ZOMBIELAND (15).

Comedy/Horror. Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Bill Murray. Director: Ruben Fleischer.

It’s one of the burning questions of the modern age: in the event of zombie holocaust, how can the human survivors protect themselves from becoming a walking buffet for the undead?

Ruben Fleischer's gore-laden comedy proffers a few handy tips to stay one step ahead.

Striking an irreverent tone that echoes Shaun Of The Dead, Zombieland is a bloody and hilarious jaunt through a futuristic America ravaged by a contagion that has metamorphosed all but the lucky few into flesh-chomping predators.

The rules for survival are explained in the film’s tongue-in-cheek opening section – including maintaining cardio fitness, always shooting zombies twice in the head, and checking the back seat of your car for teeth-gnashing passengers.

Recluse Columbus (Eisenberg) has managed to survive thanks to his fear of anything that goes bump in the night – and he’s also terrified by clowns.

“It would be nice to see a familiar face – or any face that doesn’t have blood dripping from its lips and flesh between its teeth,” he muses as he makes his way home to see his family.

En route, Columbus encounters gun-toting hardman Tallahassee (Harrelson), who takes delight in killing zombies with any implement that comes to hand.

They join forces with two young survivors, Wichita (Stone) and Little Rock (Breslin), who are heading for the supposed sanctuary of an amusement park from their childhood.

Zombieland is a blast, mining laughs from the survivors’ reaction to their predicament.

Columbus’s offer to help a sexy neighbour (Amber Heard) in her hour of need leads to stomach-churning carnage.

“First time I let a girl into my life, and she tries to eat me!” he sighs.

The final showdown at the amusement park makes the most of the location and its various rides.

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