Edgar Wright

No. 12: "Shaun of the Dead" (2004)

This loving, reverential spoof of the zombie genre adds a quintessentially British spin: What if everyone was so bored with their lives that they didn't even notice a zombie plague was breaking out? That's the starting point from which Simon Pegg... more (star and co-writer) and Edgar Wright (director and co-writer) build an affectionate comedy of manners set against the end of life as we know it. Hardcore zombie fans will love all the in-jokes, while everyday moviegoers can relish the characters, perhaps the best ever developed for a movie about rotted, flesh-eating ghouls.

Don Kaye covers films, TV and entertainment for MSN.com, and wants more brains.

('Shaun of the Dead'/Rogue Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection)