thought there were some funny bits, including the line, "Let's not jump to conclusions!" but on the whole I felt it worked best when it was straight horror.

[Paul Beardsley]

What about The Evil Dead movies?

I don't really think of them as zombie movies. But then I've never seen one all the way through - I either miss the beginning or something interrupts.

[Paul Beardsley]

Oh. Well in that case, my response is that it is a known fact that making a funny zombie movie is possible, as evidenced by such films as Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland. I'd go into more detail, but as they say in the old country, "you can't argue with taste".

Were you familiar with Romero's films before you saw these?

[Solfe]

There was too much slapstick jammed into "Army of Darkness" to be a true evil dead movie.
I did however like that Ash has a chemistry 101 book that has a chapter on explosives and of course the classic line "cough... cough... cough... I said the magic words!"

[captain swoop]

I am not a fan of Zombie movies. Shaun of the dead was ok but what was best about it was it enabled the making of Hot Fuzz. That is one of my top 10 films.

[Paul Beardsley]

I am not a fan of Zombie movies. Shaun of the dead was ok but what was best about it was it enabled the making of Hot Fuzz. That is one of my top 10 films.

I have not seen Hot Fuzz - largely because to my mind, the presence of Simon Pegg usually means a film/TV show will be slightly, but not very, funny - but yesterday my brother assured me it is a very amusing film. He is sometimes right about these things, so I'll give it a go.

[Jim]

Return of the Living Dead was an official sequel to Night of the Living Dead, which was co-written by George A. Romero and John A. Russo. Romero and Russo went their separate ways with sequels; the former's Dawn of the Dead portrayed a worsening zombie apocalypse, whereas in the latter's Return of the Living Dead, characters knew about the first film but discovered the "real" events on which it was based. (Incidentally this was the film that introduced the idea that zombies craved brains; this was never a part of the Romero sequence.)

As for comedy, I thought there were some funny bits, including the line, "Let's not jump to conclusions!" but on the whole I felt it worked best when it was straight horror.

Russo was writing Return at the same time Romero was writing Dawn. The director of Return, Dan O'Bannon, didn't want to infringe on Romero's property, so he asked Russo to add more humor and not write a sequel. This was played up when Return came out... it was not a sequel to anything... but still called Return.

And, yes, one of the characters did say that the events in Night were based on actual events that happened in 1969. Night came out in 1968.

Point is, Return is an example of a comedy zombie movie.

[Jim]

I have not seen Hot Fuzz - largely because to my mind, the presence of Simon Pegg usually means a film/TV show will be slightly, but not very, funny - but yesterday my brother assured me it is a very amusing film. He is sometimes right about these things, so I'll give it a go.

Well, I guess you just have to have an appreciation for British comedy to enjoy Pegg.

(Yes, folks, I see where Paul Beardsley is from.)

[captain swoop]

I wasn't a fan of Pegg, I don't like his sidekick much either, he was terrible in the sci-fi sitcom 'Hyperdrive' (which was just bad all over) until I saw Hot Fuzz, It is just such a good film though, it lampoons all the hollywood Cop films perfectly.

[caveman1917]

Plan 9 from outer space? Though it is mostly funny because it's so bad and i couldn't stop laughing at the feeble attempts at film making. I'm not sure that kind of funny also counts, but if it does, by all means give Zombi 3 a try.

[Paul Beardsley]

Russo was writing Return at the same time Romero was writing Dawn. The director of Return, Dan O'Bannon, didn't want to infringe on Romero's property, so he asked Russo to add more humor and not write a sequel. This was played up when Return came out... it was not a sequel to anything... but still called Return.

So everybody watching it knew that the "living dead" referred to in the title were the ones in Night of the Living Dead, and these were the living dead that were Returning...

Well, I guess you just have to have an appreciation for British comedy to enjoy Pegg.

(Yes, folks, I see where Paul Beardsley is from.)

I choose not to be baited.

[captain swoop]

Speaking of Pegg, Channel 4 are re running 'Spaced' starting this week.

[Buttercup]

I don't understand the appeal of zombies.

Give me a tall, dark, sleek and sexy vampire any day.

[Ara Pacis]

I don't understand the appeal of zombies.

Give me a tall, dark, sleek and sexy vampire any day.

Um, people don't want to date zombies, they want to use them for target practice. I read an article not long ago about some people preparing for a real zombie apocalypse. These people aren't pretending either. The psych thought they tended to be anti-social types who want to have an excuse to go on a shooting spree.

[stutefish]

Were you familiar with Romero's films before you saw these?

Indeed I was. Why do you ask?

[AGN Fuel]

I have not seen Hot Fuzz - largely because to my mind, the presence of Simon Pegg usually means a film/TV show will be slightly, but not very, funny - but yesterday my brother assured me it is a very amusing film. He is sometimes right about these things, so I'll give it a go.

The first 10 or 15 minutes of Hot Fuzz were really funny as Pegg's character is "re-assigned" from the city. I enjoyed the rest of the movie, but for me it didn't quite live up to the promise of the opening (although the scene in the country pub with the under age drinkers was great!)

[Paul Beardsley]

Indeed I was. Why do you ask?

Because of the point I made in the last two paragraphs of my first post.

[Paul Beardsley]

The first 10 or 15 minutes of Hot Fuzz were really funny as Pegg's character is "re-assigned" from the city. I enjoyed the rest of the movie, but for me it didn't quite live up to the promise of the opening (although the scene in the country pub with the under age drinkers was great!)

Oh dear. It sounds like par-for-the-course Simon Pegg again. I'll try and see it with an open mind - I have had my opinion about actors, authors, TV shows, rock bands and so on turned around in the past - but I will be setting my expectations somewhat lower than before,