Shed of the Dead (2019) (Blu-ray Review)
DIRECTED BY: Drew Cullingham
STARRING: Spencer Brown, Lauren Socha, Ewen MacIntosh
RATED: UR/Region: O/1:78/1080P/NUMBER OF DISCS 1 (BD-r)
AVAILABLE FROM Indican Pictures
Shed of the Dead feels like the kind of movie that was pitched somewhere between a pub joke and a dare: “What if Shaun of the Dead, but… cheaper, louder, and somehow even more British?” And honestly? That’s not entirely a bad thing.
Directed by Drew Cullingham, this zombie comedy follows a group of extremely committed slackers who are far more invested in hiding their shed-based hobbies from their significant others than dealing with the minor inconvenience of a full-blown zombie apocalypse. Priorities.
Let’s start with the good, because there is good here—buried under layers of questionable taste and even more questionable decision-making. The movie actually has a decent sense of humor when it’s firing on all cylinders. Some of the banter lands, a few gags genuinely hit, and there’s a scrappy, DIY charm to the whole thing that makes it feel like everyone involved is at least having a good time. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a group of friends making something ridiculous and committing to the bit.
And then there’s the cast, which includes horror royalty like Bill Moseley and Kane Hodder. Their presence alone gives the movie a weird amount of credibility, like your low-budget backyard project suddenly got endorsed by legends who’ve seen much worse and decided, “Sure, why not?” They don’t exactly elevate the material into prestige territory, but they do add a layer of fun for genre fans who recognize them.
Now… the not-so-good.
For every joke that works, there are at least two that land with the grace of a zombie tripping over its own intestines. The humor leans heavily into crude, juvenile territory, and while that’s clearly intentional, it doesn’t always translate into something funny. Sometimes it just feels like the movie is trying way too hard to be edgy and ends up being more exhausting than entertaining.
The pacing is also a bit of a mess. It drags when it should sprint, rushes when it should breathe, and occasionally feels like it forgot there’s supposed to be a zombie apocalypse happening at all. You’ll get bursts of chaos and gore—some of which are actually pretty solid for a low-budget production—followed by long stretches of “wait, are we still doing this scene?”
And speaking of gore: it’s a mixed bag. There are moments where the practical effects shine and you can see the effort, and then there are others where it looks like the budget ran out halfway through the blood supply. It’s charming… until it isn’t.
But here’s the thing: Shed of the Dead never pretends to be anything more than what it is—a scrappy, slightly obnoxious, occasionally funny zombie comedy that lives and dies on its own weird energy. When it works, it’s genuinely entertaining in a late-night, “why am I enjoying this?” kind of way. When it doesn’t, it feels like you’re stuck in that shed with the characters, wondering how much longer this is going to take.
In the end, it’s a very mixed bag. Fans of low-budget horror-comedy might find enough here to justify the ride, especially if they’re already fond of anything remotely in the orbit of Shaun of the Dead. Everyone else? You might want to keep the door to that shed firmly closed.
Still… at least it commits to the bit. Even if that bit occasionally bites back.
