Shawn Of The Dead: Beers Drank And Zombies Slain

In the 2004 zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead, the Winchester pub is a pivotal location and a central feature of the dialogue. The film's protagonist, Shaun, is a 29-year-old electronics salesman who, after a breakup with his girlfriend, Liz, gets drunk with his best friend, Ed, at his favourite pub, the Winchester. The pair later devise a plan to rescue Shaun's mother, Barbara, and Liz, and wait out the zombie apocalypse at the Winchester. While the film does not specify the type of beer Shaun drinks, one source suggests pairing the film with Zombie Dust beer by 3 Floyds Brewing Co.

The Duke of Albany pub in South London was used for filming

The Duke of Albany pub in New Cross, South London, was used for filming exterior scenes in the 2004 film Shaun of the Dead. The pub, located at 39 Monson Road, SE14 5EQ, is featured prominently in the movie as Shaun's favourite pub, the Winchester, where he and his friends seek refuge from the zombie apocalypse. The filmmakers chose this location for its backstreet setting and fortress-like character, making it an ideal base during the zombie outbreak.

The Duke of Albany was a three-story Victorian pub that operated from at least 1895 until it closed in 2005 and was converted into residential flats by 2009. While the pub itself is no longer open, its exterior remains largely unchanged from its appearance in the film. The area surrounding the pub has also undergone changes, with several nearby rough-and-ready pubs either disappearing or being gentrified.

The choice to feature a pub so prominently in Shaun of the Dead was intentional, as pubs are a significant aspect of British culture and social life. The Winchester serves as more than just a location in the film; it represents Shaun's attitude towards life and directs the course of his relationships. It is depicted lovingly and carefully, with attention to detail, from the textured wallpaper to the privacy-ensuring frosted glass.

The film's pub scenes were not only filmed at the Duke of Albany but also at Ealing Studios in London. The production team spent nine weeks filming across various locations in London, capturing exterior shots in North London areas such as Crouch End, Highgate, Finsbury Park, and East Finchley. The electrical appliance shop where Shaun works is a real shop located in North Finchley.

The use of the Duke of Albany as the iconic Winchester pub in Shaun of the Dead has added to the film's legacy, with fans of the movie recognising the pub's exterior even years after its closure. The pub's role in the film showcases the importance of the "great British pub" in cinema and its ability to resonate with audiences.

Zombie Dust beer is often paired with the film

Zombie Dust is an intensely hopped and gushing undead Pale Ale, created by 3 Floyds Brewing Co. in Indiana, USA. With its comic industry ties, this beer is the perfect pairing for Shaun of the Dead, providing a fun and flavourful respite from the zombie apocalypse depicted in the film.

The film itself is notable for its focus on pubs, with the Winchester pub serving as a pivotal location and a recurring element in the dialogue. The choice of the pub as a safe haven during the zombie apocalypse adds a layer of British humour and cultural significance to the film.

Zombie Dust, with its intense hopping and gushing undead qualities, complements the film's light-hearted yet thrilling tone. The beer's citrusy and malty flavours offer a refreshing break from the tension and horror of the on-screen zombie attacks.

The pairing of Zombie Dust with Shaun of the Dead creates a unique viewing experience, blending humour and horror with the satisfying taste of a well-crafted beer. Together, they provide an entertaining escape from reality, inviting viewers to join Shaun and Ed in their battle against the undead, even if just for one night.

The film is considered one of the all-time great pub films

Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's 2004 zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead is considered one of the all-time great pub films. The film features a pub, The Winchester, so prominently as both a location and in dialogue, and the plot hinges on the pub. Shaun's attitude towards the pub defines his personality and directs the course of his relationships.

The film depicts a realistic backstreet, outer-rim London pub, not the romantic Olde Inne of popular imagination. The pub is an ideal, but not a fantasy. It is carefully depicted, with Edgar Wright's hyperactive camera swooping in on resonant details: a cowboy boot tapping a brass rail, the fireworks of a fruit machine, textured wallpaper varnished with nicotine, and frosted glass that speaks of privacy and mischief. TV screens, flaming sambucas, and glasses that only just barely look clean.

The film's pub, though it is The Duke of Albany, isn't the Duke of Albany. It represents every decent but unpretentious, tatty but not grotty, functional neighbourhood pub in London. The Duke of Albany was chosen as the filming location because it was the pub that Pegg and Wright hung out at all the time, The Boogaloo in Highgate, London. The pub's name was changed to The Winchester because a gun was needed above the bar for Shaun to use against the zombies.

The depiction of the pub and its culture has already begun to fade out of existence. The portrayal of a lock-in, for example, gave a rush of nostalgia for the world of drawn curtains, low muttering, and conspiratorial glee. The Duke of Albany closed a few years after the film came out and is now flats. Other similarly rough-and-ready pubs in the area have also disappeared, repurposed, demolished, or gentrified into something fundamentally different.

The film's pub is so iconic that it has spawned a drinking game. Players of the Shaun of the Dead drinking game are instructed to drink alcohol when someone says "Winchester", a zombie gets whacked, a human is infected/bitten, two or more people argue, an improvised weapon is used to fight zombies, or when someone drinks alcohol.

Shaun's plan to go to the Winchester is a famous line from the film

"Get to the Winchester" is a famous line from the 2004 zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead. The line is delivered by the film's protagonist Shaun, played by Simon Pegg, as he outlines his plan to survive the zombie apocalypse. Shaun's plan involves going to his favourite pub, the Winchester, and waiting for the crisis to blow over while enjoying "a nice cold pint".

The line has since become a meme and is often quoted by fans of the film. The Winchester pub is a pivotal location in the film and is carefully depicted, with director Edgar Wright's camera swooping in on details such as a cowboy boot tapping a brass rail, the lights of a fruit machine, textured wallpaper, and frosted glass.

The choice of the Winchester as a refuge during the zombie apocalypse is significant. Shaun's attitude towards the pub defines his personality and directs the course of his relationships. It is a decent but unpretentious, functional neighbourhood pub, and its fortress-like character makes it an ideal base during the zombie outbreak.

The film also explores the broader theme of pub culture and its role in the characters' lives. For Shaun and his friends, who are approaching 30, pubs have become the default social setting, with fancy restaurants and dinner parties as the next step. This is in contrast to the characters in Wright and Pegg's cult TV show Spaced, where pubs are important but are just one part of the mix, alongside nightclubs, raves, and house parties.

The specific pub culture depicted in Shaun of the Dead, such as the lock-in, has begun to fade out of existence, with some pubs closing down or being gentrified. Despite this, the film's portrayal of pub life continues to resonate with audiences, and the line "get to the Winchester" has become a memorable and iconic part of the film's legacy.

The film's pub culture has faded from existence

The 2004 zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead is one of the all-time great pub films. The film revolves around the pub as a location and in dialogue, with the pub culture depicted in the film beginning to fade out of existence.

The film's protagonist, Shaun, is a 29-year-old electronics salesman who is disrespected by his colleagues and has a strained relationship with his stepfather, Philip. Shaun's favourite pub, the Winchester, serves as the setting for a pivotal scene in the film, where Shaun gets drunk with his best friend, Ed, after being dumped by his girlfriend, Liz. The Winchester is a tatty but functional neighbourhood pub in London, lovingly depicted with details like a cowboy boot tapping a brass rail, textured wallpaper, and frosted glass.

The pub culture shown in Shaun of the Dead, with its lock-ins, drawn curtains, and low muttering, already seemed to be fading by the time the film was released. The actual pub used for filming, the Duke of Albany in New Cross, South London, closed a few years after the film's release and has been converted into flats. Other rough-and-ready pubs in the area have also disappeared or been gentrified.

The film's portrayal of pub culture, with its focus on drinking and socialising, reflects a bygone era that has largely disappeared in the years since the film's release. While the specific pubs and culture depicted in Shaun of the Dead may have faded from existence, the film itself stands as a testament to the enduring appeal of the pub as a setting and theme in cinema.

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