Zombie Movies: What's Best and Why?

Night of the Living Dead, directed by George A. Romero and released in 1968, is widely regarded as the "zombie" picture that had the most impact and significance on the genre, but is it also the finest zombie movie ever made?

It is not so much the use of zombies as it is the use of distinctive locales, realistic effects, gore and mayhem, witty social criticism, dark humour, or really horrific tension that determines which films are considered to be the finest zombie movies of all time.

White Zombie was the first full-length "zombie" horror film, and it was also the first picture in Hollywood to popularize the idea of Haitian voodoo zombies. Bela Lugosi played a witch doctor in the film, and it was the film that popularized the idea.

In the movie "Murder," a character named Lugosi plays the role of Svengali, who tries to turn a young lady into a zombie by using various powders and potions. Although it is somewhat monotonous and wooden, it did serve as the impetus for one of Rob Zombie's musical projects.

The movie Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead is being produced by Troma and promises to be vulgar, violent, and to have no bounds or sense of good taste. In addition to that, the sociological commentary on consumer society is rather astutely delivered.

A group of people who were sailing their boats wind themselves on an uncharted island where a submerged SS submarine has dumped its crew of zombies as part of an experiment being conducted by the Nazis. Peter Cushing makes an appearance as a severely miscast SS Commander who looks to be befuddled.

Zombie Hunter, starring the always incredible Danny Trejo, is an example of what not to do with a zombie flick. Its overuse of cliches and predictability leave you wanting to watch just about any other film with flesh-eaters.

The Dead Next Door is a low-budget zombie action-drama that was shot entirely on SUPER 8 and features a combination of cringe-inducing amateur acting performances and touches of unexpected professionalism. It was produced by Sam Raimi, who used a portion of the proceeds from Evil Dead II to allow his friend J. R. Bookwalter to direct the film. The film was shot entirely on SUPER 8.

World War Z is one of the worst adaptations of great source material that the horror genre has ever seen, but it does tell a story that is at least a little bit interesting about a UN investigator who jet-sets around the world in search of a cure or biological agent that can be used to fight the zombies.

A number of tourists go into the deserted remains of a satanic Templar abbey, which results in the reawakening of the blind dead who are able to find you based on the sound of your heartbeat. They are being followed across a field by a group of zombie Templar knights riding zombie horses and holding swords as they make their way toward them.

After a military private who has likewise been zombified turns them, a group of lazy buddies mistakenly think that they have been transformed into "super soldiers." Structure-wise, this movie is quite similar to Colin in that it is "told from the zombie's point of view," but it has a witty and humorous spin on it.

Pupi Avati's Zeder is a peculiar horror-drama that offers a fresh take on the concept of zombie movies. The film tells the narrative of a young author who is attempting to solve the puzzle of the K-Zones and how they function.

In the movie "Deadgirl," which examines the sexuality of the undead, a group of young men argue among themselves to see who will get the opportunity to rape the "deadgirl" next. The movie is effectively eerie and revolting, and it makes the list for the simple reason that it suggests a use for zombies that hadn't been explored in this detail in the previous 40 years.

Nicholas Hoult portrays a zombie who spends his days roaming a deserted airport with hundreds of his brothers. That is, until he meets Julie for the first time, at which point his ice-cold, lifeless heart begins to beat again for some reason.

Warm Bodies is a romantic comedy that tells the story of two zombies who are destined to be together but are prevented from doing so by their authoritarian father. The characters' humorous interactions with one another throughout the movie is the film's strongest aspect.

A zombie outbreak takes place as a group of kindergarten kids are on a field trip to a farm or petting zoo, and Lupita Nyong'o plays as the teacher who is tasked with protecting her charges from the undead.

The movie demonstrates Nyong'o's knack for musical performance, while Josh Gad's ability to be annoying is put to excellent use over the course of the movie.

Students set up camp in an isolated cabin in Norway, and unbeknownst to them, they end up giving Nazi zombies a new lease on life by stealing their riches. The movie is an average horror comedy, but the special effects and action sequences are quite well done.

Nightmare City is a ridiculous European horror film about radioactive zombies who have some kind of consciousness and are able to murder with knives, axes, and even machine guns. The English dubbing in the movie is hilariously bizarre, and the movie's finale is one of the funniest things you'll ever see in a zombie movie.

Blood Quantum, directed by Jeff Barnaby, is a zombie movie that aims for the satirical and political edge that is often associated with the zombie subgenre, and it delves deeply into the everyday ills that come with colonialism.

White people are let in as refugees, and some of them end up adopting the most harmful parts of colonialism as their own way of life.

James Gunn's first feature, which was a parody of B-movie genres including zombies and aliens and was dubbed Slither. The similarities to another film on our list, Night of the Creeps from 1986, lead it to suffer a bit in terms of originality, but it is still an enjoyable picture in its own way.

In the game Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, a sonic radiation machine is used to raise the living dead from the earth.

This zombie movie is an unusual blend of American zombie cliches and hard-to-place foreignness. One of the interesting things about the movie is that the effects of killing insects are not entirely as expected.

Wes Craven's film The Serpent and the Rainbow from 1988 is an unexpected resurgence of the voodoo-style Haitian zombie. The film also serves as a reminder that it's definitely still feasible to produce a "voodoo zombie" movie that takes itself semi-seriously and seeks to shock its audience.

Juan of the Dead is Cuba's first zombie movie to be a full-length feature and was directed by Alejandro Brugués, who has a lot of self-assurance in his work.

Juan of the Dead injects a dash of politics into the zombie film genre with its storyline about a character named Juan who tries to capitalize on the widespread fear and uncertainty by launching a modest company that quickly gets out of hand.

A nurse goes to the Caribbean to provide medical treatment for a patient who may or may not be infected with zombies. While there, she gets embroiled in a mystery involving a local voodoo cult and becomes a suspect in the case.

The last film directed by George A. Romero depicts the progression of the zombies into sentient creatures and stars Dennis Hopper as an evil plutocrat who rules a walled-off version of Pittsburgh. Although it is not nearly as subtle as his earlier films, it nonetheless looks nice and possesses just enough of Romero's rebellious spark to make it enjoyable to see.

A comet flies by Earth at such a close range that it vaporizes practically everyone living there and turns them into dust. Those few who were exposed to some of the virus instead become zombies, despite the fact that this movie is famous for being one of the least zombie-heavy on a list of zombie movies.

Planet Terror is a funny zombie movie that was directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. The film is about violent zombie/mutants who were developed by a biological weapon to destroy the countryside of the southwestern United States. It is a pretty wonderful example of that sort of movie, and it certainly deserved to earn a far larger sum of money at the box office.

Independently produced in Germany, the "feature film" Rammbock clocks in at a mere 63 minutes. The plot centers on a pathetic, self-deluded man called Michael who goes to see his lover shortly before a zombie outbreak takes place in her flat.

In the world of Rammbock, becoming infected does not always indicate that a person would die and turn into a zombie. However, intense emotions are what cause the entire change into a zombie. The lack of blood and gore in the film is another unexpected aspect.

Cemetery Man is an experimental horror comedy that tells the story of a cemetery caretaker who wanders aimlessly through life and wonders why he bothers carrying out his task. The protagonist is placed in a terrible situation and has no clear sense of identity, both of which are reminiscent to American Psycho in certain respects.

A squad of law enforcement officials break into a largely deserted apartment high-rise in order to take down a gang of drug traffickers who are responsible for the death of one of their own. Twenty minutes into the operation, however, a group of zombies appears.

The film 28 Weeks Later violates one of the unwritten rules of zombie cinema by having a "main zombie" that escapes and prevents the other infected from being perceived as legitimate threats. Despite this, the film is frequently interesting, frequently scary, frequently powerful, and frequently frustrating for fans of the zombie and horror genres.

Tom Savini, a master of special effects, helmed the Night of the Living Dead remake that was released in 1990. It is a faithful adaptation of the original film and does not attempt to recreate any aspect of it. If it weren't for the fact that it's called Night of the Living Dead, people would probably see it as more of a timeless classic.

People that appear just like the tourists who were killed are strolling the streets of a tiny seaside town in New England, even though they are considered to be permanent inhabitants. This leads to a string of killings. The zombies in this location have a distinct level of autonomy and are able to make decisions on their own.

Robert Englund portrays a local resident of the town who may have been turned into a zombie, while Jack Albertson plays the eccentric village coroner and mortician.

It is scary without being dour, emotional without feeling pompous, and gory without completely descending into the violent slapstick of Peter Jackson's Dead Alive or Bad Taste in Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead, which is a post-apocalyptic zombie film with no shortage of style directed by a young Australian director. Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead features several welcome twists on the zombie formula.

One Cut of the Dead is a delightful zombie film that tells the story of a group of actors who try to stage a live broadcast of a zombie short film.

One Cut of the Dead is a movie about working with a limited budget and having a do-it-yourself attitude. The movie well reflects the inventiveness and flexibility that are demonstrated by low-budget directors like as George Romero.

A zombie drama with a limited budget that follows a former baseball pitcher and catcher as they make their way across the nation together in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. Although the zombies are there, they serve mostly as an impassable obstacle and a harrowing reminder of what these guys have been deprived of.

The plot of the movie is on an extraterrestrial invasion carried out by parasitic slugs from another world that give their victims the ability to transform into superpowered zombies. It is a risqué and very tawdry horror film that takes place at a college and frequently seems like some sort of zombied-up version on Animal House. The film's setting is at a college.

Plague of the Zombies was an excellent zombie film that was made by Hammer Horror, which is well known for its iconic monster films such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Mummy. However, Hammer Horror also created an excellent zombie picture. The zombies in this film have a rotting, horrifying appearance, and Night of the Living Dead is clearly an inspiration for the film's distinctive visual style.

Peter Jackson's horror-comedy Dead Alive is one of the genre's crowning achievements, featuring a room full of zombies and a lawnmower that keeps functioning despite being choked with 1,000 gallons of blood. Dead Alive is considered one of the crowning achievements of the gross-out zombie comedy genre.

Dawn of the Dead is a more streamlined, action-packed, and brutal contemporary zombie story that is heavily indebted to 28 Days Later. Zack Snyder directed this film. It has an opening scene that is widely considered to be among the greatest ever seen in a zombie movie.

Zombieland is a comedic take on the zombie genre that relocates the action to the United States of America and groups together survivors who are strangers to one another rather than a close-knit group. It strikes an almost ideal mix between humorous violence and comedy that is driven by the characters, and it includes zombies that are capable of posing a genuine danger.

Train to Busan is a South Korean zombie film that is an equal mix of scary popcorn entertainment and really moving family drama. The film was directed by Park Chan-wook. It wraps up with a number of action sequences that I have never saw before, in addition to some excellent special effects makeup.

The Beyond is a zombie film directed by Lucio Fulci that blends a haunted home atmosphere with demonic possession, the living dead, and ghostly apparitions. It is one of the most stylish of the Italian horror films that include zombies and is considered to be one of the best in the genre.

The year 2007 was a watershed year for found-footage horror, with notable releases such as the original Paranormal Activity and Romero's very own Diary of the Dead. The Spanish film REC, which combines the folklore of conventional zombies with religious mysticism, is still likely the finest of all the found-footage zombie films that have been made.

In this day and age, if there were a zombie epidemic, it would be recorded on the smartphones of everyone. This movie does a wonderful job of conveying what the experience would be like.

Pontypool is a conceptual and ethereal re-imagining of what the term "zombie" may be understood to signify in many contexts. It is a condemnation of the incapacity of mankind in the 21st century to actually connect with one another and debate matters that are relevant and truly vital, and it is a film that I appreciate tremendously for taking the hard route.

Demons is a film about zombies that takes place at a movie theater that is overrun with bizarre individuals, such as posh teenagers, couples who are bickering with each other, a pimp and his prostitutes, and even a blind guy.

The screening of a horror movie and the subsequent breakout of zombification and demonization among the individuals in the audience are both orchestrated by a secret conspiracy. This leads to a meat grinder of practical effects brutality and the struggle to survive.

The Italian horror film Zombi 2 is the undisputed best example of its subgenre. It takes the craziness level to new heights while also setting a new benchmark for gore. It is replete with unforgettable scenes that have become synonymous with horror in general.

Night of the Living Dead, directed by George A. Romero, is widely regarded as the most influential zombie film ever produced and has had a significant impact on the development of independent cinema.

The film directed by Romero is credited with establishing the rules of the zombie genre, which in turn has impacted subsequent zombie films. It is the equal of Tolkien's effect on high fantasy "races," and it is almost impossible to have a meaningful discussion about zombies without first having watched Romero's picture.

The first Evil Dead movie was remade as Evil Dead 2, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most expertly timed horror comedy ever made. Additionally, it is illustrative of the shifting perspective that has been adopted toward zombies in recent cinema, as shown by this picture.

Together, the films 28 Days Later and Shaun of the Dead set precedents for what is now considered to be the "modern" zombie film. These films also demonstrated that the cultural zeitgeist of zombie-dom could be exploited for enormous laughs.

Day of the Dead is not as well regarded as Dawn, but it is my personal favorite of George Romero's zombie movies, and it is notable for the fact that it brings science back into the genre of zombie movies.

Day of the Dead reimagines the characteristics of the traditional Romero ghoul and gives us "Bub," who is maybe the single most famous zombie in Romero's body of work. He has a distinct degree of personality and even a sense of humor, and he is introduced in this film.

When the film 28 Days Later came out in 2002, the traditional zombie movie had already passed away, but this movie breathed new life into the notion of zombies and converted them into a serious menace. Additionally, it is responsible for the conception of the serious zombie film in the 21st century.

Day of the Dead was the first film to give a scientific explanation for reanimated corpses, but Re-Animator relishes in the idea. Jeffrey Combs impresses in the role of mad scientist Herbert West, who brings the dead back to life through syringes of bright green slime. His performance is gloriously frenetic and campy, and it allows Combs to flourish.

The sequel that John Russo made to Night of the Living Dead is considered to be one of the greatest zombie films of all time, despite the fact that he is mostly unknown as a significant character in the history of zombie filmmaking.

In terms of presentation, professionalism, thematic depth, and ground-breaking spectacular effects, Romero's Dawn of the Dead represents an enormous stride forward. The action takes place in a cheesy shopping mall that has been taken over by the undead, and it has classic visuals that subsequent zombie movies have tried to replicate or spoof.