Shaun and his best mate Ed are in trouble.
Theyve discovered two zombies in their garden, and the lumbering flesh-eaters show no signs of stopping.
However, Shaun and Ed have found one way of slowing the approach: throwing records.
And so, as the two zombies grow closer, Ed and Shaun rustle through the latters collection.
That is until Ed reaches a low point in Princes discography, theBatmansoundtrack.
Throw it, Shaun commands, striking a blow against the living dead.
Before making feature films, Pegg co-created the television seriesSpacedwith co-star Jessica Stevenson, and Wright directed every episode.
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BeforeSpaced, writer and directorKevin Smithmade nerd culture a key aspect of his characters.
That hasnt always been the case.
The most egregious examples involveJ.J.
That figure is clearly a zombie, his contributions to the performance nothing more than mindless noises.
But Shaun and Ed dont recognize the danger.
And its not because pop culture has made them dumb.
echoing a key line fromNight of the Living Dead.
And that makes sense, given the referential world that Wright created.
Throughout the film, Wright borrows shots and plot beats from other material.
A slow-push steady cam shot of Shaun collapsing after a visit to the pub comes directly fromJohn Carpenterswork.
Shaun talks about a retail employee called Ash, recallingBruce Campbellscharacter fromArmy of Darkness.
Wright copiesJohn Landissimagery from the Thriller video to depict the hordes of zombies encircling Shaun and his friends.
But Wright allows no division between nerd culture and real-life.
That connection between pop culture and human emotions is clear in perhaps the most moving sequence of the film.
But when Barbara rises again, having fully turned, Shaun finally agrees to shoot her in the head.
Its a powerful sequence, at once funny, sensitive, and terrifying.
And its chock full of references to other media.
The stand-off between the members mirrors a similar scene inReservoir Dogs.
Davids gory death is taken directly from a doomed bikers fate inDawn of the Dead.
Even his comic book adaptationScott Pilgrim vs.
The World(2010) features a young man whose self-awareness comes via video games and comic books.
As mentioned earlier, Wright is hardly unique in using nerd references in his movies.
Rather, they extend from the characters believable emotions and desires, giving three-dimensional portrayals of one-dimensional people.
