Shed of the Dead (2019)

Directed by: Drew Cullingham | 82 minutes | comedy, horror | Actors: Spencer Brown, Lauren Socha, Ewen MacIntosh, Emily Booth, Kane Hodder, Bill Moseley, Michael Berryman, Brian Blessed, James Fisher, Frank Jakeman, Clare Lean, Antony D. Lane, Finbarr Delaney, Julian Nest, Evie Scott, Warren Speed, Colin Murtagh, Jamie Long

Trevor and Graham are two normal, not too active gentlemen. Their greatest passion is playing fantasy wargames in Trevor’s cozy garden shed, the only place where the unemployed bastard isn’t bullied by his wife. Here he dedicates himself to making the toy dolls that play the main role in the fictional adventures that the friends have to go through. In the game, Trevor takes on the guise of the mighty magician Casimir the Destroyer, while in the fantasy world, Graham transforms into the noble knight Sir Brandt. When the unsavory activities of Trevor’s neighbor coincide with the zombie apocalypse, Trevor and Graham must abandon their games. Now they must be heroes in real life to save their loved ones from the bloodthirsty creatures that surround their beloved garden shed.

Zombies who lust for human blood and threaten the ruling world order; it is certainly not a new theme in horror land. The question therefore arises whether ‘Shed of the Dead’ is not yet another trivial matter within the overcrowded zombie genre. Fortunately, that’s okay. Although ‘Shed of the Dead’ does not score too high in terms of creativity and originality, it is still a decent film. This is mainly due to the good balance between horror and humor. Gory and grotesque images are regularly interspersed with bone-dry jokes of a typically British signature. Although the joviality is sometimes a bit sexual, it all still remains within the bounds of good taste. ‘Shed of the Dead’ also has a lot of momentum, which is a plus for a film of this type.

The end result is a piece of work that combines horror and corniness into a pleasant cinematic whole. Lovers of prints like ‘Shaun of the Dead’, ‘Doghouse’ and ‘Lesbian Vampire Killers’ will have a great time with ‘Shed of the Dead’.