34 Excellent Zombie Movies, Ranging From Horrifying To Hilarious
There are so many zombie movies out there that it's practically its own genre at this point. So here's a list of the best zombie movies ever made:
AMC
1.28 Days Later (2002)
After an incurable virus breaks out across the UK, a man (Cillian Murphy) wakes up after a monthlong coma to a deserted city. He, along with three other survivors, attempt to flee to safe haven in Manchester. This one might hit a little too close to home in a post COVID-19 reality, but it's worth watching if you can stomach it. The blood and violence is balanced out nicely by more introspective moments straight out of an Oscar-bait drama.
2.Train to Busan (2016)
Taking place almost entirely on a zombie-infected train, Train to Busan has a cast of characters who represent the very best and very worst of humanity as they run out of time (and space!) to escape the zombies. Don Lee charmed the world as Gilgamesh in Eternals, and he brings the same heart to his breakout role here.
3.Zombieland (2009)
From the moment the movie starts with Columbus's (Jesse Eisenberg) voiceover about surviving the zombie apocalypse, you know that you're in for some laughs. That's not to say that there isn't also plenty of blood splattering all over the place (there is). Emma Stone shows off her uncanny ability to deliver sarcastic dialogue — in one of her first leading roles! — and Woody Harrelson nearly steals the whole damn movie as Tallahassee, a man who will kill zombies with literally anything (a banjo, a bat, garden shears, etc.).
4.Little Monsters (2019)
Lupita Nyong'o's performance in Us was the talk of the town in 2019, but did you know that she starred in another horror movie the same year? Indeed, Little Monsters released in theaters a few months after Us and could not be more different. Lupita plays Miss Caroline, a bubbly teacher determined to protect her young students from a sudden outbreak of zombies. Yes, this movie has an ensemble cast of children, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's not graphically violent. If a gory zombie flick with children in danger seems like it could be too dark, don't worry. The tone is decidedly light and comedic.
5.Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Shaun's (Simon Pegg) life is thoroughly unremarkable, bordering on depressing. He hates his job, his colleagues disrespect him, and doesn't get along with his stepdad. When his girlfriend (Kate Ashfield) dumps him for spending too much time with his slacker best friend Ed (Nick Frost), Shaun is so sad that he doesn't even notice that London has been overrun by zombies. But there's nothing like an apocalypse to make you get your life in order and bring out your inner hero. Shaun of the Dead also stands out in the zombie genre for its surprisingly optimistic ending.
6.Night of the Comet (1984)
The end of the world does not have to be a bummer! In fact, it can be a mix of slapstick, sci-fi, and '80s camp, which is exactly what you'll get in Night of the Comet. After a comet wipes out humanity, Valley Girls Reggie (Catherine Mary Stewart) and Sam Belmont (Kelli Maroney) fight against cannibal zombies and a group of evil scientists. This movie has become a cult classic in the years since its release, and it's not hard to see why.
7.Wild Zero (1999)
A fan (Masashi Endō) gets the experience of a lifetime when he has to work with his favorite band — played by the real-life band Guitar Wolf — to outrun zombies that have taken over Asahi, Japan. If that sounds like a potentially silly premise, you have good instincts because Wild Zero is an unrepentantly silly movie. Among its most ludicrous scenes is a moment a rockstar reveals that his guitar is actually a sword, which he then uses to slice a spaceship in half. It's a good time.
8.Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998)
Scooby-Doo vs. zombies! What more could you want? Nothing, this movie is 77 minutes of perfection. Plus, it did the whole "Mystery Inc. splits up before reuniting for one last ride" storyline before the live-action Scooby-Doo did.
9.28 Weeks Later (2007)
Techinically 28 Weeks Later is a sequel to 28 Days Later, but it follows an entirely new set of characters and is more of an action thriller than a horror movie. This spiritual sequel clearly has a higher budget (you can see it in the special effects) and also stars Idris Elba and Jeremy Renner. Sure, you might miss the more psychological approach of its predecessor, but the guts and gore make up for it.
10.Night of the Living Dead (1968)
George Romero's Night of the Living Dead was the first in a series of zombie movies he made that established him as a horror auteur. He's widely considered the creator of the "Hollywood zombie," AKA the infected, flesh-craving monsters we're used to. Romero's zombies are technically derived from the original zombies of Haitian mythology, but the two are pretty different overall. Regardless, Romero's movie is a classic and gave the world its first taste of zombie gore.
11.Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Reanimated corpses have taken over the entire United States and society has collapsed. In light of that, a group of strangers seeks refuge in an abandoned shopping mall. This is the setup of Dawn of the Dead, the second movie in George Romero's zombie series. Many people consider it even better than Night of the Living Dead, but I'll let you be the judge of that. One thing's for sure though, it remains one of the most beloved zombie movies ever made and highlights some of the best aspects of the genre: gore and social commentary.
12.Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Zack Snyder's 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead — with a script by James Gunn — follows the same premise and plot of the original. The biggest difference is the absence of overt political commentary and the increased gore, if that's even possible. But of course it is! You can never have too much blood in a zombie movie.
13.Day of the Dead (1985)
George Romero's third zombie movie continues the societal collapse seen in Dawn of the Dead: the zombies expanded past the US and have taken over the whole world. They outnumber humans 400,000 to 1. As a last resort, a small group of surviving soldiers and scientists attempt to domesticate the zombies so that humans might live alongside them. Would you believe that it doesn't go well?
14.Rec (2007)
If you enjoy movies like The Blair Witch Project or the first Paranormal Activity, you'll love REC. It uses the same "found footage" style of filmmaking as those two movies, only this one has zombies. It's slightly less gory than your typical zombie fare, but the jump scares are more than terrifying enough. In fact, this might be one of the scariest movies on this list because of how plausible it seems. You may need to remind yourself that zombies aren't real and can't hurt you when you finish it.
15.Re-Animator (1985)
Jeffrey Combs stars as Herbert West, a medical student who believes he has figured out the secret to reanimation. He proves it by bringing his roommate's cat back to life, as one does. The only weird thing is that the cat is significantly more vicious than it was before... *Cue suspenseful music.* This kicks off the plot of Re-Animator, which doesn't have the overt political commentary of other zombie movies but makes its message very clear: Mankind can and will abuse their power and ruin everything. Herbert West is a mix of Norman Bates and Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory and is, despite his mad scientist tendencies, a really funny character. Less funny is the absolutely brutal way the movie treats Megan (Barbara Crampton), with one scene in particular that will make you grateful for the fast-forward button on your remote.
16.Deathdream (1974)
Deathdream is a movie about Andy Brooks (Richard Backus), a Vietnam soldier who turns up at his house after having been supposedly killed in action. His parents assume the mix-up is due to a clerical error, and it takes them an unfortunately long time to realize that their son is a zombie. Andy's tragedy is a metaphor for the horrors of war and the movie's anti-war stance is impossible to miss. It's plenty scary as Andy becomes increasingly violent, but mostly it's just sad.
17.Juan of the Dead (2011)
When zombies take over Cuba, Juan (Alexis Díaz de Villegas) and his friends start a zombie-killing business. Their slogan? "Juan of the Dead: We kill your loved ones. How can we help you?" That should give you an idea as to what kind of movie this is — silly, clever, and self-aware. The zombie violence is more on the goofy side rather than gruesome, and the jokes are specific to Cuban politics (more social commentary!).
18.Warm Bodies (2016)
Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer star as R and Julie, two people who fall in love but can't be together because they belong to different species — Julie is human and R is a zombie. If you think that sounds like a certain Shakespearean tragedy, you'd be correct. Warm Bodies is a unique take on both zombie movies and the Romeo and Juliet story, made all the better by the great chemistry between Hoult and Palmer.
19.Night of the Creeps (1986)
Night of the Creeps is a mix of a few genres: mystery, horror, romance, science fiction, and comedy. It actually has a lot in common with Ryan Murphy's Scream Queens, most obviously the college campus setting and dark humor. It's plenty gory, but the horror is somewhat undercut by the quality (or lack thereof) of the special effects. If you enjoy B-movies this is a great one.
20.Hocus Pocus (1993)
Hocus Pocus is not a zombie movie but it does have a prominent zombie, and Billy Butcherson is an icon. He is so petty that his first words after 300 years of silent rotting are insults to is ex-wife — in fairness, she did kill him and sew his mouth shut. Billy is not scary by any means, but the scene in which he un-sutures his mouth is kind of gross. Plus, he has a surprisingly salacious backstory for a Disney movie: Winnifred killed him because she caught him cheating on her with her sister Sarah.
21.I Walked with a Zombie (1943)
I Walked with a Zombie is one of the earliest zombie movies ever made and it doesn't have much in common with the other movies on this list. It follows Betsy (Frances Dee), a nurse hired to look after a Caribbean plantation owner’s wife (Christine Gordon) who has become inexplicably ill. The plot is heavily inspired by Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, but the enduring discussion around the film is actually about its depiction of slavery. The slaves in the movie are somber and mostly silent around the white characters, and when they do speak it's clear how unhappy they are. The zombie trope actually owes its heritage to Haitian slaves, who used the imagery as a metaphor for being imprisoned in their own bodies. I Walked with a Zombie is really one of the few accurate zombie movies in that regard.
22.Get Out (2017)
YES, Get Out is a zombie movie, argue with the wall. At least, according to the original zombie mythology that originated in Haiti. Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) gets trapped in his own body while white people attempt to use him however they want, and characters of Georgina and Walter are particularly representative of this version of zombies. Jordan Peele won an Oscar for his screenplay and established himself as a horror auteur with Get Out, which more than lives up to the hype.
23.Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974)
Let Sleeping Corpses Lie follows Edna and George, two travelers who are suddenly accused of committing a string of countryside murders. The real culprits are actually zombies who've been brought to life via radiation from a farm. As you might imagine, trouble ensues. The plot doesn't get much more complicated than that and the zombie violence isn't particularly gory, but this hidden gem is all the better for its relative simplicity.
24.One Cut of the Dead (2017)
One Cut of the Dead is best enjoyed if you know as little as possible about the plot, so here's a little taste: A Japanese film crew working on a low-budget zombie film is suddenly attacked by real zombies. The movie is split into three sections, and to be fair the second act does slow things down considerably — but with good reason! You just need a little bit of patience to see everything come together in the final act. It is so, so worth the wait.
25.The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Contrary to what the title suggests, this movie is not a sequel. And to be quite honest, it doesn't have the most unique premise of the zombie genre — two incompetent employees accidentally release a poisonous gas into the air that reanimates the dead as zombies. It is, however, the first movie to have zombies crave brains instead of any other form of human flesh. It's also the first movie to show zombies running instead of slowly ambling towards their prey.
26.Dead Alive (1992)
Before he directed Lord of the Rings and became internationally acclaimed, Peter Jackson made a zombie movie called Dead Alive. Lionel Cosgrove (Timothy Balme) must face his lifelong mommy issues when his mother gets bitten by a monkey and becomes a zombie. The visuals are nowhere the level of Fellowship of the Ring, but that's for the best. If the gore were any more realistic, it would be the most aggressively gratuitous display of human suffering ever put onscreen.
27.Zombies (2018)
No, this isn't a joke. If you've ever wondered what High School Musical would have looked like if Troy Bolton were a zombie, look no further. These zombies are not violent, they do not eat brains, and they dance their little hearts out.
28.The Night Eats the World (2018)
This movie is a nightmare come true: Sam (Anders Danielsen Lie) wakes up the morning after a party to find that Paris has been overrun by zombies and he's the only person left. The zombies in this movie set themselves apart by being utterly silent, no growling or moaning here. The only sounds they do make are running feet and jaws snapping shut. The scariest thing in the whole film is really the lack of noise and how alone Sam really is. If you really want to creep yourself out, watch this one by yourself in a dark room.
29.The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)
Glenn Close and House of the Dragon's Paddy Considine star in this post-apocalyptic, science fiction horror movie where zombies have taken over the world and a little girl named Melanie is the only hope for a cure. You see, Melanie (Sennia Nanua, a brilliant young performer) is part of a generation of children who were born to zombie-infected parents but aren't fully zombies. They crave human flesh, but are still capable of rational thought. If that doesn't pique your interest, the movie also refers to the zombies as "hungries," which is very cute.
30.Army of the Dead (2021)
Netflix gave Zack Snyder a boatload of money to make the zombie heist movie of his dreams, and the results Army of the Dead. After a zombie outbreak decimated Las Vegas, the city was walled off from the rest of the world for protection. Who'd be reckless enough to venture into such a city? Scott Ward (Dave Bautista) and his associates, who are sent to retrieve $200 million from a casino vault. Look, this movie is gross, there is no other way to describe the onslaught of guts, blood, and vomit you'll be subject to. If you're into that kind of thing, it's a lot of fun, made even better by a touching subplot between Dave Bautista's character and his daughter.
31.I Am Legend (2007)
You might not agree that the monsters in I Am Legend are zombies, but what else would call them? They are humans who became infected with a virus that turned them into violent cannibals — that sounds like a zombie to me. Come for Will Smith at the height of his star power and stay for Sam the dog, whose fate I won't spoil here but is one of the most talked about parts of the movie.
32.Blood Quantum (2019)
Blood Quantum has all the typical elements of a great zombie movie, including a big helping of political criticism — in this case, the target is Canada's history of colonialism. The residents of the Red Crow Indian Reservation in Quebec are immune to the ongoing zombie plague because of their Indigenous heritage, but that doesn't stop white people from seeking refuge on their reservation. It's a smart, unique premise that highlights the need for diverse stories in a crowded — and overwhelmingly white — genre.
33.Pet Sematary (1989)
Louis (Dale Midkiff), the patriarch of the Creed family, discovers an ancient cemetery behind his new house that has the power to revive dead animals — and as he discovers later, people as well. Without spoiling too much, Louis makes several regrettable choices that have some pretty regrettable consequences for his whole family. If you enjoyed Hereditary, you might also enjoy this story about a similarly wretched family.
34.And once again, Pet Sematary (2019)
Yep, another remake. The premise of the 2019 version Pet Sematary is almost exactly the same as the original, but the writers made several significant changes to the plot — the Creed family still has an awful time though, don't worry. TBH, it's just as good as the original and different enough to surprise you.
What are some of your favorite zombie movies? Let us know below!
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