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Can “Zombieland” triumph over “Shaun of the Dead”?

Zombies occupy a unique niche in the human psyche.

By definition, they’re reanimated corpses — undead denizens that crave human flesh. They can be swift or stumbling, relatively fresh or falling to pieces. And, since they’re already dead, zombies are nigh impossible to kill.

Zombies tap into one of mankind’s most deep-seated fears — the fear that one day our closest family members, friends and colleagues will suddenly turn on us. No warning. No escape.

Perhaps that’s the main reason zombies continue to have such a strong hold over our collective imaginations. They are the only supernatural threat for which there is no easy fix.

There’s been an renewed interest in zombie movies in recent years, including “28 Days Later” and the “Resident Evil” trilogy. Earlier this year, in fact, the Norwegian film “Dead Snow” terrified moviegoers with its depiction of undead Nazi soldiers attacking ski bums.

“Zombieland,” which opens in theaters today, is the latest gorefest to join the gruesome fray.

Woody Harrelson stars as Tallahassee, a cowboy hat-wearing, shotgun-wielding zombie hunter who enlists Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg, “Adventureland”) in his search of the last Twinkie on Earth. Along the way, they encounter Wichita (Emma Stone, “Superbad”) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin, “Little Miss Sunshine”), two sisters engaged in their own battle for survival.

“Zombieland” looks like fun — at least, as much fun as a moviegoer can have while watching innocent bystanders being torn to bits. Yet it will have to try hard to secure a place in the bloodsplattered, debris-strewn hall of zombie movie classics.

When I asked my friends and co-workers to name their favorite zombie film recently, the results were surprising.

I expected a classic George Romero gorefest to top the list.

Although “Night of the Living Dead” and “Zombi 2″ warranted a couple votes, the clear winner was Britain’s “Shaun of the Dead.”

Just read this glowing review:

“As you know, I don’t normally go in for scary movies. … I liked (”Shaun of the Dead”) because it’s not taking itself too seriously; the folks making it were obviously just having a lot of fun, and their wackiness very successfully carries over to the audience.”

And this one:

“Never before had a zombie movie combined battling the undead with the music of Queen. Plus, by watching this, you learn a secret about killing zombies: Old vinyl records are an effective weapon. … Here you have a funny movie that managed to be scary as well.”

Clearly, “Shaun of the Dead” is that rarest of horror movies — a hilariously horrifying comedy with heart and guts. Literally.

In fact, the 2004 film is considered the world’s first rom-zom-com — or “romantic zombie comedy.” That combination makes it extremely accessible for easily frightened filmgoers and hardcore horror fans alike.

So, can “Zombieland” top “Shaun of the Dead”? It might take multiple midnight viewings to tell for sure.

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Image courtesy of MovieWeb.com.