From shambling ghouls to raging runners, Conor Bryce ranks the ten zombie films that redefined horror, and refused to stay dead.
“When there’s no more room in hell, the dead will walk the Earth.”Dawn of the Dead (1978, 2004)
Try as you might, you just can’t kill ’em. Much like the shuffling, rotting horde themselves, the zombie movie is a survivor. Thought to have been laid to rest after their original heyday by the rise of the late ’80s/early ’90s slasher (albeit with a few notable exceptions), zombies bit back thanks to the one-two punch of global gaming phenomenon Resident Evil and a fresh, fast new coat of paint on film from Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later. They’ve never looked back since, proving to be one of cinema’s most enduring and malleable subjects. Infecting other genres (action, comedy, even romance) and used as a metaphor for everything from a mistrust of the older generation to the perils of consumerism, their popularity as fright fuel provides endless discussion.
Is it because there’s no reasoning with them? That they used to be us? Fear of losing control? The dread of inevitably being outnumbered? Maybe Nietzsche put it best when he said, “Insanity in individuals is rare, but in groups... it is the rule.”
With 28 Years Later (the first of a planned trilogy) currently riding high, it’s clear that the zombie will be stalking cinemas and our nightmares – for years to come. Here are 10 standout reasons why we fear the walking dead.
10. Zombi 2 /Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979)
Three words: zombie versus shark.
An unofficial sequel to Dawn of the Dead (released as Zombi in Italy) due to baffling Italian copyright laws allowing any film to be marketed as any sequel, giallo supremo Lucio Fulci’s Zombi 2 – confusing matters more by also being known as Zombie Flesh Eaters – is a proper dyed-in-the-wool video nasty.
The plot, for what it’s worth, brings the subgenre back to its voodoo-themed roots, as a zombie infestation breaks out on a remote Caribbean island. A mysterious woman, accompanied by a journalist, races to find her missing father while dodging some truly disgusting dead.
Loved by purists and hated by critics on its release, Zombi 2 is a cult favourite with plenty of gross-out moments to thrill and disgust in equal measure. Highlights include shuffling corpses covered in real maggots, some up-close-and-personal eyeball trauma, and, yes, a PETA-baiting, stupidly dangerous sequence where a zombie fights a very real shark (it has to be seen to be believed). It’s an acquired taste and in no way an easy watch, but if you like your zombie movies raw and nasty, Zombi 2 might just be your favourite offering.
9. Day of the Dead (1985)
Arguably the least effective of George Romero’s Dead trilogy (more on that later), Day of the Dead is still head and shoulders above most, thanks to some effective social commentary and monster make-up artist Tom Savini working at God mode.
Set further into a zombie outbreak than most entries in the subgenre library, Day is a surprisingly meditative look at the human race on the brink of falling, and tearing each other, apart. Cack-handed experimentation reveals zombies are capable of communicating, and leads to the introduction of probably the most memorable dead dude in cinema.
Meet Bub, capable of cognitive thought and able to access fragments of his past life. Bub adds a rare tragic dimension to the zombie trope, especially when compared to most of the human cast. And especially alongside Captain Rhodes, a soldier so manic and detestable you’ll be cheering when, eventually and inevitably, he meets his grisly end.
Day was way ahead of its time, paving the way for ‘smart’ zombie flicks like 28 Days Later, with its antagonistic military presence and themes of hope, order and ethics. If you like your zombie movies pessimistic and thoughtful, Day of the Dead brings it.
8. Braindead /Dead Alive (1992)
Long before The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson carved out a career with some highly enjoyable horror comedies. Braindead (known as Dead Alive in the States) is the best, and wildest, of the bunch. Often heralded as one of the goriest movies ever made, it ramps up the spectacle of flying body parts to ridiculous heights.
More Evil Dead than Dawn of the Dead, mild-mannered mummy’s boy Lionel gets progressively more flustered and blood-soaked after dear old mum gets bitten by a disease-ridden ‘rat-monkey’. As the zombie plague begins spreading to the colourful inhabitants of a picturesque New Zealand suburb, it’s up to Lionel to first keep things under wraps, then start up a lawnmower and run headfirst into battle once things get too much to handle.
Braindead is an absolute hoot, all slapstick sequences, bonkers gore and memorable one-liners (altogether now, “I kick arse for the Lord!”). One of the funniest efforts the subgenre has to offer, it’s easy to see what made Jackson the perfect choice to direct the daunting Rings trilogy – what he manages to pull off on a shoestring budget, most couldn’t do with hundreds of millions.
7. Train to Busan (2016)
Tense, claustrophobic, stylish as hell but with a ton of heart, Korean director Yeon Sang-ho takes a ‘zombies on a train’ elevator pitch and runs with it. One of the best action-horror fusions of recent years, Train to Busan is equal parts terrifying and thrilling.
The movie follows passengers aboard the titular high-speed bullet train, including white-collar sad sack Seok-woo and his estranged young daughter. When an outbreak creates a horde of fast, angry zombies as they're leaving the station, the group needs to band together and survive, moving through the train in search of safety.
Keeping the story mostly locked into one setting makes it easy for us to follow the frenetic pace, and each of its diverse cast is given ample time to shine. In a subgenre where human characters are often used as nothing more than zombie fodder, Train to Busan stands out by making us care – and care deeply – about their fate.
6. [Rec] (2007)
Tight, frantic and very, very scary, Spanish found footage thriller [Rec] boasts some amazingly tense set pieces and an ending realised in night vision that’ll leave you absolutely rattled.
Shooting a docuseries focusing on the exploits of nightshift workers, a reporter and cameraman find themselves in deep trouble as they accompany a firefighting crew responding to strange goings-on at a dark, packed apartment block. No prizes for guessing what awaits them.
After The Blair Witch Project blew the doors off modern horror and popularised the found footage style, it was only a matter of time before we got a zombie mash-up, and [Rec] is one of the best of both subgenres. Much like the aforementioned MVP, it pulls out all the stops to remain sharp and innovative, keeping us hooked as we squint our eyes to try and see what’s coming down the corridor before the handheld camera does. Probably the scariest entry on this list, it’s a pretty perfect movie to watch with friends to scream along with. And again, let me say, that ending is absolute nightmare fuel.
5. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
The quintessential zom-com (technically a rom-zom-com) and catalyst for a slew of future entries including Zombieland, The Dead Don’t Die, Life After Beth and Warm Bodies, Shaun of the Dead owes as much to Richard Curtis as it does George Romero, and it’s all the better for it.
When the titular slacker and equally lazy buddy Ed realise they're in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, they make the typically British decision to hole up at the local pub until things calm down a smidge. Joined by a close-knit group including Shaun’s mum and ex-girlfriend, nothing could possibly go wrong, right?
Half razor-sharp parody and half loving tribute, Shaun of the Dead unleashed cult series Spaced’s trifecta of director Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on an unsuspecting moviegoing public, to great success (Shaun was followed by two more collaborations, creating what was later dubbed “The Cornetto Trilogy”). Much of Wright’s hip, energetic style from Spaced makes the jump to the big screen, but he also adds a strong, beating heart at the centre. We come for the promise of plenty of gore, jump-scares and hilarious set pieces - and they’re all delivered in spades. But we stay for the very human, very emotional character-based drama. Only Edgar Wright could make us weep over a silent-but-deadly fart.
4. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
There were plenty of entries before 1968, White Zombie and I Walked with a Zombie are standouts, but Night of the Living Dead gave the subgenre its first critical and commercial smash hit, inventing the blueprint for the modern zombie movie along the way.
After a panicky, chaotic opening at a cemetery, Night of the Living Dead follows a desperate group of survivors trying to fend off flesh-hungry ghouls by barricading themselves inside an isolated farmhouse. With the world on the brink and the dead descending, their own prejudices fast become just as dangerous as what’s lurking outside.
Night of the Living Dead boasts nuanced social commentary (and horror’s first Black lead actor), iconic guerrilla-style cinematography and a stark gut-punch of an ending. It’s called the godfather of zombie cinema for a reason - undeniably one of the most important and influential movies ever made.
3. 28 Days Later (2002)
Okay, let’s get it out of the way first, contrary to some purists’ caterwauling, 28 Days Lateris a zombie movie. The origin may be different to the usual fare (a virus causing unquenchable rage), and its zombies might act differently to most of the shuffling, ineffective-on-their-own antagonists at the time (lightning-fast machines with a penchant for ultraviolence), but everything else is pure zombie.
Waking up in a deserted London in a now-legendary opening sequence, Cillian Murphy’s Jim must piece together what the hell happened, then cling on for his life as director Danny Boyle and scribe Alex Garland plunge him into a stressful, frenetic odyssey, fending off dangerous ‘infected’ and even more dangerous soldiers with sinister motives.
It’s hard to downplay how much of a landmark movie 28 Days Later is. Not only did it revitalise the subgenre at a time when it was desperate for originality, it also inspired and paved the way for popular fast-zombie entries like the Dawn of the Dead remake and World War Z.
28 Days Later boasts a fantastic cast - including early roles for Murphy and Naomie Harris alongside veterans like Brendan Gleeson - a gritty, handheld look, and social commentary that was eerily ahead of its time (you cannot watch the scenes of Jim wandering through empty London streets and not think of the Covid lockdown). It’s most likely to be the one zombie movie that never goes out of fashion. Easily one of the greatest British horror movies of all time.
2. The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
“They’re back from the dead and ready to party!” screamed the tagline. If Night of the Living Dead is the Beatles, Return is the Sex Pistols.
Taking place in a world where Romero’s films exist as urban legend, when hazardous gas with the ability to raise the dead is accidentally unleashed by a pair of absent-minded chuckleheads, a pack of punk-loving teens try to survive the night and work out how to undo the chaos.
Much like 28 Days Later, The Return of the Living Dead landed at a time when the zombie was a long way down the genre pecking order. With slasher boogeymen like Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees reigning supreme, Alien screenwriter Dan O’Bannon’s wild comedy-horror administered a much-needed shot in the arm to the subgenre, with a smart script, manic energy and innovations that soon became canon. Return of the Living Dead introduced zombies’ penchant for fresh brains, a tendency to talk and, yes, the ability to run, long before Danny Boyle’s athletic horde (although arguably The Crazies’ pseudo-zombies sprinted first in 1973). Outrageously gooey with a tongue planted firmly in its rotted cheek, Return is a blast.
1. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
The quintessential zombie movie has it all: iconic setting; complex, likeable protagonists to rally behind; strong metaphorical threads and fascinating social commentary; innovative gore effects in spades; and enough hungry, walking corpses to fill a stadium.
A ragtag bunch of survivors attempt to wait out the zombie apocalypse inside a shopping mall, with the consumer’s paradise soon souring into a prison of their own making. Slowly stripped of their humanity, they battle not only the dead but a roaming band of looters intent on hammering home how easily we turn on each other in a crisis.
While Romero’s first effort in his Dead trilogy was shoestring and experimental, and his third perhaps a tad overbaked, this middle instalment is perfection, the subgenre’s calling card. Vibrant and confident, its cultural critique is just as resonant today as it was nearly 50 years ago.
Even Roger Ebert (a notorious horror hater) loved it, conceding that while “sickening, disgusting and appalling… nobody ever said art had to be in good taste.” He could’ve been talking about the subgenre in general.
Honourable mentions:
The Crazies (1973), The Sadness (2021), World War Z (2013), Zombieland (2009), 28 Weeks Later (2007), One Cut of the Dead (2017), Dawn of the Dead (2004)
