Woody Harrelson is back with a vengeance in 'Zombieland' ? a horror comedy that lays on the gore and the laughs in equal measure.

After the British hit 'Shaun of the Dead' some critics may have approached Zombieland as an American knock-off trying to cash in on the success of its predecessor, but don?t let that get in your way, because 'Zombieland' is funny as hell and stands all on its own.

In a world overrun by zombies, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is an unlikely survivor ? an uber-nerd suffering from, amongst other things, agoraphobia. But he has managed to keep himself alive by following a set of rules, which range from cardio to double-tap, and lugging around a shotgun.

Seeking a safe haven he stumbles onto Tallahassee (Harrelson) a redneck with a serious hankering for a Twinkie and an unhealthy penchant for killing zombies. The unlikely duo is joined by sisters Wichita and Little Rock (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin respectively) and so begins their trek through a zombie-infested wasteland.

Like more serious zombie films, 'Zombieland' is also very much character driven. Throw a group of strangers together, all suffering from their own loss and bearing a multitude of issues, add zombies to the mix and then watch it all unfold.

Eisenberg is perfect as the neurotic Columbus, while Harrelson is at his best as the macho, combative Tallahassee, and the pair play off each other brilliantly.

Stone, meanwhile, is thankfully not content to simply provide the eye-candy and keeps the laughs coming with her own style of humour, while Breslin proves again just how talented she is, moving seamlessly from one genre to another.

The cast is what makes Zombieland what it is. A horror-comedy that is full of gore, laughs, and more importantly, humanity.