Nominated for 7 Japanese Academy Awards, One Cut of the Dead is a meta zombie comedy whose title presumably works better in Japanese.

Taking place on the set of a live, single-take zombie movie, the less you know about this film going in the better. All you need to know is that it’s brilliant, one of the funniest films in ages and deceptively clever, well-made and sweet. Despite the name it’s not a horror flick but a deconstruction of the movie industry, and at its heart a film about a family.

Thematically it feels closer to Ed Wood than Shaun of the Dead, thanks to its ‘filmmaking as family’ ethos and celebration of the mad resourcefulness of low-budget filmmakers. At the same time the satirical, post-modern, one-take conceit recalls Birdman, boasting ingenious choreography and witty physicality from writer/director Shinichiro Ueda.

Fun, fresh and unique, One Cut of the Dead is a pure delight about the horror of filmmaking and the magic of horror films.