(Photo Credit: Focus Features)
The zombie genre is one of the most famous and well-explored genres in all of horror movie history, let alone the world of film in general. Countless entries exploring the zombie phenomenon have been made, with many more likely to come.
One of the newest entries in the field, Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil, is out in theaters now. Based on the hit Capcom video game series, Resident Evil is yet another in a long line of zombie movie entries. While it remains to be seen how his film stacks up against the history of zombie films, there are plenty that have stood the test of time and remain classics to this day.
In celebration of Resident Evil coming out, and with spooky season right around the corner, we’re taking a look at the five best zombie movies. There’s several all-timers that have been left out here, but we’ve collected a list that consists of several of the best that span all types of genres for fans to check out.
5 best zombie movies
5) Shaun of the Dead
Edgar Wright’s 2004 take on the world of zombies may not seem like much at first. Hardcore horror fans might find it hard to get into what is essentially a British comedy version of a zombie movie, but they’d do well to give it a chance. The movie follows the story of Shaun, a slacker of a salesman in London who lives with his best friend Ed. As his girlfriend tries to get him to grow up a bit, a zombie outbreak occurs, throwing the entire world into disarray.
What makes Shaun of the Dead so special is in how much of the humor weaves perfectly with the horror aspects. There’s plenty of gore, jump scares, and zombie bites in the movie, but there’s also some absolutely hilarious bits as well, including a long opening that sees Shaun blissfully unaware of the state of the world as he goes about his morning routine. It’s a classic of the genre, and cements itself as a bona fide zombie movie must-watch with its wild ending.
4) Train to Busan
Foreign filmmakers have dabbled in the zombie genre for some time, and there’s plenty of classic entries. Shin’ichirō Ueda’s 2017 film One Cut of the Dead, for instance, is one that just missed the cut here but would definitely slot into the top 10 zombie movies of all time, as is Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza’s REC. However, Train to Busan, a South Korean entry in the zombie sub-genre by director Yeon Sang-ho, perfectly captures the terror of a zombie outbreak with the heartbreaking emotions behind what would come of one.
For those looking to get right to the chase (no pun intended), the simple premise of Train to Busan is that the zombie outbreak has begun, and passengers on a train from Seoul to Busan must find a way to stay safe from it. The movie is a perfect example of how any wild premise can work, as Train to Busan utilizes the train’s cramped cars for perfect tension, but isn’t afraid to open things up and use the wider railways as amazing set pieces.
What really sets Train to Busan apart, though, is how emotional the movie gets. The film follows the story of a father trying to keep his daughter safe while en route to visit her mother on the train. While zombie movies rarely try to stray too far into the emotions of what a zombie outbreak would look like, Train to Busan dives right in, and delivers a stellar movie as a result.
3) 28 Days Later
To say that 28 Days Later changed the zombie genre as a whole would be an understatement. Danny Boyle’s 2002 horror movie, technically, isn’t exactly about the dead coming back to life. Instead, the movie is about a highly contagious virus taking over the world, with infected becoming hyper aggressive as a result. While those who are more pure to the zombie genre might argue its merits on the list, the film is by all intents and purposes a zombie movie, and a fantastic one at that.
28 Days Later completely upended the concept of zombies when it released. Rather than depicting the undead as slow, plodding foes, Boyle’s film presented them as a rabid, angry entity capable of sprinting after you at a moment’s notice. Not only was it terrifying when it first came out, but the concept of it has lingered throughout zombie movies to date, and completely changed how they are depicted in most mediums.
As a movie, 28 Days Later also presents a stellar world for which to explore. The movie largely focuses on Jim, a London man played by Cillian Murphy who awakes from a coma 28 days after an accident to find the world completely thrown into chaos. Jim’s eerie walk through an empty London is one of the most iconic moments in zombie movie history, and only sets the stage for a movie that explores how quickly society can spiral, and how poorly humans handle it.
2) Night of the Living Dead
Nowadays, 1968’s Night of the Living Dead feels fairly tame compared to every other movie that’s come after it. However, George A. Romero’s horror movie is the catalyst for modern zombie movies, and essentially the grandaddy of the genre. While not the very first zombie movie (that distinction goes to 1932’s White Zombie), Night of the Living Dead popularized the genre to what we know it as today, and did so in a movie that still stands the test of time.
Night of the Living Dead is more subdued than any other movie on this list, and follows a group of people trapped in a farmhouse in rural Pennsylvania as the zombie apocalypse begins. For a movie made in 1968, Night of the Living Dead is incredibly gruesome for its time, and still has some of the most terrifying zombies to date due to just how much they look like normal, everyday folks.
On top of the zombie craze kickstarting here, Night of the Living Dead does feature a story with as much tension and emotion as any other here. The film was not explicitly made as an allegory for racial tensions, but due to sheer happenstance, the movie’s tragic ending involving star Duane Jones went on to become a pivotal sticking point in how the movie was looked at year’s later. It remains a classic and has been remade countless times, and for good reason.
1) Dawn of the Dead
George A. Romero popularized the zombie craze, and he might have mastered it back in the day, as well. 1978’s Dawn of the Dead, the second in Romero’s series of zombie films, takes everything Night of the Living Dead did and ramps it up. If Night was the zombie craze’s birth, then Dawn of the Dead is it growing up into a full-fledged adult. The movie swaps out simpler effects for more gore and larger-scale effects, showcases the zombies as much more violent, and ups the ante by putting its group of survivors in an abandoned shopping mall.
Dawn of the Dead perfectly shows off the panic of a group of strangers coming together, and places them in a perfect place to do so. The mall setting of Dawn of the Dead allows for some memorable props and sequences to take place. Much like Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead has some not-so-subtle things to say about consumerism as well, and manages to do so all while incorporating some of the goriest practical effects you’ve ever seen.
Not only did Dawn of the Dead revolutionize the zombie genre yet again, it was the equivalent of a super group of a movie. The film was just the second of makeup artist’s Tom Savini’s career, and catapulted him into the legend he is today. There’s even an alternate cut by giallo legend Dario Argento, featuring music from prog rock icons Goblin. What more could you want from a zombie movie?
