Horror comedy is a damn difficult thing to pull off, as the end result is either An American Werewolf in London or, gasp, An American Werewolf in Paris.
The plot: The world (or America which, for many in the movie industry, seems to count as 'The World') has been ravaged by a virus that turns anyone infected into a brainless, bloodthirsty zombie.
Sound familiar?
And yes, the initial premise is that most trodden of horror paths, to the point of utter tedium by now but, through humour, some great casting and a neat plot contrivance, Zombieland effectively sidesteps all of the expected monotony.
The humour I speak of is of the blackest kind for the most part, though it's not afraid to drop in the odd spot of slapstick, either.
The casting is pitch perfect, with Jesse Eisenberg as the dweeby survivor, Woody Harrelson the leathery, gun-toting, Twinky-loving stranger he befriends, and an audacious cameo that I will not reveal to avoid spoiling the moment for those still in the dark.
Lastly, that neat plot contrivance is a spin on The Rules of Horror from Scream, this time being The Rules to survive a zombie outbreak, which Eisenberg's character Columbus rigidly follows.
Bloodthirsty, action packed, wickedly funny at times, this is a step above any of the movies that label themselves comedies, usually starring those twat-botherers Seth Rogen or Will Farrell.
A must see for comedy and horror fans alike, and there's a sequel due in a couple of years too.
Great fun.
4 out of 5
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