I see by my watch that it's about time for the recent spate of zombie-vogue movies (28 Days Later, Resident Evil, Dawn Of The Dead) to inspire a spoof.

Thank God the Brits got there first. Already a hit across the Pond, the lively and often-hysterical indie "romzomcom" (romantic zombie comedy) Shaun Of The Dead is the direct opposite of the overused shtick-'n'-punfest Scary Movie approach to the genre.

In place of that, we get a cool, savvy zombie romance, replete with witty, dryly sarcastic dialogue under fire. It's a film that doesn't beat you over the head with its references, though they're there in plain sight.

Example: It's already a zombie movie convention that uninfected humans being hunted by zombies will obtain a stash of guns. In Shaun Of The Dead they do, as well, but given that most people wouldn't know what to do with a gun, it makes for one the movie's most priceless exchanges.

SHAUN: "I think Ed should fire the gun."

LIZ: "What's Ed's experience?"

SHAUN: "He once shot his sister in the leg with an arrow."

LIZ: (Pause) "I think someone else should do it."

Shaun takes over and begins firing blindly, missing every shot as he spins with each directive -- "Twelve o'clock!... Two o'clock!... Eleven forty-five!"

"Keep it simple!" he screams.

In Shaun Of The Dead, Shaun (Simon Pegg) is a beer loving yob of the sensitive sort who is dumped by his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) because of the bad influence of his Bluto-esque best buddy Ed (Nick Frost) and the fact that the only place Shaun takes her is the pub. So into his own pain is he that, as he channel flips to forget, he manages to miss North London's descent into zombiehood on every channel.

In fact, director Edgar Wright makes terrific satirical use of video images that suggest everyday zombie-like activity among everyone from service staff to bankers to music video veejays. It asks, non-verbally, "Who are the real zombies here?"

The zombie zombies (whose provenance is never really explained) are of the old school variety -- slow, shuffling and inherently comic, the better for heroes to wade into a crowd thereof to bash in their heads randomly with shovels and crowbars.

The usual smallish group of survivors make their way to a last stand in Shaun Of The Dead -- Shaun, Liz, Shaun's mom, Ed, Liz's sister and her boyfriend -- bickering and making eccentric smalltalk all the way.

It scarcely prepares you for the remarkably gory climax, but even this is carried off with wit (do not miss the "video montage" -- a last blast of satire between the "happy ending" and the credits).

(This film is rated 18-A)

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