The horror-comedy 'Fido' combines 'Pleasantville' and 'Dawn of the Dead' with a good dose of 'Lassie' to deliver a cheeky and entertaining satire of American society.

Set in an alternative history, the film opens with a 1950s-style black and white documentary which sets the scene for a post-Zombie Wars society in which zombies have been tamed (and made household servants) by Zomcon Corporation's ingenious collars. When working correctly (red light on) the collars render the zombies harmless, but if the collar goes on the blink they revert to their rabid blood-thirsty ways.

The Robinsons are a typical American family. Well, almost. Helen Robinson (Carrie-Anne Moss) keeps the house spotless and the table laid for her hard-working but distant hubby Bill (Dylan Baker), while their kid Timmy (K'Sun Ray) plays baseball. But unlike their neighbours, the Robinsons don't have a zombie servant.

Conformity being all the rage, Helen goes out and buys one (Billy Connolly) against her husband's wishes. Before long, lonely little Timmy has befriended the zombie and named him Fido. The two have great fun together until, one day, Fido's collar stops working and he munches on their elderly neighbour, setting in motion a series of gruesome killings and zombifications.

With his careful attention to detail, retro cinematography and the casual juxta-positioning of 1950s idealism with casual violence, director Andrew Currie has created a quirky little film which entertains whilst subtly criticising American conformity, immigration laws and gun culture.

Not quite 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Fido' might not become a cult classic, but still well worth sinking your teeth into.