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40 Essential Zombie Movies

The zombie: Without remorse and pity, driven by a single hunger, and damn near impossible to put down permanently. There have been times since their introduction into movies in the 1930s where it felt like we’d never see a zombie movie again. Then there are eras of the opposite, where you couldn’t stick your arm out in a multiplex without a shambling ghoul nearby, ready to chomp. And since we’ve been in feast mode over the last decade-plus, we’re taking a big bite with our guide to the 30 Essential Zombie Movies that you need to watch!

While zombie movies have been for more than 80 years (in 1932 we got  White Zombie , in 1943  I Walked With a Zombie ), it’s commonly accepted the subgenre as we know it today didn’t rise until 1968, when George A. Romero unleashed Night of the Living Dead . An independent film with a budget barely above six figures, Night enthralled audiences with its mysterious plot, shocking gore, progressive casting and social commentary, and, natch, the unforgettable hordes of the gaunt, hungry undead. Crowned the godfather of zombies, Romero made five more Dead movies, the best of which are featured in this guide, including Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead .

Despite Romero’s efforts, it would still be a long shuffle into the early 2000s before zombies would break out of horror niche and crawl all over pop culture. Highlights from the pre-2000 era include splatter comedies like Return of the Living Dead and Dead Alive , Lucio Fulci’s eye-splitting and shark-wrestling Zombi 2 , and H.P. Lovecraft adaptation Re-Animator .

The success of the Resident Evil video games revealed an audience appetite hitherto untapped, inspiring a gushing fount of zombie movies released between 2000 and 2005. Now we got to see the true versatility of the zombie movie. There was the loving spoofery of Shaun of the Dead . The blockbuster theatrics of the Resident Evil adaptation. Cutting-edge, gritty filmmaking with 28 Days Later . Japanese kinetic action in Versus , and most recently the creative, micro-budget  One Cut of the Dead .

Ever since, zombies have shown no sign of slowing down. (Some have even figured out how to run.) TV show The Walking Dead is an obvious behemoth to point towards, but in the film world, zombies have made their way into found footage ( [REC] ), rom-com ( Warm Bodies ), and grindhouse throwbacks ( Planet Terror ).

And with this guide, we sought to capture those many moods, the various sensitivities that make up the zombie movie. Most featured here are Fresh and Certified Fresh, and of course we’re including a few Rotten movies. They may not have gotten the highest critical marks, but offer just as much color, life, and odor to this list. With that, it’s time to use your braaaaains and dig deep into the best zombie movies to watch!

28 Days Later turns 20!

One Cut of the Dead (2017) 100%

Night of the Living Dead (1968) 95%

Train to Busan (2016) 95%

Re-Animator (1985) 94%

Dawn of the Dead (1978) 91%

Shaun of the Dead (2004) 92%

The Return of the Living Dead (1985) 91%

Blood Quantum (2019) 89%

Rec (2007) 90%

Zombieland (2009) 89%

Dead Alive (1992) 89%

28 Days Later (2002) 87%

The Girl With All the Gifts (2016) 85%

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) 86%

Day of the Dead (1985) 87%

I Walked With a Zombie (1943) 85%

Warm Bodies (2013) 81%

Little Monsters (2019) 79%

Dawn of the Dead (2004) 76%

Wild zero (2000) 100%.

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998) 88%

Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974) 86%

Deathdream (1974) 85%

Juan of the Dead (2011) 83%

Night of the Comet (1984) 79%

Planet Terror (2007) 77%

Night of the Creeps (1986) 73%

Versus (2000) 75%

28 Weeks Later (2007) 72%

Final Cut (2022) 72%

Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) 68%

Army of Thieves (2021) 68%

Army Of The Dead (2021) 67%

World War Z (2013) 67%

Cemetery Man (1995) 61%

Unhuman (2022) 53%

The Dead Don't Die (2019) 55%

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula (2020) 55%

Zombi 2 (1979) 41%

Resident Evil (2002) 36%

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32 Movies About Zombies Ranked By Their Rotten Tomatoes Score

There are lots of zombie movies, these are the best.

Zombie movies have become one of the most beloved genres of films today. With hit shows like The Walking Dead dominating the ratings in recent years, it's no surprise that the genre has an enduring legacy that goes back decades. Rotten Tomatoes is a great resource for finding out what the critics think, but we've added our own flavor to this list of the best zombies out there. 

1. One Cut Of The Dead (2017) - 100%

It's a little bit of a surprise to see One Cut of the Dead at #1 on the list, but that's not because it's bad. It's a great movie, a very meta movie. It's a low-budget movie from Japan about the cast and crew filming a low-budget zombie. As the crew starts to turn, they decide to use the "real" zombies for the film. It's a great commentary on the genre and landing at #1 shows just how well done it is, despite the minuscule budget. 

2. Night Of The Living Dead (1968) - 95%

You can't argue with a classic, and there isn't a more classic zombie movie, or indeed, horror movie, than George A. Romero's Night Of The Living Dead . It's the movie that really invented the modern genres. It may have been controversial in its day, but there is nothing controversial about calling it one of the best of all time today. 

3. Train To Busan (2017) - 95%

In what has to be one of the deadliest zombie movies of all time, the Korean movie Train to Busan comes in at #3 on the list of Rotten Tomatoes' best zombie movies. The entire movie takes place on a train as the zombie apocalypse breaks out. It adds an element of claustrophobia to the already terrifying situation and it's remarkably effective, as are the zombies. 

4. Re-Animator (1985) - 94%

1985's Re-Animator is a stone-cold classic when it comes to low-budget horror. It's had an enduring legacy, including sequels and spinoffs in other media. It's funny, and gory in the best ways. It fits right in with movies like Evil Dead and The Toxic Avenger from the same era and should considered a must-see for fans of zombie flicks. 

5. Dawn Of The Dead (1978) - 91%

George A Romero is the godfather of the zombie genre, and his follow-up to Night of the Living Dead is an excellent example of why. It took him ten years to get the sequel made, but it was worth the wait, as it's at least as good, if not better than the first movie in the series.  

6. Shaun Of The Dead (2004) - 92%

As much a love letter to George A. Romero and a comedy as it is a zombie movie, Shaun of the Dead became an instant classic when it was released. It's not about being scared, it's about a deep appreciation for the genre and how funny it can be when presented in the abstract. Simon Pegg , who co-wrote the movie with director Edgar Wright , stars alongside his pal Nick Frost in a movie sure to have you rolling on the floor, laughing. 

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7. The Return of the Living Dead (1985) - 91%

The Return of the Living Dead is notable for lots of reasons, but the biggest one has to be that it's the first to introduce what has since become a classic trope – brain-eating zombies. Believe it or not, it's considered the first to introduce the idea that has become standard fare for the genre, and even if it wasn't as funny and as cool as it is, it would be on any list of the best . 

8. Blood Quantum (2019) - 89%

It's rare for zombie movies to mix in political messages, but Blood Quantum does it, and does it well. Set in Canada, Blood Quantum's twist is that the indigenous First Nations people are immune to the disease that causes the zombie outbreak, so while there is plenty of good zombie action, there is an underlying message that sets it apart from much of its brethren.  

9. Rec (2007) - 90%

Zombie movies aren't just a North American thing, of course. From Spain comes 2007's Rec which uses the idea of "found footage" much like The Blair Witch Project . It's pretty much all contained in one apartment complex in Barcelona, Spain and is full of jump scares and thrilling moments. 

10. Zombieland (2009) - 89%

Director Ruben Fleischer hit one out of the (amusement) park with his debut film Zombieland . Not only is the movie a hilarious take on the genre, but it features one of the most out-of-blue appearances by Bill Murray, playing a zombified version of himself. Without Murray it's an A+ movie, with him, it's simply out of this world. 

11. Dead Alive (1992) - 89%

Right before director Peter Jackson hit the big time with Heavenly Creatures in 1994, he directed the low-budget zombie flick Dead Alive , which was originally called Braindead in his native New Zealand. The movie bombed at the box office but has since gained a huge cult following, hence its inclusion on this list. 

12. 28 Days Later (2002) - 87%

If you are director Danny Boyle , how do you follow-up to Trainspotting and The Beach? With a zombie movie, naturally.   28 Days Later is a terrifying movie, starring a young Cillian Murphy as one of the few survivors of the zombie apocalypse in London. The deserted streets of London were as spooky as anything ever done on film. 

13. The Girl With All The Gifts (2016) - 85%

One thing you have to love about a good zombie movie is what they call the zombies. In The Girl with All the Gifts , they are called "hungries" which has to be one of the best names ever. The other cool twist is that a zombie is also a savior, one that can save the world, or destroy it. 

14. The Autopsy Of Jane Doe (2016) - 86%

The Autopsy of Jane Doe is unique for zombie movies in that it's almost completely contained in one place, and really just one zombie, Jane Doe, who has been a zombie for centuries, presumably taking regular people out for all that time, including the two protagonists here, doing the autopsy. 

15. Day Of The Dead (1985) - 87%

When it comes to zombie movies, George A. Romeo's movies still remain the king, even Day of the Dead, which is generally considered one of the "weaker" movies in his zombie series but is still one of the best of the genre. There is nothing weak about it when you aren't comparing it to some of his other masterpieces. 

16. I Walked With A Zombie (1943) - 85%

Taking it way back, I Walked with a Zombie, is one of the earliest zombie movies out of Hollywood. The low-budget horror flick wasn't appreciated in its day but has since been regarded as a pioneer in the genre. The zombies come from voodoo rituals, rather than the more recent tradition of a disease or something more sci-fi-based, but that only makes it scarier in a way. 

17. Warm Bodies (2013) - 81%

Warm Bodies has two of the best twists on the zombie genre we've ever seen. First, it's from the zombie's perspective, and two, the zombie heals and becomes more human. R (Nicholas Hoult) is a zombie who falls in love with Julia (Teresa Palmer) and after saving her, they begin a romance, humanizing R along the way. A zombie love story, if you will. 

18. Little Monsters (2019) - 79%

There might be a little recency bias with the Rotten Tomato ranking of Little Monsters. It's a fun movie, no doubt, and it's funny, but it's not bringing a lot of new ideas to the genre. Lupita Nyong'o and Josh Gad are great, no question, and mixing rom-com tropes into a zombie movie is interesting, but it's not as good as some of the others on this list if you love zombie movies. 

19. Dawn Of The Dead (2004) - 76%

Remakes are always a little hit or miss. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. For the 2004 remake of George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead , first-time director Zach Snyder teamed up with James Gunn to make one heck of a good remake. It's not quite as classic as the original, but it's still well worth any fan of the genre's time. 

20. Wild Zero (1999) - 100%

The Japanese film Wild Zero is, frankly, wild, as the name implies. The zombie part kind of comes out of nowhere, and while it fits in the madness of the movie, it adds a strange dimension to it. Rock 'n Roll zombies will save the world. 

21. Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998) - 88%

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is easily the most innocent and kid-friendly entry on this list. That said, it's a little different than traditional Scooby fare, as there are actual monsters, or zombies, not just the old man living in the abandoned amusement park. It's also notable and it kicked off the new era of Scooby movies and shows that have continued to this day. 

22. Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974) - 86%

Let Sleeping Corpses Lie is a classic that many fans of the zombie genre may have overlooked. The Italian film, set in England was released in 1974 and has a very European take on the genre. The unique spin here is that it's essentially set up as a murder mystery, with the undead as the murderers, not the innocent living who are suspected. 

23. Deathdream (1974) - 85%

Deathdream is unique in that it's a zombie movie with a political message. Released in 1974 towards the end of the Vietnam War, the movie is about an undead son who is struck down in Vietnam but returns home, seemingly ok. He's not ok, but it takes some time for his family to realize it. 

24. Juan Of The Dead (2010) - 83%

Great zombie movies can come from just about anywhere, including Cuba, as is the case of Juan of the Dead. It follows two men who discover the first walking dead while fishing, but not the last, as a zombie apocalypse breaks out on the island, mirroring in some ways the past revolution, as they see it, anyway. 

25. Night Of The Comet (1984) - 79%

Anyone who grew up with cable TV in the 1980s knows, and probably loves, Night of the Comet. The movie aired on cable all the time and while it was a huge box office hit, it really found its stride later, when it became a cult classic. It tells the story of the last few survivors of an apocalyptic event when Earth passes through the tail of a comet, rendering most of the world's population dead or undead. 

26. Planet Terror (2007) - 77%

Robert Rodriguez's take on zombies, Planet Terror, is exactly what you would expect from the From Dusk Till Dawn director. It's funny and full of wild, over-the-top action. Released as a double feature with Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof, it is sublimely silly and action-packed. 

27. Night Of The Creeps (1986) - 73%

The best thing about Night of the Creeps is that it doesn't try to be something more than it is. It's a first-rate B movie that doesn't pretend to be anything different. It's the directorial debut of one of the best horror creators of his generation, Fred Dekker, and is worth seeking out if you love campy B movies.  

28. Versus (2000) - 75%

Japan has produced some great, campy zombie movies, like 2000's Versus . It combines the best of horror and king fu movies, resulting in a cult classic that has stood the test of time. 

29. 28 Weeks Later (2007) - 75%

Normally, when a sequel comes around that doesn't include the creators of the original, it's best to steer clear. 28 Weeks Later is an exception to that rule, though. Even though Danny Boyle doesn't direct it, and Cillian Murphy doesn't star in it, the sequel to 28 Days Later brings all the same vibes and scares that the original does. 

30. Final Cut (2022) - 72%

Final Cut is a remake of a movie, in which a movie crew is remaking a movie of the fictional movie that the crew in the original was making. Got it? Very meta, right? This French remake of the Japanese zombie film One Cut of the Dead isn't as good as the original, but it's still really funny. 

31. Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) - 68%

Zombieland: Double Tap is about what you would expect from a sequel of this kind. It's not as good as the original Zombieland , it doesn't quite have the charm, nor the originality, but it's a worthy successor in the series. Is it a must-see? Only if you really love the first one.

32. Army Of Thieves (2021) - 68%

Critics of Army of Thieves called the film's plot unoriginal, and that's fair. It's not the unique zombie flick on this list, nor is close to the best. It's a prequel to Army of the Dead directed by, and starring, Matthias Schweighöfer, alongside Nathalie Emmanuel. They both do a great job with it , and it's worth watching if you love zombie movies, but it doesn't need to be at the top of anyone's list. 

It's a little surprising that some of the more well-known zombie movies like Army of the Dead , World War Z, and Resident Evil don't make this list, but then again, there are a lot of great zombie movies out there. 

Hugh Scott is the Syndication Editor for CinemaBlend. Before CinemaBlend, he was the managing editor for Suggest.com and Gossipcop.com, covering celebrity news and debunking false gossip. He has been in the publishing industry for almost two decades, covering pop culture – movies and TV shows, especially – with a keen interest and love for Gen X culture, the older influences on it, and what it has since inspired. He graduated from Boston University with a degree in Political Science but cured himself of the desire to be a politician almost immediately after graduation.

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The Best Zombie Movies of All Time

By Matthew Chernov

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It might seem difficult to believe, but there was a time – not very long ago, in fact – when zombies weren’t the cultural icons they are today. Horror fans have loved the undead since Hollywood first introduced them in the 1930s, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that critics and wider audiences began to take them seriously. That change, of course, was due entirely to the work of independent filmmaker George A. Romero, who – along with a handful of first-time actors and a crew of Pittsburgh locals – revolutionized the genre in 1968 with “Night of the Living Dead.”

Mainstream popularity stayed just out of reach until 2002, when the modestly budgeted “28 Days Later” and the glossy video game adaptation “Resident Evil” premiered within a few months of each other, setting off a wave of interest that became a global tsunami with the arrival of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” in 2010. From that moment on, zombies have remained ubiquitous pop culture favorites.

The definition of what constitutes a zombie is hotly contested among fans, however. Many hold firm to Romero’s established rules, while others take a broader approach by defining virally infected humans as zombies. Perhaps that’s because zombies represent different things to different people. To some, they’re a powerful symbol of mindless conformity. To others, they represent the fear of death or mass contagion. And plenty of people simply find them funny in a blackly comic sort of way.

Regardless of your personal definition, zombies will continue shambling their way into theaters as long as audiences have a taste for terror. Here is Variety‘s guide to the best zombie movies of all time.

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

George A. Romero’s landmark classic rewrote the book on cinematic zombies, and it continues to influence and inspire legions of new moviemakers to this day. Shot with the raw intensity of a documentary, “Night of the Living Dead” effortlessly blends nail-biting horror, thoughtful social commentary, and a powerful political subtext to brilliant effect. Duane Jones, the film’s unforgettable star, remains one of the most charismatic leading men in horror history, and his resourceful character set the standard for all future zombie fighters.

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

The blood-soaked tale of four survivors who find temporary shelter in a massive shopping mall while hungry corpses roam the earth, Romero’s blistering follow-up to his 1968 masterpiece adds a dose of pitch black humor to the zombie genre, and the result is a bona fide cult classic. The shocking special effects by make-up wizard Tom Savini set viewers’ stomachs churning when the film was first released, but today it’s the somber, melancholy moments – like actors Gaylen Ross and David Emge sitting motionless in bed together, each staring hopelessly into space – that land the hardest.

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

When a genre’s popularity wanes, spoofs and satires inevitably appear like vultures overhead, signaling that death is imminent. But director Edgar Wright’s hilarious and heartfelt zom-com about two loveable slackers fighting to save their friends and family from an undead apocalypse not only celebrated the zombie genre, it reinvigorated it. Co-written by Wright and lead actor Simon Pegg, the movie’s clever script is chock full of knowing references to George Romero’s frightening filmography, and the performances across the board are superb. Not since Mel Brooks’ immortal “Young Frankenstein” has a horror comedy hit its mark this successfully.

Re-Animator (1985)

No filmmaker has done more to honor the fevered imagination of H.P. Lovecraft than the late Stuart Gordon, and his wildly energetic adaptation of the author’s 1921 short story “Herbert West–Reanimator” is his masterwork. Playing a depraved medical student whose twisted experiments have a nasty habit of creating superhuman zombies, Jeffrey Combs’ character joins Dr. Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll, and Dr. Moreau in the pantheon of all-time best mad scientists. “Re-Animator” was so popular, it spawned two sequels, several comic books, and an award-winning musical theater adaptation that frequently drenched patrons in the first three rows with fake blood.

I Walked with a Zombie (1943)

Director Jacques Tourneur and producer Val Lewton collaborated on several acclaimed horror movies for RKO Pictures in the 1940s, including this eerie gothic romance about an innocent nurse who’s drawn into the dark world of the occult while caring for a comatose patient on a Caribbean sugar plantation. Loosely based by Charlotte Brontë’s novel “Jane Eyre,” the film’s dreamlike atmosphere and noir-inspired visuals are indeed memorable, but it’s towering actor Darby Jones as the mute zombie henchman of the villainous voodoo priest who steals the show. His looming shadow and bulbous eyes continue to generate potent chills more than 80 years later.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Horror fans were understandably wary when music video director Zack Snyder was tapped to helm the remake of Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead” as his debut feature. Their fears turned to cheers, however, when the movie hit screens with the force of a sledgehammer smashing through a zombie’s skull. Ferociously bloody and paced like a rocket, Snyder’s version once again traps a group of desperate survivors in a shopping mall overrun by flesh-chomping ghouls, but it updates the original in a number of witty ways, making it arguably the best modern remake of its kind. 17 years later, Snyder returned to the zombie genre with the unrelated “Army of the Dead,” but the result was far less interesting.

The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

When a strange toxic gas is accidentally released in the basement of a medical supply building in Kentucky, a group of nihilistic punks, a jittery mortician, and a few dopey warehouse workers find themselves battling hundreds of zombies in director Dan O’Bannon’s deliciously gruesome horror comedy. Propelled by a killer soundtrack of hits from bands like The Flesh Eaters, The Cramps, 45 Grave, and The Damned, this eminently quotable zombie pic introduced the world to the idea that zombies’ favorite food is “brains!” The film’s young cast is uniformly excellent, but it’s veteran character actors Clu Gulager, James Karen and Don Calfa who truly shine on screen.

Zombie (1979)

Conceived as an unofficial sequel to Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead,” this impressively revolting zombie pic has an identity all its own thanks to the skilled direction of Italian gore master Lucio Fulci. Containing the single greatest eye-impalement in cinema history, “Zombie” benefits immeasurably from Sergio Salvati’s widescreen camerawork, Giannetto De Rossi’s graphic make-up effects, and Fabio Frizzi’s throbbing score. The Caribbean island setting provides a lush voodoo vibe, and star Tisa Farrow (Mia’s sister) is a welcome presence playing a plucky heroine whose search for her missing father leads to a close encounter with the undead.

Day of the Dead (1985)

Romero’s third zombie film is by far the bleakest and bloodiest entry in his series, and it was initially received rather coolly by many horror fans who were put off by its claustrophobic setting and deliberately measured pace. But over time, this uncompromising portrait of humanity on the brink of extinction found its audience, and today it’s rightfully seen as a milestone in the genre. Taking place largely in an underground bunker, the film finds a team of scientists clashing with the armed soldiers assigned to protect them. While the humans foolishly bicker and fight with one another, a prune-faced zombie named Bub (brilliantly portrayed by Sherman Howard) emerges as the most sympathetic character in the movie.

28 Days Later (2002)

While purists who insist that only walking corpses qualify as zombies will no doubt take issue with including “28 Days Later” on this list, the fact is that Danny Boyle’s visionary film about a fast-spreading virus that transforms people into mindless killers did more to revive the moribund zombie genre than any movie since the original “Night of the Living Dead.” Furthermore, once exposed to the highly contagious rage virus, the infected victims function almost identically to the zombies depicted in the “Re-Animator” series, Peter Jackson’s “Dead Alive,” and a dozen other movie

Dead & Buried (1981)

Co-written by Dan O’Bannon, who penned the screenplay for the original “Alien” and directed the aforementioned “The Return of the Living Dead,” “Dead & Buried” takes place in the sleepy coastal village of Potters Bluff, where the local residents spend their free time fishing, gossiping, and slaughtering tourists. As if that isn’t strange enough, the dead visitors don’t stay dead for long. James Farentino is dependably solid as a small town sheriff in over his head, but Jack Albertson of “Chico and the Man” fame knocks it out of the park playing a folksy mortician whose business is booming what with the non-stop murders and all. Richly atmospheric and loaded with surprises, “Dead & Buried” is a sinister treat that’s well worth seeking out.

Train to Busan (2016)

A father and his young daughter are trapped with an assortment of bewildered commuters on a speeding train during a zombie outbreak in this gripping, gory, and unexpectedly emotional horror film from South Korea. Like a mashup between the 1976 virus-on-a-train thriller “The Cassandra Crossing” and the dystopian sci-fi epic “Snowpiercer,” this exhilarating zombie pic uses the structure of a classic disaster movie to weave multiple characters and storylines together in a terrifying tapestry. Packed with astonishing set-pieces, jaw-dropping violence, and genuinely lovable performances from the entire cast, “Train to Busan” builds to a climax that’s guaranteed to make you cry.

Like the handful of other viral outbreak movies on this list, the Spanish horror hit “REC” doesn’t exactly follow the rules established by George Romero, but it incorporates enough of them to warrant inclusion here. Plus, it’s just plain scary as hell! Blending found-footage, demonic possession, and zombie-style contagion in a creepy cocktail, “REC” tells the nightmarish tale of a TV reporter and her faithful cameraman who follow a crew of firefighters and police officers into a labyrinthine apartment building in Barcelona. Once inside, the film becomes the cinematic equivalent of a walkthrough haunted house attraction, with one expertly timed jump scare after another assaulting the audience, until they’re left wrung out and shaking.

Zombieland (2009)

2009 was a banner year for the undead, with well over 20 zombie films released in quick succession, including noteworthy titles like “REC 2,” “Dead Snow,” and George Romero’s swan song “Survival of the Dead.” But it was director Ruben Fleischer’s debut feature “Zombieland” that captured all the attention, and for very good reason. Although the plot isn’t particularly original, the film’s whip-smart script, dynamic visuals, jubilant performances, and celebrity stunt-casting made “Zombieland” one of the most entertaining studio movies of the decade.

White Zombie (1932)

One year after shocking moviegoers with his iconic portrayal of Count Dracula, Bela Lugosi headlined the very first zombie movie in history, playing a diabolical witch doctor named Murder Legendre in the influential classic “White Zombie.” Shot in a mere 11 days, and utilizing leftover props, costumes, and sets from other horror films of the period, “White Zombie” wasn’t a hit upon first release, but it gradually built momentum over time and became a sizable box office success. Lugosi, of course, is never less than mesmerizing in the lead role, whether he’s raising the dead or commanding his army of zombies to commit murder. No wonder heavy metal superstar Rob Zombie named his first band after this ghoulish pre-Code potboiler.

28 Weeks Later (2007)

Spanish filmmaker Juan Carlos Fresnadillo took the directorial reins on this riveting sequel to Danny Boyle’s “28 Days Later,” and he dialed the action and suspense up to near-unbearable levels at times. While the original film was an intimate, thoughtful, and quite moving look at the apocalypse, Fresnadillo’s frenzied follow-up becomes a three ring circus of unrelenting horror once the story kicks into high gear. The scares are more visceral, the gore is more plentiful, and the overall mood is far grimmer than the previous movie. In short, no character on screen, no matter how likeable or altruistic they might be, is safe from a brutal death this time around.

Warm Bodies (2013)

During the 1980s, zombie romantic comedies became an unlikely trend, with films like “Zombie High,” “I Was a Teenage Zombie” and “My Boyfriend’s Back” mixing genres like a mad scientist combining chemicals in a lab. But the formula wasn’t perfected until director Jonathan Levine’s charming zom-com “Warm Bodies” arrived in theaters like a refreshing breath of fetid air. Based on a popular novel of the same name, this Romeo-eats-Juliet romance is gorier than “(500) Days of Summer” and gentler than “Zombie Holocaust,” making it the ultimate date night movie for lovestruck horror fans.

Pontypool (2008)

In most zombie movies, it’s either a bite, a chemical reaction, or death itself that transforms people into blood-thirsty ghouls. But the disturbing Canadian indie “Pontypool” adds a new form of contagion to the genre: the English language. Stephen McHattie delivers a tour de force performance as a radio shock jock broadcasting from a small station in Pontypool, Ontario, who begins to hear reports about a rash of violent attacks committed by citizens muttering random words over and over again. It’s gradually revealed that certain phrases, when spoken aloud, can infect humans like a virus. Set almost entirely in the claustrophobic confines of a radio station, “Pontypool” is a low-budget marvel that grows creepier with every passing minute.

The Beyond (1981)

Shambling zombies can be sidestepped without too much trouble, and running zombies can be left in the dust if you have access to a fast car. But metaphysical zombies are pretty much impossible to avoid, as the characters in Lucio Fulci’s “The Beyond” discover to their dismay. Structured like a steadily unfolding nightmare, “The Beyond” features rotting zombies that simply appear out of thin air. They lurch from the shadows like intrusive thoughts, gouge a few eyes out or tear some scalps off, and then vanish into the netherworld again, leaving wet piles of viscera behind. Which begs the question, how do you fight a zombie that isn’t even there?

Planet Terror (2007)

A loving homage to trashy Italian zombie films like Umberto Lenzi’s “Nightmare City” and Bruno Mattei’s “Hell of the Living Dead,” Robert Rodriguez’s “Planet Terror” is a postmodern action-horror hybrid that delivers laughs and jump scares in equal measure. Digitally aged to resemble a vintage ‘70s grindhouse movie, Rodriguez’s turbo-charged pastiche features an all-star cast shooting, hacking, bludgeoning, and burning their way through wave after wave of bio-infected zombies. In a film overflowing with WTF moments, none is cooler than the sight of Rose McGowan blasting gooey creatures with a machine gun strapped to her amputated leg.

Cemetery Man (1994)

Based on an Italian graphic novel, “Cemetery Man” stars English actor Rupert Everett as Francesco Dellamorte, a morose graveyard groundskeeper whose job regularly involves killing the newly-risen dead. When the love of his life is bitten by a zombie, Francesco’s sanity crumbles, and as fantasy and reality blur together, he takes his murderous frustrations out on the living rather than the dead. Directed with high style by Michele Soavi, the film’s moody production design, surreal story, and macabre sense of humor should appeal nicely to fans of Guillermo del Toro and Tim Burton.

The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (1974)

Part zombie movie, part eco-horror film, this grisly shocker about a high-tech agricultural device that eradicates insects but raises the dead broke new ground for its vivid depiction of onscreen gore. Released under several different titles – including “Let Sleeping Corpses Lie” and “Don’t Open the Window” – it was directed by Spanish filmmaker Jorge Grau and stars Ray Lovelock as a hip London antique dealer whose weekend in the country is spoiled when ravenous cadavers begin crawling from their graves. Gloomy, downbeat, and deeply cynical about human nature, “The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue” packs a nasty wallop.

The Plague of the Zombies (1966)

Often relegated to supporting roles in Z-grade movies like “Plan 9 from Outer Space,” zombies were little more than second-class monsters by the early 1960s. But British production company Hammer Films changed all that with its sumptuous horror pic “The Plague of the Zombies.” When townspeople in a Cornish village start dropping dead from a mysterious illness, an inquisitive medical professor suspects that voodoo rituals might be to blame. His investigation leads to a fiery confrontation between empirical science and the forces of black magic. Lurid and ghastly in all the right ways, the film was a well-reviewed rebound for Hammer after a string of contemporary thrillers failed to catch on with the public.

The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)

Just when it seemed as though every possible zombie story had been told a dozen times or more, along came this poetic vision of a dystopian world where zombified children hold the key to humanity’s survival. Although “The Girl With All the Gifts” stars fine actors like Glenn Close and Gemma Arterton, it’s newcomer Sennia Nanua who leaves a lasting impression, playing a likable young girl named Melanie whose plexiglass face shield prevents her from devouring every living person she meets. Making its modest $5 million budget look like four times that amount on screen, director Colm McCarthy and production designer Kristian Milsted have fashioned a crumbling future that feels eerily authentic and strangely beautiful.

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

Legendary director Wes Craven first dipped his toe in the zombie genre with the 1986 horror film “Deadly Friend,” about a teenage inventor who revives his dead girlfriend by inserting a microchip into her brain. But Craven’s biggest contribution to zombie cinema came two years later with his loose adaptation of a non-fiction book by ethnobotanist Wade Davis. Rather than tell yet another story about rampaging zombies looking for a juicy meal, “The Serpent and the Rainbow” examines the real-life hallucinogenic drugs that, when coupled with powerful cultural beliefs, may have led to the origin of the zombie phenomenon in Haiti.

Pet Sematary (1989)

Director Mary Lambert’s memorably morbid adaptation of Stephen King’s bestseller demonstrates that you don’t need thousands of running zombies to terrify an audience. Sometimes one toddler zombie is all it takes to chill the blood. Filled with giggling corpses, haunted graveyards, reanimated cats, and some seriously unpleasant scalpel action, Lambert’s “Pet Sematary” earns extra points for the rocking Ramones song played over the end credits. Skip the misguided 2019 remake, however. It’s dead on arrival.

The Horde (2009)

In “The Horde,” a squad of vengeful cops and a crew of amoral gangsters battle for supremacy in a condemned apartment building in the heart of Paris, but are forced to form an uneasy alliance when a zombie apocalypse breaks out during their violent clash. An aggressively savage entry in a category of film that’s sometimes referred to as the New French Extremity, this no-nonsense zombie extravaganza provides a welcome shot of adrenalin to the all-too-familiar action-horror subgenre. If Walter Hill directed a European zombie movie, there’s a good chance it would look a lot like this transgressive gem.

One Cut of the Dead (2017)

Meta films don’t get much more self-referential than this exuberant Japanese horror comedy about a group of low-budget filmmakers who encounter some unanticipated challenges while making a zombie movie in an abandoned WWII facility. Divided into three distinctly different acts, it’s a film that needs to be watched in one sitting, from beginning to end, no matter how amateurish the opening third might seem. To say any more would risk spoiling the fun.

Dead Alive (1992)

Long before he unleashed millions of orcs on Middle Earth, Peter Jackson set hundreds of zombies loose on a New Zealand suburb in “Dead Alive,” a Monty Python-esque horror comedy that just might be the gnarliest film on this list. If lingering close-ups of leaking pustules and hemorrhaging wounds aren’t your cup of tea, you might want to keep a barf bag handy when watching this outrageous exercise in gross-out humor. Ideal entertainment for fans of Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead” series, “Dead Alive” proves conclusively that a lawnmower in the right hands can defeat any amount of zombies thrown at it.

World War Z (2013)

Adapting Max Brooks’ bestselling novel for the big screen was reportedly a difficult experience for all involved, with numerous delays, budget battles, creative problems, and reshoots plaguing the production. And yet the finished film turned out to be an intensely compelling summer blockbuster, muscularly directed by Marc Forster and grounded by a genuine movie star performance by Brad Pitt. Combining military action, globetrotting intrigue, and zombie mayhem more effectively than any installment in the “Resident Evil” film series, “World War Z” occasionally feels like Tom Clancy meets the living dead, and that’s meant as a compliment.

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The 20 Best Zombie Movies Of All Time

Ever since zombies first rose onto the big screen, they’ve spent decades dominating movies and more in shuffling hordes. One of the archetypal horror villains, the walking dead have endured in popular culture for over half a century, emerging and evolving in new forms, eating away at the collective consciousness. There’s an inherent sense of the uncanny to a zombie – someone who’s neither dead nor alive, a former friend that has become a mindless enemy, all infused with the terror of cannibalism – and yet they’re also a blank slate, a metaphor ripe to reflect the fears and foes of whatever year they appear in.

Team Empire presents a list of the greatest zombie movies – some mere mindless blood-splattered fun, some with brains as well as bursting innards, from scuzzy, sickening gonzo gore-fests, to genre-twisting hybrids, and even a family-friendly favourite. Don your protective gear, tool up (anyone got a cricket bat?) and dive in.

The 20 Best Zombie Movies

20) Planet Terror (2007)

Robert Rodriguez's trash-tastic exploitation homage is the splattier, squelchier half of the Grindhouse double-bill he cooked up with Quentin Tarantino – the story of a go-go dancer, a bioweapon gone awry, and Texan townsfolk turned into shuffling, pustulous monsters. Leaning heavily into its B-movie roots, with missing reels, scratchy edits and hammy overdubbed dialogue, Planet Terror has its exploding tongue firmly rooted in its rotting cheek. Its over-cranked gore and oozing effects are downright disgusting, and it builds to a stupidly fun finale in which Rose McGowan's hero Cherry Darling has her severed leg replaced with a machine gun. All together now: "I'm gonna eat your brains and gain your knowledge!" Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

19) Dead Snow (2009)

Helping popularise the notion of Nazi Zombies around the same time that it became a Call Of Duty staple, Tommy Wirkola's Norwegian comedy-horror combined cinema's two most enduring forms of villain. When a group of students head off for an Easter holiday in a snowy Scandinavian cabin, they accidentally summon an undead horde of Nazis by meddling with a box of gold loot. It's a premise that plays on reported tales of the Nazis' obsession with the occult, while leaning gleefully into the potential of its unapologetically pulpy concept. The white stuff quickly turns red in a blast of campy shlock – especially once the survivors arm themselves with power tools. Buy now on Amazon

18) ParaNorman (2012)

A zombie movie – but, y'know, for kids! Fresh from traumatising a generation with Coraline, stop-motion animation studio Laika served up a family-friendly horror adventure. The titular Norman is an ostracised boy who can talk to the dead – which comes in handy when a witch's curse summons walking corpses from the town graveyard. Spooky fun, and a rare zombie movie that (due to its target audience) isn't lavished in gore, instead relying on understanding and forgiveness to save the day. Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

17) The Girl With All The Gifts (2016)

It takes a lot to make a truly fresh-feeling zombie film – but Colm McCarthy's adaptation of Mike Carey's novel is a smart and thoughtful reinvention, with genre thrills to boot. In this case the zombie condition is the result of a The Last Of Us-esque fungal pathogen which has turned most of the population into 'hungries'. But that remains largely in the background of the story, which instead focuses on young girl Melanie, who's receiving an unusual education in a heavily-armed facility from Gemma Arterton's teacher Helen. As a 'second-generation' hungry, Melanie still wants to eat human flesh, but can think and feel too – and her mere existence could hold the key to the future. Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

16) Rec 2 (2009)

This second dose of panic-attack-inducing found-footage horror is largely as effective as the first film – one that revisits the outbreak-afflicted tower block from a new perspective, as a team of bodycam-wearing soldiers head in to retrieve a sample. It makes for a more action-oriented follow-up, but one with ideas too – delivering a unique take on zombie lore, with the viral infection compounded by some religious occultism. It's especially impressive for managing to hop between perspectives without ruining the central first-person concept. Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

15) Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979)

Imagined as a quasi-sequel to Dawn Of The Dead, Italian director Lucio Fulci's film, notorious for its truly sickening effects, took zombie mythology back to its black magic-inspired roots. Zombie Flesh Eaters – also known as Zombi 2, after Dawn Of The Dead was released as Zombi in Italy – depicts a zombie outbreak on the Caribbean island of Matul as the result of a voodoo curse, with its creaky undead shufflers pictured in various stages of decomposition, often covered in (real) maggots. A famous scene involving some up-close eyeball damage got it caught up in the 'Video Nasty' scandal – and though a cult favourite, it's more beloved by hardcore zombie fans than critics. Bonus points for the stupidly dangerous zombie vs. shark showdown. Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

14) World War Z (2013)

It bears very little resemblance to its celebrated source novel, but World War Z stands as perhaps the only all-out zombie blockbuster. With Brad Pitt in the lead, a globe-trotting scope, and a considerable studio budget behind it, Marc Forster's film presents the zombie movie as a summer action spectacle with a worldwide outbreak threatening global collapse. Where most zombie films are claustrophobic, this is the opposite, offering up inventive widescreen imagery of zombie swarms – crowds of the undead running en masse, scrambling over each other in insect-like mounds, able to scale walls through sheer force of will. Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

13) Zombieland (2009)

As the zombie sub-genre ambled towards a cultural renaissance at the end of the 2010s, Ruben Fleischer's irreverent zom-com arrived at just the right time. Jesse Eisenberg is cautious loner Columbus, doing his best to survive the undead apocalypse with a series of audience-winking rules ('check the back seat', 'double tap' your kills). He becomes part of a makeshift family when he teams up with Woody Harrelson's Twinkie-loving hard-ass Tallahassee, Emma Stone's sarcastic Wichita, and Abigail Breslin's doe-eyed youngster Little Rock. With a zippy sub-90 minute runtime, madcap zombie murders (death by falling piano, anyone?), and genius Bill Murray cameo, it's a funhouse ride of a zombie film that culminates in an actual fairground set piece. Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

12) Dawn Of The Dead (2004)

Remaking Romero's definitive masterpiece wasn't a task to be taken lightly. But, early in his career, Zack Snyder delivered a worthy reincarnation, working from a script by none other than James Gunn. Its biggest change is the controversial move to fast-zombies, offering frenetic survival sequences with a palpable sense of panic – and making for a gripping opening act as the outbreak spreads and society rapidly crumbles. It's appropriately nasty and gory, with early hints of Snyder's keen sense of cinematic style, and some impressively upsetting ideas – most notably, what happens when a pregnant woman is bitten? Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

11) One Cut Of The Dead (2019)

To say too much about Shin'ichiro Ueda's film would be to ruin its delicious, joyous surprises – but, suffice to say, if the opening minutes come off like a particularly ramshackle horror movie, that's entirely the point. An out-of-his-depth director is attempting to make a zombie film of his own, when the production finds itself besieged by actual zombies. From there? Well, you'll have to see for yourself. But it's a film fizzing with invention, one that manages to turn the zombie movie on its head in all-new ways while displaying real heart. Destined to be a cult classic. Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

10) The Return Of The Living Dead (1985)

Away from Romero's seriousness, Dan O'Bannon's comedy-horror delivered a more raucous take on the zombie flick, right down to its tagline: 'They're back from the grave and ready to party!' Return Of The Living Dead takes place in a world where Romero's films exist but their rules don't apply – with the townsfolk soon learning that headshots won't work. It played with what zombies could do, too – long before 28 Days Later, O'Bannon came up with the running dead, depicted zombies harbouring a specific hunger for brains, and gave them the ability to speak. Gooey and gory, buoyed along on a punk soundtrack featuring the likes of The Cramps and The Damned. Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

9) Re-Animator (1985)

Based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator presents a different spin on the undead. Here Jeffrey Combs' unhinged professor Herbert West invents a lime-green liquid capable of reanimating dead animal tissue – and which, before long, he starts applying to dead bodies (some of which he's responsible for). Cue fellow scientists attempting to steal the 're-agent', a rising pile of zombified corpses, and, er, a severed head oral sex scene. It's a swirling, pulpy blend of horror and comedy, and a bloody affair even by gore-soaked '80s standards. With a tight script and bravura approach, it remains sickeningly entertaining. Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

8) Rec (2007)

If found-footage horror is a mixed bag, Spanish horror Rec used the shooting-style to maximum effect – getting up-close-and-personal at ground zero of a zombie outbreak in the claustrophobic confines of an apartment block. For a handheld film, Rec's camerawork remains mercifully steady thanks to the conceit that our cameraman is a professional – Ferran Terraza's Manu, who's shooting a news reel with reporter Ángela (Manuela Velasco) in the wrong place at the wrong time. Scary as hell, with a set of smarter-than-average characters, and an all-timer final reel as the camera's night vision mode is activated. Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

7) Braindead (1992)

Long before he went off to Middle-earth, Peter Jackson was painting the town red with his ludicrously bloody Kiwi zombie flick – sometimes hailed as the 'goriest movie ever made'. Equally inspired by Romero and Raimi, there's a real Evil Dead streak to the cartoonish splatstick on display. Set in 1957, Timothy Balme plays Lionel Cosgrove, caught in a sticky place when his meddling mum is bitten by a 'Sumatran rat-monkey' when stalking her son on a date at the zoo. She dies. And then un-dies. And that's only the beginning. Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

6) Night Of The Living Dead (1968)

'They're coming to get you, Barbra!' With his directorial debut, George A. Romero invented the modern zombie movie as we know it. An independent film shot in grainy black-and-white on a shoestring budget, Romero delivered a stark and subversive horror that established the most important facets of zombie lore (bodies returning from the grave, destroying the brain to kill them for good) and proved the director as a filmmaker adept at genre-infused social commentary. As Ben, Barbra and more hide away from the rising corpses in a rural farmhouse, Romero reflects ideas of racism in the USA, the ongoing trauma of the Vietnam War, and the American public facing up to the realisation that their greatest enemy might actually be themselves. Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

5) Train To Busan (2016)

Four words: zombies on a train. Korean director Yeon Sang-ho takes that elevator pitch and elevates it into a gripping, action-packed horror movie, using cramped interior space (and moments in more wide-open environments) to stage breathlessly tense sequences. Train To Busan's zombies are mesmerising to watch – aggressive and animalistic, their limbs and spines contorting as they rise up to claim more victims. The result is stylishly-shot and pulse-pounding, with a host of memorable characters – particularly Ma Dong-seok's hulking hero Sang-hwa. Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

4) Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

For his feature debut proper, Edgar Wright drew from Romero and Richard Curtis for the definitive rom-zom-com. Simon Pegg is the titular Shaun, a slacker entering his 30s who's forced to grow up, commit to his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield), sort things out with his step-dad, and relinquish his best friend Ed (Nick Frost) when a zombie apocalypse unfolds in London. It doesn't hold back as a zombie film – with lashings of gore, well-executed jump-scares and emotional farewells – but indulges its British humour too, as Shaun attacks the undead with a cricket bat and hatches a plot to hole up at the local pub. Glorious. Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

3) 28 Days Later (2002)

Purists will tell you it's not a zombie movie. If they're technically right, they're also totally wrong – Danny Boyle's film about a deadly rage infection reinvented and redefined what a zombie film could be, taking the idea of running infected from Return Of The Living Dead and, er, running with it. It's a gritty, gripping work with an iconic opening, as Cillian Murphy's hospitalised Londoner Jim awakens to find the capital city eerily deserted – until it becomes all-too-clear what's happened to everyone. If the rage infection wasn't perilous enough, Alex Garland's screenplay highlights how the surviving humans are just as deadly. Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

2) Day Of The Dead (1985)

The final part of Romero's landmark original Dead trilogy is a more meditative affair than the previous instalments – but it's a powerful piece, with an angry resonance that continues to reverberate. Set even further into the zombie apocalypse, Day finds the non-infected population dwindling, with surviving scientists and soldiers properly cracking up, and the undead themselves beginning to evolve. Enter Bub, an actual zombie hero – reliving echoes of his past life, and with a cognitive function that suggests not all of the undead are mindless monsters. Taking place largely in the confines of an underground facility, Day is a claustrophobic and pessimistic affair, wrangling with meaty themes of hope, faith, and the futility of combat, as human in-fighting leads to more carnage with tragic consequences. Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

1) Dawn Of The Dead (1978)

If Night Of The Living Dead was the birth of the contemporary zombie flick, Dawn Of The Dead was its coming-of-age – bigger, bolder, more confident, and, this time, in colour. The eerie tone of its predecessor is swapped for a rising tide of chaos and panic as the unfolding apocalypse spreads, and a group of survivors hunker down in the local mall. If it initially seems like an ideal place to wait out the downfall of society, rife with supplies, it proves anything but – the zombies instinctively drawn to the place they were programmed to devote their free time and money to back when they were alive. It's another piece of potent satire, packed with playful imagery – though that never gets in the way of Romero telling a compelling, nightmarish tale, exploding with visceral effects from Tom Savini, drawing from the horrifying sights he witnessed as a Vietnam War photographer. Read The Empire Review Buy now on Amazon

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The best zombie movies of all time

No guts no glory as we count down our favourite flesh-eating horror films.

Zombie movies have proven much harder to kill than actual zombies. Ever since George A Romero essentially created the modern version of the genre with Night of the Living Dead , the undead have continued to rise over the decades, mutating as they go, with HBO’s heavily praised The Last of Us being only the most recent example. (Clickers, zombies: what’s the difference, really?) It’s no wonder, really: the mythology is flexible enough to serve as allegories for real-world issues from racism to consumerism. And, of course, if all you want is a disgusting splatterfest, well, no genre is gorier.

Sure, the formula is well-worn – some sort of plague infects the planet, turning the deceased into ravenous cannibals looking to feast on the flesh of the living – but the best zombie movies have found ways to twist that basic idea into something truly unique. On this list of the greatest zombie movies of all-time, you’ll find shocking gorefests, zany zomcoms, atmospheric dramas that manage to push the braineaters to the background and even a few that predate George A Romero. So grab a bowl of temporal lobes and board up the windows – these are the best zombie movies ever made.

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Top zombie movies

30.  World War Z (2013)

• Action and adventure

The biggest budget zom-buster of them all features Brad Pitt strapping on his undead-ass-kicking boots and heading out on a globe-trotting trip to find the source of a zombie pandemic. It all goes a bit awry in the last third as Brad inexplicably ends up hanging out with a soon-to-be-former Doctor Who in a rural Welsh GP’s surgery, but up to that point this is a gripping grand-scale romp, even if it does skimp on the gore that all but defines the genre in favor of PG-13 spectacle.

29.  Dead Snow (2009)

A Norwegian black comedy that takes distinct pleasure in splattering snowy landscapes with viscera, Dead Snow never fully realises its potential as either a comedy or a horror film. But in pitting a group of hikers against a risen platoon of Third Reich ghouls, it does make a solid argument that the only thing better than punching Nazis is hacking their reanimated corpses to pieces or – in one particular worth-the-price-of-admission set piece – rappelling down a fjord using their intestines. 

28.  Fido (2006)

This cheeky Canadian comedy posits a question nobody previously thought to ask: What if the ‘50s Lassie series ditched the collie and replaced him with a flesh-munching pet zombie played by Billy Connolly. Dylan Baker and Carrie-Anne Moss go full Ward and June Cleaver in the pastel romp, which pairs its gee-whiz whimsy with some serious satirical bite.

27.  28 Weeks Later (2007)

Like James Cameron before him , Juan Carlos Fresnadillo smartly pivoted from the isolationist terror that preceded his 28 Days Later… sequel and plowed full-throttle into the zombie apocalypse, reimagining zombified England as an action-packed warzone. The opening sequence in which Robert Carlyle abandons his family to the hordes is a clinic in panic, and while what comes after doesn’t match it in pure dread, the sequel’s Black Hawk Down meets Romero action is white knuckle enough that you’ll forget its shortcomings. 

26.  Little Monsters (2019)

If you like a bit of splatter and some dark, edgy humour then this Australian zombie-outbreak comedy – set primarily in a children’s petting zoo and starring Lupita Nyong’o as a ukulele-playing nursery teacher – will suit your tastes. We meet Dave (Alexander English), a broken man who falls for his five-year-old nephew’s teacher (Nyong’o). In pursuit of his crush, he volunteers to help out at a class outing to a petting zoo that, thanks to a mishap at a neighbouring American military base, becomes a fight for survival against hordes of the undead. Amid all the blood and guts, writer-director Abe Forsythe squeezes something surprisingly heartwarming out of the film’s plot, proving that there’s still life in this genre filled with undead lumberers. 

25.  One Cut of the Dead (2017)

Japan’s answer to the The Blair Witch Project   and  [REC]  (only with a lot more LOLs), this micro-budget horror-comedy did colossal numbers at the box office, despite its cast of unknowns and helter-skelter approach to the genre. Then again, zombie flicks often work best with minimal budgets and just directorial vim to go on, and One Cut of the Dead  has that in spades. Director Shinichirou Ueda presides over a gory, hilarious scenario when a film crew making a zombie movie bump into one of the real undead. What’s Japanese for ‘braaaains’?

24.  The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

Wes Craven based this post- Nightmare on Elm Street offering on a book by Canadian ethnobotanist Wade Davis, who investigated Haitian religious rituals and the real-life origins of the zombie mythos. Craven’s film is far from an anthropological study, but it achieves a different kind of fear from the other, completely fantastical movies on this list. Bill Pullman stars as a Wade Davis stand-in, more or less, a Harvard anthropologist who travels to Haiti to research a black-market ‘super anaesthetic’ rumoured to turn users into the living dead. It gets sillier as it goes on, but the scene of a recently poisoned Pullman, stumbling through a village square and pleading, ‘Please don’t bury me, I’m not dead,’ is a true chiller. 

23.  Night of the Living Dead (1990)

Due to a copyright snafu, George A Romero’s NOTLD entered the public domain immediately upon release. The result has been a rancid pile of unauthorised remakes across the decades. But one stands out as worthy of its name – the Romero-approved 1990 reimagining directed by Tom Savini, the deranged gore-lord who designed Romero’s nastiest kills in Dawn and Day . The beats are basically the same, save for a meatier feminist bent that provides #JusticeForBarbara. More crucially, though, the blood and guts are top tier thanks to Savini’s frighteningly intimate knowledge of human anatomy. 

22.  Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Hot take: Were it called anything but Dawn of the Dead , Zack Snyder’s George A Romero riff would be beloved based on the corker of an opening scene alone. With the name in place, though, it seems like sacrilege: a commercial director tackling the most sacred of horror satires with only the barest thread of anti-consumerism commentary present. Yet somehow, Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead works as a kinetic zombie-action flick soaked with gore and sporting wholly likeable survivors, courtesy of screenwriter James Gunn. Snyder would whiff on his return to the genre with the godawful Army of the Dead , proving that perhaps the director is better off with a big studio calling the shots. 

21.  The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001)

This sing-along zombie apocalypse, one of a mind-boggling seven movies Japanese director Takashi Miike released in 2001, may not have the sticking power of Audition . But any film inspired equally by Night of the Living Dead  and The Sound of Music  deserves your attention. Yes, the zombies do sing.

20.  The Girl With All The Gifts (2016)

This enigmatic British zombie movie starts brilliantly, with a group of apparently placid kids strapped into wheelchairs in a military facility. They are ‘hungries’, infected with the disease that has wiped out almost all of humanity – and at the first whiff of blood they go ravenously insane. The Girl With All the Gifts  can't quite sustain its initial promise, but young star Sennia Nanua is ferociously brilliant.

19.  The Plague of the Zombies (1966)

It was only made two years before Night of the Living Dead , but this likeable Hammer Studios effort could’ve come from a different century. In a cosy little nineteenth-century Cornish village, mysterious happenings are afoot. It soon transpires that the local laird has been creating undead slaves to work in his tin mine, which is a novel approach to labour laws if nothing else.

18.  Zombieland (2009)

Quite possibly the zaniest zombie movie ever made, this zomcom knows that for all their grotesquery, there’s just something inherently funny about the shambling undead – and, more than that, the idea that still-living humans would attempt to live among them. Zombieland is also something of meta-pisstake on the zombie apocalypse movie in general, with a nerdy shut-in (Jesse Eisenberg) narrating survival tips for the audience and a perfectly cast Woody Harrelson as a hard-nosed survivalist seemingly thriving in dystopia. With a breezy, sometimes wilfully goofy script, kinetic visuals and a few ingenious set-pieces, it’s maybe the only film on this list save Shaun of the Dead that can be accurately described as a ‘romp.’ It also contains an all-time great cameo that shouldn’t be spoiled even years down the line.

17.  White Zombie (1932)

Not just the inspiration for a metal band, this eerie oddity is generally considered to be the very first zombie film – and boy, did they do things differently in those days. Forget all that groaning, flesh-eating and actually being dead. This features a Haitian voodoo priest – played, naturally, by Béla Lugosi – who drugs his victims and turns them into zombie slaves.

16.  Night of the Comet (1984)

This witty sci-fi romp is the movie equivalent of a Cyndi Lauper song, following two airhead California girls who manage to survive when a comet destroys most of humanity and turns the rest into crazed zombies. If it sounds dumb, it isn’t; the writers slipped in all kinds of barbed putdowns and wry gags about consumer culture. Romero should have been flattered.

15.  Re-Animator (1985)

This movie possibly stretches the definition just a little bit. Stuart Gordon’s witty and OTT splat-com, loosely based on an HP Lovecraft tale, stars the mighty Jeffrey Coombs as an oddball scientist who invents a serum that can bring the dead back to life. But this lot are not all chompy and brain-dead; they’re more like Frankenstein creations – so should we have put old bolt-neck himself in here too? It’s a genre quandary, but any excuse to celebrate Re-Animator  works for us.

14.  ParaNorman (2012)

This kid-friendly zombie flick from award-winning Oregon animation house Laika goes light on gore and big on heart and plenty of references to much more adult films. An outcast at school, thanks to his electro-shock hairdo and love of all things horror, young Norman Babcock’s ability to convene with spirits makes him the only hope for saving his hometown from a witch’s curse that causes the dead to rise. It’s a supernatural caper not far removed from an old Scooby-Doo episode, and an excellent gateway into the zombie genre for little horror fiends. 

13.  28 Days Later… (2002)

Fast zombies existed before 28 Days Later , as had the notion of setting a zombie outbreak in the UK (see 1966’s The Plague of the Zombies ). Aesthetically, little about Danny Boyle’s first crack at the horror genre is truly groundbreaking, all things considered. And yet, it feels utterly unlike any other film on this list. In fact, there are those who argue it barely counts as a zombie movie at all, Boyle included. (The ‘Z’ word never appears in the script, and the name of the contagion infecting the planet is the ‘Rage virus’.) Fleet-footed corpses and inspired visuals of an abandoned London aside, what really makes 28 Days Later stand out from the undead pack is Boyle’s signature humanism. The characters – including Cillian Murphy as Jim, a bike courier who wakes up from a coma to find society has collapsed around him – aren’t mere political symbols or sentient sacks of meat that exist simply to be disembowelled. They’re actual people, desperately clinging to whatever shreds of humanity still exist in the world. Turns out, in this line of work, that’s enough of a revolutionary concept to make all the difference. 

12.  Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979)

This gloriously gruesome gorefest from Eurotrash auteur Lucio Fulci is known for precisely two infamous scenes. One is a slow-motion eye-gouge that ranks among the nastiest onscreen kills of all-time. Far sillier is the underwater battle between a hungry shark and an even hungrier zombie – an actual tiger shark, mind you, albeit one that had been shot up with sedatives beforehand. The rest is fairly standard cheapo video nasty fare, but in the severed-arms race of ‘70s exploitation flicks, audacity wins you major points – the distributors even tried to sell the movie in Europe as a sequel to George A Romero’s Dawn of the Dead , despite having no actual connection.   

11.  The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (1974)

Also released as Let Sleeping Corpses Lie , this wonderfully odd movie was produced in Italy, directed by a Spaniard and is set largely in the Lake District (sorry Manchester, the title’s a bit of a con). Here the zombies are resurrected by state-of-the-art ultrasonic farming equipment and unleashed to wreak havoc in the Windermere area. It sounds silly, but the earnest performances, beautiful landscape photography and sudden, shocking gore mean the laughs tend to stick in the throat. The opening theme is a belter, too.

10.  I Walked with a Zombie (1943)

Another old-school zombie movie, set on the island of Haiti and featuring voodoo rituals and living death rather than hordes of entrail-munching shufflers. The director is Jacques Tourneur, the French master filmmaker behind Out of the Past  and Cat People , so this is an unusually atmospheric and bewitching horror movie – filled with pale-skinned maidens wandering through misty groves in the moonlight.

9.  Day of the Dead (1985)

The last in George A Romero’s original zombie trilogy may suffer in comparison to Night…  and Dawn… , but it’s a close-run thing. What Day of the Dead  lacks in spiky political satire it more than makes up for in blunt emotional force, as the last survivors of the zombie plague hole up in an underground military compound and begin to tear each other apart. Romero would reboot the franchise with the solid Land of the Dead in 2005, but would never recapture the raw power of his original three.

8.  [•Rec] (2007)

After watching this Spanish found-footage horror (and its delightfully unhinged sequels), you might think twice about your next holiday to Barcelona. Following a group of firemen and a film crew stuck in an apartment building, things quickly descend into bloody chaos. The claustrophobic nature of its single location, as well as the terrifying night-vision sequences and unexpected supernatural elements, will leave you chilled to the core. This is zombie-horror at its most inventive, gripping and scary.

7.  Braindead (1992)

Like Evil Dead   on mescaline-spiked custard – don’t forget the side of rotted ear – Peter Jackson’s second exercise in excessive splatter is so over-the-top gory that even those with weak stomachs will eventually acclimate to the ooze and viscera, stop dry-heaving and start laughing deliriously. That’s precisely the intent. Set in a quaint New Zealand suburb, the silly premise begins with a ‘Sumatran rat monkey’ whose bite turns a sweet, shy local bachelor’s mother into a ravenous, flesh-craving monster. It’s a secret the bachelor must keep from the object of his affection, even as damn near the entire village gradually catches the plague. Its balls-out, lawnmower-intensive finale makes even the next-most-disgusting movie on this list look like an episode of Double Dare by comparison.  

6.  The Beyond (1981)

At the opposite end of the spectrum from Romero’s gritty, blue-collar zombie trilogy is the loosely linked Gates of Hell sequence by Italian gore maestro Lucio Fulci: City of the Living Dead , The House By the Cemetery  and this unforgettable apocalyptic stomach-churner. Shot in the Louisiana bayou, The Beyond  feels as much like a fever dream as a film: tarantulas tear off people’s eyelids, women start to bleed for no reason and reanimated corpses drag the innocent down into the depths of the pit. Starkly beautiful but utterly horrifying, this is a singular work of the imagination.

5.  Train to Busan (2016)

Korean zombies! On a train! This fierce, fast and frenetic splatter flick takes the template established by George A Romero in Night of the Living Dead , in which a group of survivors retreat into an enclosed space to repel zombie attacks, and sets the whole thing in motion. Original it ain’t. Stupendously entertaining it most definitely is. The sequel,  Peninsula , couldn't live up to the mayhem of the original. Fingers crosses that the inevitable American remake – helmed, in an inspired choice, by  The Night Comes for Us  madman Timo Tjahjanto – can deliver the gory goods.

4.  The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

The first outright zom-com, this is a glorious slice of splatter-punk in which a vat of military-grade toxic waste causes the residents of a small town to transform into flesh-hungry crazies; only the local teenage dropouts can stop them. Written and directed by Alien  co-creator Dan O’Bannon, it’s hardly high art, but it is bloody entertaining. It's also one of the most influential post-Romero zombie flicks: This is the first film to specify that the undead prefer braaaaains, with one particularly gloopy ghoul explaining (yes, these zombies are loquacious ) that they are the only cure for the pain of being dead. 

3.  Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Edgar Wright’s ‘rom-zom-com’ made a star of Simon Pegg and a cult hero of its director. Playing the Romero trilogy for big, very British laughs, the film manages to balance outright silliness and surprisingly tough gore with just a hint of romance around the edges. All those zombie parades that keep taking over London? It’s Pegg and Wright’s fault.

2.  Night of the Living Dead (1968)

One of the most essential and influential horror films of all time, George A Romero’s hugely successful first statement on the zombie phenomenon set the template that endures to this day: the dead rise; a group of people take shelter in a remote location; everyone dies horribly. But this isn’t just a near-perfect fright flick. An independent production shot guerrilla-style on handheld cameras, Night  opened the door for every ambitious no-budget filmmaker since, and proved that mass audiences could stomach ‘unsatisfying’ endings. The casting of a black actor as the lead was a bold move, but the film is peppered with radical moments – in one scene, a child literally eats her parents. It’s hauntingly beautiful, too.

1.  Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Night of the Living Dead  changed cinema forever – but Romero’s first sequel Dawn of the Dead  is the better film, by a severed nose. As the zombie apocalypse gathers pace, four mismatched middle-class survivors hole up in a giant out-of-town shopping mall to wait it out. But the undead adore this place, and they keep coming back. After one of the most grindingly intense opening acts in horror, the film abruptly switches course and becomes an upbeat adventure film, then a character comedy, then a topical satire, then it’s back to splat for the monumental finale. The pacing is perfect, the script crackles, the score (by Italian prog legends Goblin and horror maestro Dario Argento) hums and squeaks and pounds, the performances are bang-on and the satire cuts like a scalpel. .

The 100 best horror films

The definitive horror movie list

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Rotten Tomatoes' 30 Essential Zombie Movies (2021)

• Movies or TV
• IMDb Rating
• In Theaters
• Release Year

1. Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Unrated | 127 min | Horror, Thriller

During an escalating zombie epidemic, two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter and his TV executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.

Director: George A. Romero | Stars: David Emge , Ken Foree , Scott H. Reiniger , Gaylen Ross

Votes: 128,226 | Gross: $5.10M

2. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

R | 99 min | Comedy, Horror

The uneventful, aimless lives of a London electronics salesman and his layabout roommate are disrupted by the zombie apocalypse.

Director: Edgar Wright | Stars: Simon Pegg , Nick Frost , Kate Ashfield , Lucy Davis

Votes: 592,470 | Gross: $13.54M

3. Train to Busan (2016)

Not Rated | 118 min | Action, Horror, Thriller

While a zombie virus breaks out in South Korea, passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan.

Director: Yeon Sang-ho | Stars: Gong Yoo , Jung Yu-mi , Ma Dong-seok , Kim Su-an

Votes: 256,928 | Gross: $2.13M

4. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Thriller

A ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the Northeast of the United States.

Director: George A. Romero | Stars: Duane Jones , Judith O'Dea , Karl Hardman , Marilyn Eastman

Votes: 138,733 | Gross: $0.09M

5. Zombieland (2009)

R | 88 min | Action, Comedy, Horror

A shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, a gun-toting bruiser in search of the last Twinkie and a pair of sisters striving to get to an amusement park join forces in a trek across a zombie-filled America.

Director: Ruben Fleischer | Stars: Jesse Eisenberg , Emma Stone , Woody Harrelson , Abigail Breslin

Votes: 619,658 | Gross: $75.59M

6. 28 Days Later (2002)

R | 113 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi

Four weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.

Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: Cillian Murphy , Naomie Harris , Christopher Eccleston , Alex Palmer

Votes: 443,951 | Gross: $45.06M

7. REC (2007)

R | 78 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

A television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building and are quickly locked inside with something terrifying.

Directors: Jaume Balagueró , Paco Plaza | Stars: Manuela Velasco , Ferran Terraza , Jorge-Yamam Serrano , Pablo Rosso

Votes: 196,018

8. Re-Animator (1985)

Unrated | 84 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi

After an odd new medical student arrives on campus, a dedicated local and his girlfriend become involved in bizarre experiments centering around the re-animation of dead tissue.

Director: Stuart Gordon | Stars: Jeffrey Combs , Bruce Abbott , Barbara Crampton , David Gale

Votes: 71,286 | Gross: $2.02M

9. Dead Alive (1992)

R | 104 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror

A young man's mother is bitten by a Sumatran rat-monkey. She gets sick and dies, at which time she comes back to life, killing and eating dogs, nurses, friends, and neighbors.

Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Timothy Balme , Diana Peñalver , Elizabeth Moody , Ian Watkin

Votes: 103,047 | Gross: $0.24M

10. The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

R | 91 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi

When two bumbling employees at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release a deadly gas into the air, the vapors cause the dead to rise again as zombies.

Director: Dan O'Bannon | Stars: Clu Gulager , James Karen , Don Calfa , Thom Mathews

Votes: 68,664 | Gross: $14.24M

11. One Cut of the Dead (2017)

Not Rated | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Horror

Things go badly for a hack director and film crew shooting a low budget zombie movie in an abandoned WWII Japanese facility, when they are attacked by real zombies.

Director: Shin'ichirô Ueda | Stars: Takayuki Hamatsu , Yuzuki Akiyama , Harumi Shuhama , Kazuaki Nagaya

Votes: 29,519

12. Day of the Dead (1985)

Not Rated | 101 min | Horror, Thriller

As the world is overrun by zombies, a group of scientists and military personnel sheltering in an underground bunker in Florida must decide on how they should deal with the undead horde.

Director: George A. Romero | Stars: Lori Cardille , Terry Alexander , Joseph Pilato , Jarlath Conroy

Votes: 74,180 | Gross: $5.80M

13. Dawn of the Dead (2004)

R | 101 min | Action, Horror

A nurse, a policeman, a young married couple, a salesman and other survivors of a worldwide plague that is producing aggressive, flesh-eating zombies, take refuge in a mega Midwestern shopping mall.

Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Sarah Polley , Ving Rhames , Mekhi Phifer , Jake Weber

Votes: 271,729 | Gross: $59.02M

14. World War Z (2013)

PG-13 | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Horror

Former United Nations employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against time to stop a zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatens to destroy humanity itself.

Director: Marc Forster | Stars: Brad Pitt , Mireille Enos , Daniella Kertesz , James Badge Dale

Votes: 717,461 | Gross: $202.36M

15. Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974)

R | 95 min | Horror

A cop chases two hippies suspected of a series of Manson family-like murders; unbeknownst to him, the real culprits are the living dead, brought to life with a hunger for human flesh by ultrasonic radiation being used for pest control.

Director: Jorge Grau | Stars: Cristina Galbó , Ray Lovelock , Arthur Kennedy , Aldo Massasso

Votes: 9,288

16. Zombie (1979)

R | 91 min | Horror

Strangers searching for a young woman's missing father arrive at a tropical island where a doctor desperately seeks the cause and cure of a recent epidemic of the undead.

Director: Lucio Fulci | Stars: Tisa Farrow , Ian McCulloch , Richard Johnson , Al Cliver

Votes: 30,619

17. Planet Terror (2007)

R | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Horror

After an experimental bio-weapon is released, turning thousands into zombie-like creatures, it's up to a rag-tag group of survivors to stop the infected and those behind its release.

Director: Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Rose McGowan , Freddy Rodríguez , Josh Brolin , Marley Shelton

Votes: 222,821

18. Warm Bodies (2013)

PG-13 | 98 min | Comedy, Horror, Romance

After a highly unusual zombie saves a still-living girl from an attack, the two form a relationship that sets in motion events that might transform the entire lifeless world.

Director: Jonathan Levine | Stars: Nicholas Hoult , Teresa Palmer , John Malkovich , Lio Tipton

Votes: 243,176 | Gross: $66.38M

19. I Walked with a Zombie (1943)

Passed | 69 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror

A nurse is hired to care for the wife of a sugar plantation owner, who has been acting strangely, on a Caribbean island.

Director: Jacques Tourneur | Stars: Frances Dee , Tom Conway , James Ellison , Edith Barrett

Votes: 13,629

20. Night of the Creeps (1986)

R | 88 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi

Alien brain parasites, entering humans through the mouth, turn their host into a killing zombie. Some teenagers start to fight against them.

Director: Fred Dekker | Stars: Jason Lively , Tom Atkins , Steve Marshall , Jill Whitlow

Votes: 25,995 | Gross: $0.59M

21. Versus (II) (2000)

R | 119 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy

There are 666 portals that connect this world to the other side. These are concealed from all human beings. Somewhere in Japan exists the 444th portal.... The forest of resurrection.

Director: Ryûhei Kitamura | Stars: Tak Sakaguchi , Hideo Sakaki , Chieko Misaka , Kenji Matsuda

Votes: 13,708

22. 28 Weeks Later (2007)

R | 100 min | Horror, Sci-Fi

Six months after the rage virus was inflicted on the population of Great Britain, the US Army helps to secure a small area of London for the survivors to repopulate and start again. But not everything goes according to plan.

Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo | Stars: Jeremy Renner , Rose Byrne , Robert Carlyle , Harold Perrineau

Votes: 293,009 | Gross: $28.64M

23. Dead of Night (1974)

PG | 88 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller

A young soldier killed in the Vietnam War inexplicably shows up at his family home on the night of his death.

Director: Bob Clark | Stars: John Marley , Lynn Carlin , Richard Backus , Henderson Forsythe

Votes: 5,980 | Gross: $0.03M

24. Cemetery Man (1994)

R | 105 min | Comedy, Horror

A cemetery man must kill the dead a second time when they become zombies.

Director: Michele Soavi | Stars: Rupert Everett , François Hadji-Lazaro , Anna Falchi , Mickey Knox

Votes: 23,250 | Gross: $0.25M

25. Resident Evil (2002)

R | 100 min | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi

A special military unit fights a powerful, out-of-control supercomputer and hundreds of scientists who have mutated into flesh-eating creatures after a laboratory accident.

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson | Stars: Milla Jovovich , Michelle Rodriguez , Ryan McCluskey , Oscar Pearce

Votes: 287,611 | Gross: $40.12M

26. Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998 Video)

TV-G | 77 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

The Mystery Gang reunite and visit Moonscar Island, a remote island with a dark secret. Daphne wants more than just a villain in a costume, and they get more than they ever expected.

Director: Jim Stenstrum | Stars: Scott Innes , Billy West , Mary Kay Bergman , Frank Welker

Votes: 17,955

27. Wild Zero (1999)

Not Rated | 98 min | Comedy, Horror, Music

Only legendary Japanese garage rock band Guitar Wolf can stand between a race of aliens from destroying earth with an army of zombies.

Director: Tetsuro Takeuchi | Stars: Guitar Wolf , Drum Wolf , Bass Wolf , Masashi Endô

Votes: 3,788

28. Little Monsters (2019)

R | 93 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi

A washed-up musician teams up with a teacher and a kids'-show personality to protect young children from a sudden outbreak of zombies.

Director: Abe Forsythe | Stars: Lupita Nyong'o , Alexander England , Josh Gad , Kat Stewart

Votes: 19,208

29. Juan of the Dead (2011)

Not Rated | 92 min | Action, Comedy, Horror

A group of slackers face an army of zombies. The Cuban government and media claim the living dead are dissidents revolting against the government.

Director: Alejandro Brugués | Stars: Alexis Díaz de Villegas , Jorge Molina , Andros Perugorría , Andrea Duro

Votes: 10,980 | Gross: $0.02M

30. Night of the Comet (1984)

PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi

A comet wipes out most of life on Earth, leaving two Valley Girls fighting against cannibal zombies and a sinister group of scientists.

Director: Thom Eberhardt | Stars: Catherine Mary Stewart , Kelli Maroney , Robert Beltran , Sharon Farrell

Votes: 23,994 | Gross: $14.42M

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•  / Entertainment
•  / Hollywood

Top 20 Best Zombie Movies In Hollywood: From Dawn Of The Dead To Resident Evil

Zombie movies have a lot to offer, from surviving tactics to information to an epidemic. Moreover, these movies have entertained us through generations with fresh content. Check out the top 20!

Night of the Living Dead (October 1, 1968)

28 days later (june 27, 2003).

• Dawn of the Dead (December 6, 1979)

Resident Evil (March 15, 2002)

World war z (june 21, 2013).

• Zombi 2 (August 25, 1979)

When the genre of horror movies and action are spiced up together, we get a totally new and wonderful genre, zombie movies. From being chased by them or your heroes chasing the undead, we have come up with the best zombie movies list. 

It's gory, it's brutal and if you are a lover of Bloodsport, the zombie apocalypse movies will definitely match your frequency. Metalheads will relate a lot to what goes around in a zombie film. 

It was always a dream for many to live in a zombie apocalypse movie and kill or become a feast of the smelly pit of the armless, jawless pile of walking but nonliving bodies. So here are the best zombie movies of all time. The list comprises movies from different eras, which are filled with action, are funny, and are also the scariest zombie movies.

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The flick revolves around a group of individuals who are hiding from the hungry deceased ones. The zombies are hunting fresh human flesh as they leave their graves. Ben, who is the protagonist in the movie, somehow takes control of the situation and protects the people taking refuge in a house.

You know Cillian Murphy for his recent hits, but you must know that during the initial years of his acting career, he has done a legendary zombie apocalypse movie. Cillian Murphy plays the role of Jim, in a deserted London. 

The city has been infected with the Rage virus that was caused by a caged chimpanzee, who was freed by a group of animal rights activists. The best part is that Jim has woken up after a month from a coma and learns slowly about the situation in the world around him. This is one of the best zombie movies of all time and has been globally appreciated. 

Dawn of the Dead (December 6, 1979)

A zombie film that tops the horror movie genre and also explains the material society, Dawn of the Dead is another classic and is amongst the top ten zombie movies of all time. This scary zombie movie shows the hordes of undead creatures walking across the lands of the US. 

All the cities and the countryside are infested with these devouring alive cadavers. David Emge, who plays the role of Stephe, is an employee of a radio station in Pennsylvania and is on the lookout for a safe place along with his girlfriend and two SWAT members.

If you are on a hunt for the best zombie movies, you should already know about Resident Evil. This time no unknown occurences and no dead people are coming from the graveyard afar, but the familiar infected faces attacking from the city limits. 

The movie franchise is based on a video game and is one of the very famous zombie movies, wherein the first installment takes you on a tour of an underground genetics laboratory of the Umbrella Corporation. Milla Jovovich and her team have got mere three hours to shut the super computer, while also dealing with virus-infected undead. 

Several sequels to this movie will surely make you sit and binge-watch, waking the demon inside you. If you love gore, violence, blood, and action, this should be on your top ten zombie movies list. Moreover, the Resident Evil franchise also falls into the category of the best zombie movies and shows.

This is where you will feel the adrenaline. It is not just action and horror, but your heartbeat will make you stand up. One rare thing that World War Z brought to the big screen was the humans being chased by literally a huge wave of running zombies. Yes, they run! 

With Brad Pitt in the lead role, there is a pretty intriguing story that grabs your attention as you get into it. It involves a trip around a lot of nations, and cracking a code to know the source in this zombie apocalypse movie. Anything else would spoil the fun.

Zombi 2 (August 25, 1979)

Pure gore is what Zombi 2 is. A ridiculously bloody and one of the most scariest zombie movies, Zombi 2 depicts the story of a New York reporter, who, while following a woman lands on an island that is facing an epidemic of the undead.

Zombieland (October 2, 2009)

Enough of the daring action and spine-chilling gore, let's talk about a movie that should always be included in a zombie movies list, Zombieland. With a great cast such as Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone , Woody Harrelson, and Abigail Breslin, this fun-filled and chill zombie movie is a fun-filled flick to watch with family, but of course with a disclaimer.

The movie has quite a few surprises for you and revolves around a group that should not be with each other. Jesse Eisenberg deals with his fear of clowns, which has now become even tougher as the circus crew has turned into a pile of blood-spitting, flesh-hungry, more crazy zombies.

The Return of the Living Dead (August 16, 1985)

Another great take on the zombie genre, this is one of the horror zombie movies that will give you a feel of an 80s punk life along with the flesh-craving zombies. 

Here the zombies are brought to life through a secret military gas that is being experimented in a warehouse. The undead epidemic spreads throughout Louisville, while the two characters Frank and Freddy try to survive the outbreak.

ALSO READ:   Here's Why Emma Stone Won't Be Making Anymore Jokes About Taylor Swift; Says 'What A Dope'

Re-Animator (October 18, 1985) 

Coming back to the classics, Re-Animator is a 1985 classic zombie film showing the story of a medical student played by Jeffrey Combs who brings his headless professor back from the dead using a serum. This is another horror zombie movie with a gist of comedy.

Shaun of the Dead (April 9, 2004)

A movie with a fabulous cast has also got a few witty satirical jokes. Shaun of the Dead jokingly talks about zombies with the main character having a dull life on the outskirts of London. The movie shows the childish character trying to become a man and protect his mother as well as his girlfriend in the wake of a zombified town.

Blood Quantum (April 28, 2020)

This movie stands out from the usual zombie movie crowd and takes you on a tour of sociopolitical subtext. It is pure horror and shows people surviving the plague of zombies that have taken over all of the earth. This is one of the recent zombie movies released and was widely valued for its story and scenes.

ALSO READ:   Top 7 horror films on Netflix: Here's a list of thrilling movies for this holiday season

I am Legend (December 14, 2007)

Starring Will Smith, this is an unusual but one of the best zombie apocalypse movies. Smith is the only survivor in New York City as a plague has either killed humans or turned them into monsters. In all of the scenes, the actor is seen surviving with his dog and at the same time trying to find a cure for the illness that forced people to stay out of the city. 

A sequel is rumored to be in the works with Will Smith and Michael B Jordan in the cast.

Army of the Dead (May 14, 2021)

Ever imagined what would a Zack Snyder zombie movie be like? This movie is a lot of things, horror, thrilling, has a good origin of zombies, takes place in Las Vegas, has Dave Batista in it, and shows an epic heist. 

Here a group of people dive into the zombified Las Vegas and are trying to break into a vault before the whole is blown to bits.

Dead Alive  (February 12, 1993)

This movie follows the story of an overprotective mother, who is bitten by a Sumatran rat monkey and has been turned into a zombie. Her son, Lionel is trying to keep his mother locked up in the basement, but she is still shown to infect the whole neighborhood.

The Girl With All the Gifts (February 24, 2017)

The Girl With All the Gifts grapples you with an absurd kind of fear and gives a new definition to the zombie genre. The movie is about a girl who is immune to the fungus that has changed almost all humans into flesh-hungry zombies. The story takes place in the future and revolves around a girl, a scientist, and a teacher, where the girl is the last hope of saving all of humanity.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (December 21, 2016)

Directed by André Ovredal, the movie is a proper answer to someone searching for something new to watch. It will leave all your gruesome expectations behind, and promote a smart thriller with a touch of creepiness. 

The story revolves around a duo of father and son who are the coroner and are examining the body of a beautiful but dead lady “Jane Doe”. They find some of the most bizarre clues during the movie and while going through the inspection of the dead body.

Day of the Dead (July 3, 1985)

Out of all zombie movies, this movie has a reason to be at the top of the list. This is the best zombie movie to watch this weekend and the one that will definitely give you surprisingly gory scenes. 

It talks about a group of humans, who are trying to survive in Florida while they are being chased by a large horde of zombies.

28 Weeks Later (May 11, 2007)

Although it is said that the movie lacks humanism like its previous installments, the strong direction has been hugely welcomed. 

This sequel to its epic previous story takes you on a tour with the refugees who have returned to British soil. Well, there is a reason that the movie is liked all around the globe. One of the refugees who have recently returned carries the virus that has gotten worse and even more dangerous than it was in 28 Days Later.

Cemetery Man (April 26, 1996)

Cemetery Man is a surreal take on the zombie film genre, and one zombie fan has to watch it for sure. 

It is again a movie that brings back the dead alive as they sleep in their graves. They have turned into flesh-eating zombies and cemetery custodian Francesco Dellamorte has become tired of dealing with the politicians of the town and killing these undead walking corps.

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (October 30, 2015)

Although it comes last on our list, that doesn't mean it is boring and a waste of time. It is one fun-filled flick of all zombie movies. It is a comedy and is one of the best streaming zombie movies. 

In Scout's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, three school friends who just went camping with their scout guide discover that their town is turning into a warzone and is infected with zombies. They find a few more friends along their journey, while the movie has some daring scenes in it. 

These were the movies that bring back a lot of memories from our teenage years just as they bring back the dead alive.

Keep on chasing our site for more of the intriguing lists of movies and be ready to hunt or become a prey yourself.

ALSO READ:   Top 17 true horror movies taken from real-life events that will give you goosebumps

An avid CBM follower, I like all things heavy, my music, my weights, and the movies. If you've

An avid CBM follower, I like all things heavy, my music, my weights, and the movies. If you've got a messed up timeline, you've found your guide. 

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• Film Theory

30 Best Zombie Movies Ever (and Where to Watch Them)

F rom the 1930s to the modern era, zombie movies have terrified audiences. They’ve also occupied a unique position in the horror genre in that they can serve as sociopolitical allegories. But of course, there are some zombie movies that exist solely to make you laugh.

For this list, we’re ranking the 30 best zombie movies of all time. This is a list for every horror filmmaker looking to hone their craft as there are bound to be some films on this list you need to check out both for your entertainment and your studies. We’ve even thrown in a mood board and script studies for good measure. Get ready for some cardio to head over to the Winchester, and let’s dive into this best zombie movies list.

GOOD ZOMBIE MOVIES

30.  world war z (2013).

Behind the Scenes  •  World War Z

World War Z     is not at all faithful to its source material, and it’s pretty bland for most of the runtime. The main novelty is that it’s probably the only “zombie epic” that has a massive scope, setting the main character on a globe-trotting adventure. This is in stark contrast to most zombie films where the characters pretty much stay in one location the entire time.

BEST ZOMBIE MOVIES OF ALL TIME

Critic review highlight.

World War Z could have ended up going down in flames, but it turned out to be one of the more entertaining movies of the summer. Full Review - KCCI

BEST ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE MOVIES

29.  resident evil  (2002).

In Defense of the First Resident Evil Movie  •  Video Essay

The  Resident Evil  series hasn’t exactly aged well. Most would say even the original isn’t that great. However, if you’re looking for video game-inspired action, you can do a lot worse. The creature designs for all of the mutant animals are pretty decent though. Not to mention, it functions as a fairly impressive allegory against corporate overreach. 

On its own terms, Resident Evil updates the zombie genre with an anti-corporate message while still scaring its audience and providing heart-pounding action. Full Review - Radio Times

ZOMBIE HORROR MOVIES

28.  night of the creeps (1986).

Deleted Scenes  •  Night of the Creeps

Night of the Creeps has all of the elements of a classic B-movie. The film is basically what if zombies invaded Animal House with plenty of rock ‘n’ roll and sex thrown in for good measure. It’s not particularly profound, but it’s a good time for a late-night horror movie showing. 

It's a great mix of wit, character work, genre-blending and, perhaps most importantly, it has a great sense of timing and pacing. Full Review - Bloody Disgusting

BEST ZOMBIE FILMS

27. #alive (2020).

Trailer  •  #Alive

#Alive proved to be precisely the zombie movie we needed in 2020. In a year where no one could leave their homes, we get a film about a man trapped in his apartment who’s unable to leave for fear of facing a ferocious zombie horde. It’s a worthwhile Netflix original film about the importance of forging connections even when massive obstacles lie in the way, such as a pandemic… regardless if it’s zombies or COVID-19. 

#Alive is a nifty little thriller that proves that you can always find signs of life in the most undead of genres. Full Review - The New York Times

ALL ZOMBIE MOVIES

26.  28 weeks later (2007).

Launching Head-First Into Horror  •  28 Weeks Later

28 Days Later set the bar high for 21st-century zombie films. The sequel 28 Weeks Later does not necessarily surpass it, but it’s a solid entry to zombie canon. It does a brilliant job of carrying over the nihilistic themes from the first film, and it contains some amazing action sequences. The tension somewhat dissipates when you realize where the climax is heading, but when it’s powerful, it hits all the right chords. 

This sequel, directed by the much more imaginative Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (Intacto, Intruders), takes the zombie invasion in a new, grim direction. Full Review - Combustible Celluloid

TOP ZOMBIE MOVIES EVER

25. the dead don’t die (2019).

Bill Murray Interview  •  The Dead Don’t Die

Leave it to Jim Jarmusch to find new, interesting ways to tell stories about monsters in a way no one has done before. His previous film, Only Lovers Left Alive , recontextualized vampire stories, and he does the same thing with zombies for The Dead Don’t Die , which is a neat, little oxymoron in and of itself. Balancing dry wit with creatures trying to consume human flesh isn’t necessarily the easiest thing in the world, but Jarmusch makes it look easy. It also offers some good lessons on how filmmakers should break the fourth wall . 

It's mildly amusing, mostly thanks to Swinton's swanning and the dry-as-bone exchanges between Murray and Driver. Full Review - News.com.au

GREAT ZOMBIE MOVIES

24.  pontypool (2009).

The Horror of Imagination  •  Pontypool

Pontypool earns some style points for being a different kind of zombie film. It’s not a virus that spreads through the small town. It’s language with people repeating the same word or phrase over and over again until they turn into horrible rage monsters. Sadly, it’s a film that’s only grown more relevant over the years as divisions continue to creep up on society, and simple words are enough to cause people to do something deadly. It has all of the gore you would expect out of a zombie film, but it will keep you thinking long after the credits have rolled. 

This cerebral horror movie plays Scrabble with the genre's cinematic lingo. Full Review - Time Out

BEST RECENT ZOMBIE MOVIES

23. anna and the apocalypse (2017).

Practical Effects  •  Anna and the Apocalypse

Anna and the Apocalypse may just be the most fantastic, whimsical zombie musical ever made. There are very many ways to make a genre as the zombie movie stand out in the 21st century, and it helps a great deal that the songs are actually catchy. It’s all the more impressive that it was put together on an indie budget, which just goes to show you can accomplish a great deal as long as you have a good hook for your film.

If you’re trying to figure out how zombies need to look for your own film, then you’ll be pleased to hear we uploaded various stills from zombie movies into StudioBinder’s storyboard creator . We tried to go for a mix of different ways the undead can look, so you can get some inspiration to make your zombies look totally  unique. 

Great Zombie Movies for Today  •  Zombie Movie Mood Board

Anna and her friends come to understand the most frightening aspect of adulthood, realizing that friends and parents won't always be there to help you, and that the biggest fear is having to stand on your own two feet.  - Citizen Dame

CLASSIC ZOMBIE MOVIES

22.  night of the comet  (1984).

Good Bad Flicks  •  Night of the Comet

Dawn of the Dead   knew the perfect location for a critique on consumerism was in a mall.  Night of the Comet   (1984) follows a similar approach but throws some 80s Valley girls into the mix. What it lacks in action it more than makes up for in fascinating character moments with plenty of funny beats added for good measure. If you’re an 80s baby, then this is the zombie film for you. 

It feels like an homage to everything, as its likable heroines slowly wander through a movie wasteland filled with familiar landmarks. Full Review - The Dissolve

FAMOUS ZOMBIE MOVIES

21.  dawn of the dead  (2004).

Filming Locations  •  Dawn of the Dead

Remaking a classic is never an easy feat. While it lacks the cultural substance of the original,  Zack Snyder succeeds in telling a taut, thrilling zombie-action flick with his 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead . The film’s elevated by the fantastic cast and the genuine scares offered by the fast zombies. It can’t take the place of the original, but it’s a worthy successor. Snyder returns to his bread and butter with 2021’s Army of the Dead .

It is ferocious and young and exciting. Full Review - London Evening Standard

POPULAR ZOMBIE MOVIES

20.  planet terror  (2007).

Stunt Work  •  Planet Terror

Planet Terror   doesn’t care about themes or a plot. It’s just an homage to old-school grindhouse films from the minds of Quentin Tarantino  and  Robert Rodriguez . The main difference between it and films like it from the past is the far greater budget, allowing them to amp up the gore and destruction to the max. It has a go-go dancer with a machine gun for a prosthetic leg. If that doesn’t sell you on the film, we don’t know what will.

Gloopy and outrageous, this schlock horror tribute is puretrash... in the best possible sense. Full Review - BBC

TOP ZOMBIE MOVIES TO WATCH

19.  warm bodies  (2013).

Bloopers  •  Warm Bodies

The zombie film had been parodied and mashed with other genres for years, so it was only a matter of time until someone made a zombie romantic comedy. Warm Bodies tells the story of a zombie who falls in love with a human woman and gradually becomes more alive in the process. It’s a fun spin on the genre, and it’s perfect for people who maybe can’t stomach as much blood and guts as everyone else. 

Warm Bodies achieves a heartfelt ebullience that's inspiring, and for a movie about the undead watching this made me feel as alive as anything I've seen in ages. Full Review - MovieFreak

THE BEST ZOMBIE MOVIES OF ALL TIME

18.  white zombie (1932).

Entire Film  •  White Zombie

Zombies existed in the pop culture well before George Romero came onto the scene. They actually come from the concept of Haitian voodoo zombies, and White Zombie   uses this as its inspiration, resulting in the first zombie movie ever made that was able to be filmed in a pre-Code Hollywood . It hasn’t aged particularly well, and it’s not exactly the most subtle film in the world. However, for zombie enthusiasts, it’s an essential watch to gain a more complete appreciation of where zombies have come from. 

It leads the viewer inside a fairy tale, not a slaughterhouse; it's expressionistic, not extreme. It affirms the power of the gesture, the shadow, the shudder. In other words: Who needs blood-red cannibalism when you've got a black-and-white Bela Lugosi? Full Review - Commercial Appeal

GOOD ZOMBIE MOVIES FOR HALLOWEEN

17.  dead alive  (1993).

Weta Digital Beginnings  •  Dead Alive

Dead Alive is not for the faint of heart. After a Sumatran rat monkey bites the main character’s mother, various other people in the small town find themselves infected. They’re then killed off in excessively bloody fashion. For fans of Evil Dead II  and  Army of Darkness , it’s a must-watch because it utilizes much of the same slapstick humor combined with over-the-top violence. The practical effects are awesome, so just don’t think too much before popping this in the VCR. 

After you see it, you want to race out of the theater and recommend it to your sickest friends right away. Full Review - Los Angeles Times

16.  REC (2007)

Comparison  •  REC / Quarantine

Found footage films have gotten a bad rep over the years, but there are a few highlights to the trend, including 2007’s  REC . It follows a news crew venturing into a quarantined building where a zombie outbreak has occurred. It’s one of the few films where the found footage aspect works incredibly well. You feel just as claustrophobic as the characters, making for a tense, engaging experience. 

A brilliantly staged early scare signals that the safety rails are off and, despite an unexpected, last-minute swerve into the supernatural realm, the edge-of-the-seat tension is sustained to the very last second. Full Review - Time Out

AMAZING ZOMBIE HORROR MOVIES

15.  the serpent and the rainbow (1988).

Frightfully Forgotten  •  The Serpent and the Rainbow

Wes Craven , the man who’s responsible for some of the greatest horror movies ever made , took zombies back to their Haitian roots with  T he Serpent and the Rainbow . The film follows an ethnobotanist who ventures to Haiti to learn more about voodoo traditions. Unlike other zombie films, the gore and body count come second to the themes of faith and the horrors that sometimes accompany said faith. With that being said, there are still a few scenes to make you squirm. 

[Craven] seems wiser and more story-conscious -- but thankfully still full of the same surprises. Full Review - The Washington Post

GOOD ZOMBIE MOVIES FOR HORROR FANS

14.  rabid (1977).

David Cronenberg Interview  •  Rabid

David Cronenberg , the father of body horror, dipped his toes in the zombie genre with 1977’s  Rabid . A porn star receives an implant that turns any men she comes close to into rage monsters who act on their basest instincts. Through and through, it’s a feminist film ahead of its time that shows men and men alone are responsible for their actions.

Cronenberg casts [Chambers] in a different kind of skin flick, and allows her to weaponise her seductive charms and to penetrate those who would do the same to her - all in the service of an animalistic lust (for blood) that is Insatiable. Full Review - Projected Figures

ALL ZOMBIE MOVIES EVER

13.  little monsters  (2019).

VFX Breakdown  •  Little Monsters

For the first 20 minutes,  Little Monsters comes across as your standard rom-com where a deadbeat falls for his nephew’s kindergarten teacher and has to learn to grow up. The only problem is that he has to learn that through a zombie invasion. Little Monsters doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to zombie movies, but when it’s this fun, it doesn’t have to. 

The trick of a zombie gross-out comedy is to balance extreme splatter, suspense and broad-strokes satire with a sweet nature and whimsy to take the edge off potential misanthropy. It's not an easy mix, but Little Monsters works like a charm. Full Review - Sight and Sound

CLASSIC ZOMBIE MOVIES FROM THE 80S

12.  the return of the living dead (1985).

Bloopers  •  The Return of the Living Dead

The Return of the Living Dead made bold changes to the zombie genre. In this film, the zombies can talk, and they have a specific desire to eat brains. It was the first film where zombie specifically ate brains as opposed to just flesh, and it’s remained in the zeitgeist ever since. The film’s also a perfect encapsulation of 80s youth culture, making for an intriguing time capsule. 

There's ultimately little doubt that The Return of the Living Dead improves steadily as it progresses. Full Review - Reel Film Reviews

FAMOUS ZOMBIE MOVIES PERFECT FOR THRILLS

11.  i am a hero (2016).

Movie Review  •  I Am a Hero

The manga turned film   I Am a Hero has many of the same, familiar beats of a zombie film, but with interesting characters and amazing action beats, it never feels familiar. It pulls you in from the start and builds to a triumphant and appropriately bloody third act. With equal parts of heart and comedy , it’s an underseen gem that deserves more recognition stateside. 

I Am A Hero careens along in a giddy, bloodsoaked, immensely pleasurable rush, propelled by an enthusiasm as infectious as a bite from the undead, that makes even the hoariest beats of the plot seem dipped in bright, bloody newness. Full Review - Variety

TOP 10 ZOMBIE MOVIES

10.  re-animator (1985).

Trailer  •  Re-Animator

Re-Animator   was one of the first zombie films to inject black humor into the story, and it works perfectly. The comedy is complemented by excessive blood and gore, easily making this the most successful H.P. Lovecraft adaptation of all time. It injected new life into the zombie genre when it needed it most, and it’s served as an inspiration to future zombie comedies. 

This original landmark is a refreshing, not-to-be-missed take on a classic tale of science gone too far. Full Review - Gone With the Twins

ZOMBIE MOVIES TO WATCH WHEN YOU WANT A LAUGH

9.  army of darkness  (1992).

Making Of  •  Army of Darkness

Army of Darkness   is not your typical zombie flick as it involves our protagonist being sent to the age of King Arthur to defeat an army of the undead. But that’s exactly why we love it so much. What it lacks in the blood it makes up for in pure entertainment value as there’s never a scene you’re not completely captivated by what’s happening. 

Only a primitive screwhead would find zero entertainment value in the third Evil Dead movie. Full Review - Creative Loafing

ACTION ZOMBIE MOVIES YOU’LL LOVE

8. night of the living dead (1968).

Original v. Remake  •  Night of the Living Dead

Night of the Living Dead is arguably the most important zombie film ever made, if not one of the most important in the horror genre in general. It set forth ground rules numerous films have had to follow. 

Good Zombie Movies  •  Night of the Living Dead

Think about how many horror movies start off similarly. One character’s goofing off, or “sinning” as the case may be. When he meets a grisly demise later, it’s, at least in the audience’s eyes, warranted. It’s clear horror movies just wouldn’t be the same without Romero’s influence.

Romero conjures moments of eeriness and dread throughout, keeping the lighting low and the special effects to a minimum, though there will be blood, fire, cannibalism and a great deal of death. Full Review - The Guardian

POPULAR ZOMBIE MOVIES FOR KIDS

7.  paranorman  (2012).

Building Characters  •  ParaNorman

ParaNorman   is probably the only zombie movie you can watch with your kids, but that doesn’t make it any less awesome. The movie flips conventions on their head, making the zombies the sympathetic ones. The townspeople are the ones turning into an angry mob determined to destroy everything in their path. The stop motion animation is beautiful, and it has a lesson for all ages to enjoy. 

BEST ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE MOVIES WITH HUMOR

6.  zombieland  (2009).

Is It Deep or Dumb?  •  Zombieland

Zombieland   works best when you already understand the rules of the genre and can tell when it’s being subverted. The humor works so well because so many in the audience likely identify with Columbus and have their own set of rules if a zombie apocalypse ever broke out. And of course, that Bill Murray moment will live on for ages. 

Packed with the genre's standard overdose of blood and guts. Add in a charming band of misfits and you get something thrilling, hilarious and sweet, all at the same time. Full Review - CinemaBlend

ZOMBIE FILMS YOU WON’T FORGET

8.  black sheep  (2006).

Trailer  •  Black Sheep

Black Sheep is undoubtedly the oddest zombie film ever made, and that’s why we love it so much. The premise is silly, but instead of the whole thing devolving into nonsense, everything is played completely straight. It makes for a suspenseful horror film that has plenty of comedy to make the whole thing palatable. 

This woolly mix of hilarity and horror works best when played for baaad laughs. One thing is sure - it will put you off doner kebabs for life. Full Review - The Times

GOOD ZOMBIE MOVIES FROM THE 2000'S

4.  28 days later (2002).

The Intimacy of Terror  •  28 Days Later

Zombie films were pretty much dead at the beginning of the 21st century. That all changed when 28 Days Later kicked the doors wide open once again. People infected by a rage virus have overtaken London. It’s a tense thriller that brought the concept of fast zombies to the mainstream. It’s an essential step forward for the genre while still retaining everything that made the best zombie movies of the past so effective. 

Twenty-eight Days Later is a zombie flick, which makes it my kind of movie-dare I say, our kind of movie. No cinema zombie ever shambles into view without its agenda. Full Review - In These Times

BEST ZOMBIE MOVIES EVER MADE

3.  train to busan  (2016).

How to Kill a Character  •  Train to Busan

There’s no other way to say it. Train to Busan kicks ass. It’s a taut zombie thriller with terrifying monsters and a surprising amount of drama, qualities that are sorely missing in the 2020 follow-up, Peninsula . Unlike other horror movies, you actually care about the supporting characters, and each one is given a surprising amount of depth. At its core, it’s about a father wanting to protect his daughter but coming up short until the very end. It pulls you in and doesn’t let go. Watch it as soon as you can. 

It could not be done better. They pulled no punches with this movie. Full Review - ChrisStuckmann.com

FUNNIEST ZOMBIE MOVIES OF ALL TIME

2.  shaun of the dead  (2004).

Read Through  •  Shaun of the Dead

Shaun of the Dead is the only zombie comedy where both the horror and humor work equally well without one ever detracting from the other. It’s more than just a great "zombie comedy," it’s a great zombie film period. 

It’s damn near perfect and one of those movies you’ll find yourself wanting to watch at least a couple of times every year. The only reason it doesn’t take the top spot is that you have to give credit to the O.G.

Mixing horror and humor is no mean feat, but Shaun Of The Dead tightens throats in fear without making the laughs stick there in the process. Full Review - AV Club

THE BEST ZOMBIE MOVIE EVER MADE

1.  dawn of the dead  (1978).

Scariest Scene  •  Dawn of the Dead

Dawn of the Dead took everything that worked in  Night of the Living Dead  and improved it tenfold. It’s a fantastic critique of American consumerism that doesn’t skimp on the gore. There are so many visuals in the film that are iconic, and it still works as the ideal template for modern zombie films. Everything the genre enjoys today is thanks to  Dawn of the Dead , and it just wouldn’t have been the same without  George Romero’s vision. 

Dawn of the Dead is one of the best horror films ever made -- and, as an inescapable result, one of the most horrifying. It is gruesome, sickening, disgusting, violent, brutal and appalling. Full Review - Chicago Sun-Times

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Best Movie Deaths of the Last Decade

Zombie films are known for their brutal death scenes. However, they are far from the only type of film that knows how to make you feel something when a character dies on screen. Check out some of our favorite death scenes of the last 10 years. 

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50 Best Zombie Movies Of All Time

Audiences will forever be divided between fans of fast zombies and fans of slow zombies, but we're going to proudly defend the middle ground and say that both versions of the undead have their charms. And zombie speed isn't the only division running — or shambling — through the genre. The films of the living dead have a long and varied history that includes charged politics, fierce social criticism, self-parody, terror, creeping dread, offbeat romance, manic camp, gooey gore, and more. They've chosen supernatural explanations or scientific ones, and they've said the "z" word outright or kept it hush-hush. They've done the apocalyptic, and they've done the up-close-and-personal tales of a single bad resurrection.

The best films of the genre include all of the above, and they range from flicks with microscopic budgets to major studio projects. And if want to know which ones are really worth biting into, check out our list, and you'll see which zombie movies — like zombies themselves — just won't stay dead.

Updated on September 20, 2021 : We're constantly scanning the horizon for the approaching undead ... or at least for movies starring them. And when iconic new flesh-eating, brain-munching movies come out, we want you to know about it, so we'll keep this list up-to-date to reflect what's going on in one of our all-time favorite corners of horror.

Night of the Living Dead

George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" is the indispensable zombie movie. Made on a shoestring budget with shadowy black-and-white cinematography, the film covers a tense day and night as the dead begin coming back to shambling life. A group of survivors — most notably the nearly catatonic Barbra, who only wanted to visit her father's grave, and the calm and resourceful Ben — hole up in a farmhouse, trying to stay alive and make sense of what's happening even as they're being constantly besieged by "ghouls." The film also comes with a gut-punch of an ending that's one of the most memorable in the whole genre.

Starring: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Marilyn Eastman

Director: George A. Romero

Runtime: 96 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

You haven't missed anything: There is no "Zombi 1." Not really, anyway. "Zombi" was the Italian title for "Night of the Living Dead," and when the film proved successful, Italian students cashed in with this unofficial sequel that's actually harrowing in its own right. Disturbing and gruesome, "Zombi 2" (or "Zombie Flesh-Eaters") offers up a supernatural rather than scientific explanation for the rising dead and sends its characters on a quest to a Caribbean island. All the lurid gore and a bit of a preference for style over substance meant "Zombi 2" got an uneven critical reception, but it's a cult classic for many horror fans. And don't forget to note the exemplary score.

Starring: Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson

Director: Lucio Fulci

Runtime:  110 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 42%

"Deathdream" (aka "Dead of Night") combines zombie tropes — a listless undead man who must inject fresh blood to keep himself from rotting away completely — with a nuanced look at PTSD and family trauma in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. A grieving mother, in denial about her son's death overseas, almost wills him back into existence ... but the Andy who returns is a shadow of the one who left. He's distant, strange, and prone to outbursts of violence. All too quickly, it's easy to connect him with the string of murders around town. This riff on the classic story "The Monkey's Paw" is as thoughtful as it is haunting.

Starring: Richard Backus, John Marley, Lynn Carlin

Director: Bob Clark

Runtime: 88 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

Dawn of the Dead

George Romero ups both the satire and horror for "Dawn of the Dead," the second movie in his "Dead" series. Even more visceral and more openly political than its predecessor, "Dawn of the Dead" takes place after the world has accepted that society is crumbling: It's no longer the first night of the apocalypse. Some of the characters have been participating in horrific "clean-up" attempts, but they're so disillusioned that they ultimately all retreat. And where do they go? The mall, of course. It offers shelter from the zombie hordes — and every consumerist satisfaction they could want. But with the world burning outside, there's only so much hedonism can do.

Starring: David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott Reiniger

Runtime: 126 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Set in a small coastal town in Northern California, "The Fog" is an atmospheric combination of zombie horror and old-fashioned sea ghost stories. It was 100 years ago that a ship sank to the bottom of Antonio Bay, killing all the leprous passengers board. The dead have moldered in the sea for a century, but now they're back on a mission of revenge, besieging the town — and turning some of its own dead against it — until they can claim six lives, a number that's connected to their dark and watery fates. With John Carpenter behind the camera, "The Fog" is a tense, enjoyable chiller.

Starring: Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Houseman

Director: John Carpenter

Runtime:  89 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%

Night of the Comet

In horror, comets tend to be bad news. Exhibit A: "Night of the Comet," where a rare astronomical phenomenon triggers the apocalypse, either reducing people to zombies or wiping them out completely. The movie centers on a handful of surviving teenagers who were accidentally shielded from the comet's effects and who now have to figure out what to do in the dangerous aftermath. But while the plot sounds serious, "Night of the Comet" keeps everything witty and fun, satirizing the genre's tropes even as it fulfills them. Fans of goofy older horror and science fiction will get a kick out of this gentle skewering.

Starring: Robert Beltran, Catherine Mary Stewart, Kelli Maroney

Director: Thom Eberhardt

Runtime: 93 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%

Day of the Dead

"Day of the Dead" continues George A. Romero's "Dead" cycle, giving us a world where the zombies vastly outnumber the humans, and the situation is taking a psychological toll on the survivors. Most of the film takes place at a heavily guarded underground lab, where tension rise between the scientists — led by Dr. Logan, who believes the zombies can eventually be made harmless — and the soldiers — now led by the maniacal Captain Rhodes, who essentially wants to make their small fort a military dictatorship. The biggest twist "Day of the Dead" offers is the tame zombie Bub, who has had a little bit of his humanity restored. The grim scenario and high conflict are also considerable draws.

Starring: Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joe Pilato

Runtime: 102 minutes

Before Peter Jackson ever took on Middle-earth, he made the funny and wildly bloody zombie comedy "Dead Alive," also known as "Braindead." And if you like splashy, over-the-top horror fun, this one's for you. The zombie virus hits the world when a human is bitten by a Sumatran "rat-monkey," and it all quickly leads to comedic family dysfunction and jaw-droppingly, surreally brilliant concepts like fighting zombies with blenders and lawnmowers. Often grotesque, never in what you'd call good taste, and always enjoying itself, "Dead Alive" is as cheerful a gore-fest as you could possibly want.

Starring: Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver, Elizabeth Moody

Director: Peter Jackson

Runtime: 101 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

Pet Sematary

The bleak moral at the heart of "Pet Sematary" is that "sometimes, dead is better." Louis Creed learns that hard lesson when he finds out his new rural Maine home is close to the town's "pet sematary" ... and the ancient burial ground behind it. When his daughter's beloved cat is hit by a car, Louis takes his neighbor's advice and buries the cat in the back part of the cemetery. It comes back — but it's not the same. It should serve as a warning, but when someone close to Louis is killed on the same highway, can he possibly resist the temptation to bring them back again? "Pet Sematary" has a slightly campy vibe that might lessen the terror, but it supplies some great atmosphere and powerful storytelling. Reviews were uneven, but time has proved the movie's charms.

Starring: Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne, Denise Crosby

Director: Mary Lambert

Runtime:  99 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 51%

Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things

Like many cult classics, "Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things" has a lot of rough edges and some bad reviews. But this unusual little flick definitely has its fans. Its appeal starts off with a comically off-the-wall premise: A megalomaniacal theater troupe director forces his poor actors to participate in a ritual to raise the dead. It doesn't seem to work — but no worries, he can still be a domineering party host at this isolated cemetery, and he can still desecrate a corpse. But as the night goes on, the dead really do come back, making this a head-to-head battle between a supernatural evil and an all-too-human awfulness, with everyone else caught in the middle.

Starring: Alan Ormsby, Valerie Mamches, Jeff Gillen

Runtime: 85 minutes

Land of the Dead

George A. Romero continues to move his zombie apocalypse into the future with "Land of the Dead," a movie that provides plenty of grim zombie carnage even as it skewers the massive divide between the rich and the poor. Some of the surviving humans have it all. Protected in the luxurious settlement of Fiddler's Green, they can afford to watch the world burn. Others aren't so lucky. And outside the barricades, the zombies — having slowly reached a kind of sentience and borderline humanity — aren't exactly happy about the situation. Anger and intelligence combine to make this another memorable installment in the series.

Starring: Simon Baker, Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74%

World War Z

Zombies get an epic, action-filled movie that spans the globe in "World War Z." One-time United Nations agent Gerry Lane serves as the point man for this apocalyptic story, as the responsibility of keeping his family safe intersects with old UN connections who want his help in the crisis. Ranging from the United States, South Korea, Israel, Wales, Nova Scotia, to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Gerry and his allies work to find the origins of the zombie plague — which may be their only hope of ever creating a vaccine. Suspenseful and adventurous, "World War Z" benefits from its international perspective.

Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale

Director: Marc Forster

Runtime: 115 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 66%

"Dead Snow" is a great blend of camp and campfire tale. College students vacationing in Norway learn a familiar horror lesson — never stay in an out-of-the-way cabin — in an unfamiliar way when vengeful undead Nazis rise up from their snowy graves to protect their cache of stolen treasures. It's over-the-top, and the movie leans into the comedy. But it's also atmospheric and effective, and its original approach is enough to get any jaded viewer's attention. And the film smartly deploys its connection to real Norwegian history to create an intriguing story.

Starring: Vegar Hoel, Stig Frode Henriksen, Charlotte Frogner

Director: Tommy Wirkola

Runtime:  88 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 69%

Diary of the Dead

The long-running "Dead" series jumps back in time with the found-footage movie "Diary of the Dead," which follows several film students during the early days of the zombie apocalypse. They stop filming their horror movie and start filming the horror around them, documenting the confusion and despair of a world in chaos. "Diary of the Dead" has a bracing cynicism to it, not hesitating to show people becoming opportunistic and uncaring. Several of its set pieces are downright grim. That can make the movie feel blunt, but it can also give it real power. And in its focus on crowdsourced, internet-delivered info and live video of unfolding events, it still feels current.

Starring: Michelle Morgan, Josh Close, Shawn Roberts

Runtime: 95 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 62%

Trippy and lurid, "The Beyond" is often confusing but always unforgettable. This Italian horror film — set in Louisiana — tells the story of Liza Merrill, whose plans to restore her recently inherited hotel get fatally hung up. On top of all the usual fixer-upper problems, there's the hotel's history of dark arts and mob justice, its cursed painting, and the bodies in the basement. But those are all just offshoots of the real problem, which is a doozy. Liza's new hotel is a gate to hell. And it has a penchant for distorting perceptions (and reality), summoning spiders, slaughtering its inhabitants, and raising the dead. This is a messy but sumptuous film that contains some spectacularly disturbing images.

Starring: Catriona MacColl, David Warbeck, Cinzia Monreale

Runtime: 80 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 67%

Black Sheep

"Black Sheep" lets you know what you're in for right from the tagline: "Get ready for the violence of the lambs." And if you like that, you'll almost certainly like the wild and woolly zombie-sheep movie that follows. Brothers Angus and Henry Oldfield grow up together on a sheep farm, but when their father dies, let's just say they grieve differently. Henry becomes terrified of sheep, and Angus devotes his life to turning them into ravening, flesh-eating beasts whose bite will change humans into sheep-human hybrid zombies. Toss in some environmental activists for additional conflict and add in a lot of entertaining gore and body horror, and you're in for a treat.

Starring: Nathan Meister, Danielle Mason, Peter Feeney

Director: Jonathan King

Runtime: 86 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 72%

Re-Animator

The goofy and colorful "Re-Animator" gives horror fans one of the best mad scientist antiheroes around — Jeffrey Combs' immortal Herbert West, a would-be medical student who's less interested in his studies than he is his goal of developing a chemical reagent that will bring the dead back to life. Teaming up with his everyman roommate, Dan, Herbert tries to prove himself ... and chaos ensues, especially once he resurrects his nemesis, the charismatic Dr. Hill, who's savvy and powerful even as a talking severed head. "Re-Animator" is one of the best and weirdest horror-comedies around, flawlessly engaging from start to finish.

Starring: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton

Director: Stuart Gordon

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Joon-woo is just an ordinary gamer who happens to be at home when the zombie apocalypse (the rage-virus kind) strikes. Suddenly, he's barricaded into his family's apartment — helpless, separated from everyone he loves, and just trying to survive. As communication networks go down, water gets cut off, and his food supply is ruined, Joon-woo gets more and more reasons to despair. Then, unexpectedly, he finds out that he's not as alone as he thought. Connecting with another survivor, Yoo-bin, gives him hope and a reason to fight. "#Alive" is a strong, well-crafted, and universally relatable story of an ordinary person in an extraordinary situation.

Starring: Yoo Ah-in, Park Shin-hye, Jeon Bae-soo

Director: Cho Il-hyung

Runtime: 98 minutes

Dead & Buried

A dark, strange, and genuinely creepy zombie mystery, "Dead & Buried" takes us to the small town of Potters Bluff, where out-of-town visitors tend to get brutally murdered, leaving the overwhelmed sheriff both horrified and confused. As Sheriff Gillis struggles to put together what's happening in his little town — and as he discovers it's something far more than a string of serial killings — he seeks help from Potters Bluff's helpful coroner, who may know more than he's letting on. "Dead & Buried" delivers real ghoulish shocks alongside its haunting setup.

Starring: James Farentino, Melody Anderson, Jack Albertson

Director: Gary Sherman

Runtime: 92 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%

I Sell the Dead

An energetic historical horror-comedy film with a fine cast, "I Sell the Dead" brings two professional graverobbers face to face with the supernatural. When Willie and Arthur make the mistake of removing a garlic wreath and wooden stake from a corpse, they open up a new world of horror and financial opportunity. They've discovered the existence of the undead, and they're going to use it to their advantage. But there's a wrench in the works — the House of Murphy, a family of rival grave-robbers. Competition, terror, and twists then combine to bring "I Sell the Dead" to a strong finish.

Starring: Dominic Monaghan, Larry Fessenden, Ron Perlman

Director: Glenn McQuaid

Runtime:  85 minutes

28 Days Later

Pity poor Jim, who falls into a coma and finally wakes up to find out that there's a zombie apocalypse outside. He falls in with a group of hardy survivors — who can at least tell him what's going on — but that doesn't mean the chaos and horror are over. There's always the omnipresent danger of being attacked by the infected, and even a single drop of blood can make you lose your mind. Their best hope seems to be a military installation in Manchester, but getting there will be dangerous. And not all of their fellow survivors are trustworthy. "28 Days Later" combines a grim world with a dash of hope and strong acting and characterization.

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston

Director: Danny Boyle

Runtime: 112 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%

Warm Bodies

Sometimes the power of love can even overcome the urge to eat brains. That's the lesson in "Warm Bodies," a sweet and definitely unusual romantic comedy where a zombie named R. (he doesn't remember the rest) falls in love with a living girl named Julie. The attraction R. feels seems to be bringing him back to life — restoring his heartbeat and a little bit of his language — but it's not all adorable since the movie doesn't shy away from the inconvenient fact that R.'s feelings for Julie stem partly from the fact that he ate her boyfriend's brain. Cute but not toothless, "Warm Bodies" combines some original worldbuilding with nice performances.

Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Rob Corddry

Director: Jonathan Levine

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%

Bride of Re-Animator

Good news, "Re-Animator" fans: Herbert West, Dan Cain, and Dr. Carl Hill are all back in this gleeful sequel. "Bride of Re-Animator" plunges into a new and gothic plot, as Herbert works to construct a woman out of undead flesh — with the heart of Dan's former fiancée, Megan, animating it. It would be a bad idea at the best of times, but it's an even worse one with the undead Dr. Hill once more on the loose, building up his own little army of hypnotized zombies. It's a lot to juggle, and it all builds towards a climax that's as gruesomely powerful as it is darkly comedic. "Bride of Re-Animator" doesn't quite live up to its predecessor, but its lackluster reviews didn't stop it from ensnaring plenty of fans.

Starring: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Claude Earl Jones

Director: Brian Yuzna

Runtime: 97 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 37%

Cemetery Man

It's hard to find love, and it's even harder when you're Francesco Dellamorte, town pariah and caretaker of a cemetery where the dead sometimes come back to life. "Cemetery Man" is the pitch-black comedy of Dellamorte's longing, despair, and eventual disconnection from reality, as all his attempts at romance fail horrifically. A passionate connection with a young widow ends when her undead husband emerges and fatally bites her, but Dellamorte is still tormented by seeing her everywhere, with the same actress recurring in multiple roles. And that's far from his only problem. When he slides into confusion and indiscriminate murder, we almost understand. The surreal and dark "Cemetery Man" is really one of a kind.

Starring: Rupert Everett, François Hadji-Lazaro, Anna Falchi

Director: Michele Soavi

Runtime: 100 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 60%

I Walked with a Zombie

In this unsettling early zombie film, the shambling, blank-faced zombie is possibly the product of a voodoo (more accurately Vodou). Betsy Connell is hired to nurse the supposedly helpless wife of a sugar plantation owner, but she soon discovers that her patient's condition may not stem from anything as mundane as a damaged spinal cord. Instead, the afflicted Jessica Holland may be a zombie under a curse. Betsy tries to find the answers and cure her, but this means stepping into a complex and fraught mystery of colonialism, secret love affairs, and deceptions. "I Walked with a Zombie" is thoughtful, unsettling, and — especially for the time — surprisingly sensitive about the culture it depicts. Fans of classic black-and-white horror should definitely check it out.

Starring: James Ellison, Frances Dee, Tom Conway

Director: Jacques Tourneur

Runtime: 69 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

28 Weeks Later

The sharp, brutal, and adrenaline-fueled "28 Weeks Later" is a worthy follow-up to its predecessor. Most of its action takes place later in the rage zombie apocalypse and centers on one troubled family. In a crucial moment, Don abandoned his wife, and while he found safety in a heavily protected safe zone sector, he's haunted by what happened — and when his adult children show up, he can't bring himself to tell them the whole truth. Against the rules, they go looking for closure, hoping only for some family photos. Instead, they find their mother, apparently still human after all ... but is everything as it seems? And could this family's choices have global ramifications?

Starring: Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner

Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71%

The Girl with All the Gifts

"The Girl with All the Gifts" is a smart and fearless look at the zombie apocalypse. This time, it's caused by a parasitic fungus that turns the afflicted into "hungries" irresistibly drawn to tear the living apart. But there are children like Melanie who have humanity alongside their cravings, so the government is obsessed with studying them to find out if their in-between status means there could be a cure. And when Melanie and some of the adults from her strict facility — including her beloved teacher, Helen Justineau — are forced to flee, they finally start finding answers after all. But they may not be the ones the facility has been hoping for. Great characterization and genuinely science fictional plotting combine perfectly here.

Starring: Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine, Glenn Close

Director: Colm McCarthy

Runtime: 111 minutes

Once humanity gets used to zombies, anything could happen, and in "Fido," we've managed to turn them into domestic servants. With their control collars on to manage their hunger, the undead in this bright, "Leave It to Beaver"-style world make great additions to any household ... aside from a few accidental murders. Little Timmy names his family's new zombie Fido, and the two form a close bond — not unlike a boy and his dog — in the middle of a lively plot about resumed outbreaks and the overzealous ZomCon corporation. This is a gentle satire with a surprising amount of heart and just the right amount of bloodletting.

Starring: Carrie-Anne Moss, Billy Connolly, Dylan Baker

Director: Andrew Currie

Runtime: 91 minutes

Night of the Creeps

"Night of the Creeps" throws any pretense of realism out the window to make a loving spoof on — and homage to — multiple horror subgenres. This is one by and for the fans, with characters sporting the same last names as famous horror directors like Romero, Cronenberg, Craven, Raimi, Hooper, Bava, and Landis. The film pits its cast — especially sweet college students Chris, J.C., and Cynthia and Detective Cameron, a cop with a dark secret — against violent "zombies" possessed by alien brain-slugs, forcing them to scramble to contain the pending apocalypse once it's been unleashed. The film is splashy B-movie fun that winks at the audience and gives them exactly what they want.

Starring: Jason Lively, Steve Marshall, Jill Whitlow

Director: Fred Dekker

Planet Terror

Part of the gleefully over-the-top homage double-feature "Grindhouse," Robert Rodriguez's "Planet Terror" deals with grotesque, biochemically altered zombies on the loose in small town Texas ... and soon, the world! The movie splits its charms between its colorful characters — especially the tough and sultry Cherry Darling, who winds up using a gun as a prosthetic leg — and its gruesome and sometimes off-the-wall storytelling. (Wait for that bin Laden revelation because it's a doozy.) Rodriguez is mimicking old-school exploitation movies, so don't be surprised by all the adult content, but do enjoy this mash-up of familiar tropes and bonkers execution.

Starring: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Michael Biehn

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Runtime:  86 minutes

No one does body horror better than David Cronenberg. With "Rabid," he brings that sickening combination of morphing flesh and sexual queasiness to the zombie tale. When Rose is in a bad accident, her injuries are repaired via an experimental technique with horrific unforeseen consequences. Now, she has a new stinger and has to feed on human blood to survive. And the people she drinks from? They become infected with a rabies-like illness that drives them to brutal attacks, and the disease is sweeping the country. "Rabid" is an uneasy and sickening look at outbreaks, contagion, and what it's like to be a particularly horrific kind of Typhoid Mary.

Starring: Marilyn Chambers, Frank Moore, Joe Silver

Director: David Cronenberg

The Serpent and the Rainbow

In "The Serpent and the Rainbow," a pharmaceutical company sends anthropologist Dennis Alan to Haiti, hoping that he can get a sample of the "zombie" drug used in certain rituals. This is a bad idea, and everyone Alan meets in Haiti tells him to leave while he still can, especially since the country is in the middle of political upheaval. But Alan doesn't listen, and his actions stir up both an opportunist and a true practitioner of the brainwashing and soul-stealing zombie process. "The Serpent and the Rainbow" is a deft look at a man completely over his head, and it's particularly effective at evoking the terror of being buried alive.

Starring: Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes Mokae

Director: Wes Craven

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 65%

In this shattered, post-zombie society, you're supposed to only look out for yourself. To avoid attachments, people even tend to avoid giving out their names or learning anyone else's. They go by the names of their hometowns instead, which means we're following a college student named Columbus, who teams up with a hard-edged, Twinkie-loving gunslinger called Tallahassee. Despite all the "rules," the two turn into partners, and from there, it's just a short step to connecting with tough sisters Wichita and Little Rock. Survival is still the name of the game, but "Zombieland" becomes as much about forging a family — against all odds — as it is about zombie vs. human action.

Starring: Woody Harrelson , Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Runtime: 87 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

Little Monsters

In the funny and surprisingly sunny "Little Monsters," escaped experimental zombies make a beeline for a kindergarten class field trip. Somebody needs to swing into action to protect the kids, so luckily, we have adult characters as well. Meet Miss Audrey Caroline, their teacher, and failed musician Dave, the down-on-his-luck uncle of one of the boys. They have a pending possible romance, but the zombies — and ridiculous, secretly sleazy children's TV presenter Teddy McGiggle — sort of get in the way. Between musical performances and slaying the undead, however, they might just make it work. "Little Monsters" stands out for its different milieu and light touch.

Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Alexander England, Kat Stewart

Director: Abe Forsythe

Runtime: 94 minutes

The Return of the Living Dead

It's zombies vs. punks in this fresh and funny movie that subverts a lot of the classic zombie tropes even as it added a few more to the pile. When human error leads to a toxic and zombifying rain, a group of friends — with nicknames like Spider, Trash, and Suicide — band together with some of the factory workers who accidentally released the toxins. They're all just trying to stay alive, but in this darkly entertaining zombie film, no happy endings are guaranteed even for the toughest and most resourceful. "The Return of the Living Dead" plays off "Night of the Living Dead," becoming a meta delight that skillfully juggles grimness and glee.

Starring: Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa

Director: Dan O'Bannon

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

Kids deserve their zombie movies too, and for that, there's no better flick than the charmingly spooky "ParaNorman." Poor Norman is a sweet kid who's ostracized and bullied at school. It's hard to be normal when you can talk to the dead and even your own family can be a little wary of you. But when an unfulfilled ritual unleashes zombies and the spirit of a wrongfully accused witch on the town, Norman is the only one who can come to the rescue, and saving everyone will require all his empathy, as well as all his pint-sized heroism. This is a children's movie that even adults can happily settle down with, full of moving moments, good characterization, and gorgeous stop-motion animation.

Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Anna Kendrick

Directors: Sam Fell and Chris Butler

Zombieland: Double Tap

"Zombieland: Double Tap" picks up a few years after the original film, with our familiar zombie apocalypse survivors having ensconced themselves in the White House. But tensions and uncertainties are running just beneath the surface, and soon, sisters Wichita and Little Rock (now itching to find some kind of companionship her own age) have taken off, leaving behind Tallahassee and a heartbroken Columbus. But while new people drift into their lives, the original duo still snap into action when they hear that Little Rock might need their help. It's back to another funny, well-cast road trip through a zombie-clogged landscape, as the team rolls through both Graceland and a hippie commune in an effort to reunite and solidify their offbeat family.

Starring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin

Runtime: 99 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 68%

Zombi Child

Every now and then, a zombie movie will delve into the Haitian stories of zombification, but few have done it as well as the sophisticated and thoughtful "Zombi Child." In this film, Haitian history — as ancient as belief and as recent as the 2010 earthquake — hits France, as teenage Fanny befriends a Haitian immigrant named Mélissa. Fanny wants to use Mélissa's family's knowledge of Vodou to heal her broken heart, but the attempt plunges her into the nastily horrific legacy of colonialism that the movie depicts with chilling matter-of-factness. This is a zombie drama as much as a horror movie, one that's deeply interested in looking at the psychological effects of all the ways one person — or culture — can overwhelm and control another.

Starring: Louise Labeque, Wislanda Louimat, Adilé David

Director: Bertrand Bonello

Runtime: 103 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

Blood Quantum

Indigenous people prove immune to a zombie virus — but not to the violence and social upheaval that comes with it hitting the planet — in the sharply original "Blood Quantum." The residents of the Red Crow Indian Reservation are faced with the tough choice of which outsiders to let in and which to keep out, knowing that they'll face bloody consequences if any of these new, non-Indigenous arrivals are secretly harboring the virus. It's a moral question that, in the grand tradition of zombie movies, comes down to some grisly fighting and a lot of uncertainty.

Starring: Michael Greyeyes, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Forrest Goodluck

Director: Jeff Barnaby

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

The Crazies

A contaminated water supply brings a plague of violence to the small town of Ogden Falls. The infected turn hyper-aggressive, even killing those closest to them, and the effects can set in slowly enough to give you time to realize what's happening to you. In the midst of all this are David and Judy Dutton, a sheriff and doctor who are expecting their first child. They soon discover that as bad as the toxic influence is, the government containment efforts may be even more dangerous — and even more ruthless. This sharply written, suspenseful, and well-cast film is one of the few remakes that outshines its source material.

Starring: Timothy Olyphant , Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson

Director: Breck Eisner

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%

Dance of the Dead

It's losers to the rescue when zombies attack the prom in this warmhearted, enthusiastically nerdy horror-comedy that blends high school movie tropes with the undead. "Dance of the Dead" deals with some familiar character types — the geeky sci-fi club, the bully, the second-tier garage band, the perky overachiever — but gives them all a lot of heart and characterization, taking time to set up its big ensemble and get everyone swinging into action to rescue their classmates at the prom. The movie stays likable without soft-pedaling its horror.

Starring: Jared Kusnitz, Greyson Chadwick, Chandler Darby

Director: Gregg Bishop

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

The Wailing

An infectious rage spreads through the Korean countryside in "The Wailing," where family love meets the inexplicable. Jong-gu — a well-meaning but not especially skilled or experienced detective — gets saddled with the task of investigating a sudden rash of brutal homicides ... ones where the perpetrators all sport disturbing physical symptoms. Soon, Jong-gu's own daughter is infected. It may all come back to a new arrival to the area, a Japanese man. Or it may, terrifyingly, come back to the devil himself. "The Wailing" is a wild crisscross of possessions, religious horror, chaos, and rage zombies, and it packs a huge punch.

Starring: Kwak Do-won, Hwang Jung-min, Chun Woo-hee

Director: Na Hong-jin

Runtime: 156 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Zack Snyder made his directorial debut with this remake of George A. Romero's zombie classic. And while that's a hard film to follow, the 2004 "Dawn of the Dead" makes the smart choice to go its own way, opting for original characters, fast and vicious zombies, and a different initial setup. (Seeing the start of the apocalypse here adds some nice eeriness.) We still have survivors holed up in a mall and having to plot a potential escape, but the new execution makes this feel fresh. The film also benefits from a strong sense of dread — especially in the early scenes — great action, and a well-chosen cast. Fans will have to let the two movies duke it out because it's legitimately hard to pick a favorite "Dawn" take.

Starring: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber

Director: Zack Snyder

Runtime: 110 minutes

Mulberry Street

As if a hot New York summer isn't bad enough, the darkly creative film "Mulberry Street" adds zombies into the mix, crafting a grotesque, urban gothic atmosphere. Sewer rats are biting Manhattan residents, spreading a plague that makes its victims turn rat-like — and zombie-like — themselves. It's a crowded city, and suddenly, everyone is a threat. And for main character Clutch, his daughter Casey, and the people in his overwhelmed apartment building, any help on the way may not come until it's too late.

Starring: Nick Damici, Kim Blair, Ron Brice

Director: Jim Mickle

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%

One Cut of the Dead

Clever and uproariously funny, "One Cut of the Dead" has to be seen to be believed. It stars off as a slightly meta zombie movie. A Japanese film crew is making an undead horror flick that's interrupted by an actual zombie attack, instigated by an out-of-control director aiming for exciting realism. But then, the movie throws a delightful curveball ... and we can't say much more than that without spoiling it. However, we will say that the second half of the movie sheds new light on everything that goes down in the first half, giving us one of the very best and most inventive zombie movies of all time. 

Starring: Takayuki Hamatsu, Yuzuki Akiyama, Kazuaki Nagaya

Director: Shin'ichirō Ueda

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

Army of the Dead

"Army of the Dead" brings a dash of cross-genre fun to the table, giving us possibly the world's first zombie-heist movie. A zombie-infested Vegas is about to get permanently wiped off the map, so someone offers down-on-his-luck veteran Scott Ward a deal: Get past the quarantine protocols and past all the zombies, and break into a casino vault containing $200 million. It's an opportunity Ward's not going to pass up. "Army of the Dead" combines all the traditional heist movie satisfactions — especially the thrill of getting a crack team together — with all your zombie needs, and Ward's arc with his estranged daughter provides some real heart.

Starring: Dave Bautista , Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick

Runtime: 148 minutes

The superb zombie found footage movie "Rec" chronicles the terrifying events that unfold as an emergency team (and accompanying reporters) find themselves suddenly and unexpectedly quarantined inside an apartment building where a zombie infection has broken out. Journalist Ángela and cameraman Pablo search for information and an escape as the night quickly turns deadly. "Rec" gets bonus points for the clever use of the found-footage style and for an interesting zombie origin, but the biggest appeal here is the claustrophobic setting, which makes the film simultaneously grueling and thrilling.

Starring: Manuela Velasco, Pablo Rosso, Ferrán Terraza

Directors: Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza

Runtime: 78 minutes

"Pontypool" keeps its zombie scares intimate and chilling. Radio host Grant Mazzy finds himself reporting on more news than he ever thought possible in the small town of Pontypool, Ontario. There are violent, cannibalistic rioters outside, and the folks at the radio station have just received a message in French. Translating it warns them that the virus is spread linguistically ... and unfortunately, it terminates with, "Do not translate this message." Too late. The radio station itself is now in danger, along with Grant and his station manager. "Pontypool" may move too slowly for some, but its subtle chills, unusual approach, and persistent unease reward patient viewers.

Starring: Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle, Georgina Reilly

Director: Bruce McDonald

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%

Shaun of the Dead

Slacker Shaun just can't seem to get his life into gear. He can't even remember to make reservations for the big date night that'll save his relationships with girlfriend Liz. But when the zombie apocalypse hits, he'll have to become a hero — even if "heroism" still might look like trying to get to the pub with his lovable loser best mate, Ed. (It's a defensible location!) "Shaun of the Dead" helped perfect the zombie-comedy formula with pitch-perfect genre spoofing, a marvelous cast, sharp cinematography, genuine stakes and scares, and even some scenes that will break your heart. It doesn't get much better than this.

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield

Director: Edgar Wright

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

Train to Busan

"Train to Busan" ups the ante on its zombie action by setting almost the whole movie on a train. It's like a thrilling combination of "Snowpiercer" and "Dawn of the Dead." Seok-woo is trying to relieve his guilt over accidentally neglecting his daughter by getting her to Busan so she can celebrate her birthday with her mother, but this father-daughter venture takes a sharp turn when a zombie infection starts to spread. One of the infected is even on the train, forcing the disparate passengers to band together to try to protect themselves in the face of overwhelming odds.

Starring: Gong Yoo, Kim Su-an, Ma Dong-seok

Director: Yeon Sang-ho

Runtime: 118 minutes

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Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly to Star in Fourth ZOMBIES Movie

By Zach Johnson

Ain’t no doubt about it… more ZOMBIES is on the way!

During the 2024 Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, California, Saturday, Ayo Davis, President of Disney Branded Television, announced that ZOMBIES 4 (working title) has been greenlit. Production will begin next month in New Zealand, with Meg Donnelly and Milo Manheim set to reprise their respective roles as Addison and Zed, Seabrook’s star-crossed zombie/cheerleader couple. The actors will also executive produce.

ZOMBIES 4 (working title) will follow Zed and Addison as they embark on a road trip the summer after their first year of college. As adventures unfold, they unexpectedly discover the warring worlds of Sunnyside and Shadyside and come into contact with two new groups of monsters. Cast members Chandler Kinney and Kylee Russell will return as werewolf Willa and loveable zombie Eliza, respectively. Newcomer Freya Skye and Disney Channel star Malachi Barton will play new characters Nova and Victor, respectively—mysterious supernatural strangers whom Zed and Addison encounter during their summer travels.

DGA Award-winner Paul Hoen, director of all three ZOMBIES films and a record-setting 16 Disney Channel Original Movies, will helm ZOMBIES 4 (working title). The movie is written by David Light and Joseph Raso and Josh Cagan. In addition to Manheim and Donnelly, the executive producers include Hoen, Light, Raso, Jane Fleming, and Mark Ordesky. Mahita P. Simpson is a co-executive producer on ZOMBIES 4 (working title), which is a production of Bloor Street Productions. The movie’s brand extensions will include a cross-category product line of apparel, accessories, costumes, and fashion dolls by Mattel, and much more.

Additionally, Davis announced that ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series , the franchise’s first-ever animated series, will premiere in the summer of 2024 on Disney Channel and Disney+.

One of Disney Branded Television’s most successful franchises, the premiere telecasts of all three ZOMBIES films ranked No. 1 among Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14 when they debuted (2018, 2020, 2022) and have logged 253 million hours watched across linear and streaming since launch. Additionally, the films’ music has amassed over 2.7 billion streams across YouTube Music, Disney Channel YouTube, and Disney Music Vevo—while soundtracks for ZOMBIES and ZOMBIES 3 hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top Kid Albums chart.

Catch these 7 Zombie Movies and Shows on Netflix for a Gory Good Time

Z ombie enthusiasts, rejoice! Netflix offers a plethora of spine-chilling, blood-curdling entertainment for those craving a gory good time. From nail-biting TV series to adrenaline-pumping films, here are seven zombie flicks and shows that are sure to leave you on the edge of your seat.

The Walking Dead

Join Rick Grimes and his band of survivors as they navigate a world overrun by flesh-eating zombies. Based on Robert Kirkman's comic book series, this groundbreaking TV show delves into the complexities of human nature amidst a post-apocalyptic landscape filled with danger at every turn.

In this zom-com, follow Columbus and his eclectic group of survivors as they embark on a road trip through a world infested with the undead. With its mix of humor, gore, and heartwarming moments, Zombieland is a must-watch for fans of the genre.

All of Us Are Dead

Experience the horrors of a zombie outbreak in a South Korean high school, where students must band together to survive against all odds. As the virus spreads rapidly, alliances are formed, and betrayals ensue in this gripping thriller that explores themes of corruption and inequality.

Army of the Dead

Directed by Zack Snyder, this action-packed heist film takes place in a zombie-infested Las Vegas, where a group of mercenaries must retrieve millions from a casino vault before it’s too late. As they battle hordes of the undead, they uncover dark secrets that threaten their very survival.

Black Summer

Set in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, Black Summer offers a fast-paced and relentless portrayal of survival in a world gone mad. With its intense action sequences and constant tension, this series will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

Follow Joon-woo, a video game streamer, as he fights for survival in his apartment amidst a city overrun by zombies. With the help of a neighbor, he must use his wits and resourcefulness to outsmart the undead in this gripping South Korean horror film.

Mixing elements of procedural drama with undead humor, iZombie follows Liv Moore, a medical examiner who also happens to be a zombie. With her newfound abilities, she helps solve crimes by experiencing the memories of the deceased through their brains, offering a fresh take on the genre.

Whether you prefer heart-pounding thrills or dark humor, Netflix has something for every zombie aficionado. So grab some popcorn, dim the lights, and prepare for a wild ride through a world overrun by the undead. Happy watching!

The post Catch these 7 Zombie Movies and Shows on Netflix for a Gory Good Time appeared first on New York Tech Media .

• Colin Blunstone
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• Time of the Season

The Zombies Reveal 2023 North American Tour

by Tina Benitez-Eves June 23, 2023, 11:53 am

The Zombies will kick off a four-week North American tour in October in support of their seventh studio album Different Game .

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Following the recent release of Different Game , earlier in 2023, The Zombies played a series of shows at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, in March, along with a sold-out five-week tour in their native UK.

“There are bands that I revere and adore, but many of them all seemed to stop — at least in terms of having the same enthusiasm and energy for creating new stuff,” said founding Zombies member, keyboardist and chief songwriter Rod Argent in a press release. “That’s the reason I’m in this, to carry on with the creation of new music, because that’s so enticing. It’s so lovely. And to be 77 years old and to be told the other day that the algorithms show the main audience on streaming is between 22 and 37. That’s ridiculous, quite ridiculous, but again, very satisfying.”

Argent and co-founding singer Colin Blunstone keep The Zombies going, along with guitarist Tom Toomey, bassist, Søren Koch, and longtime drummer Steve Rodford.

In March 2023, The Zombies also premiered their documentary,  Hung Up On A Dream , at SXSW, and will release it later in the year.

The film, directed by musician and filmmaker Robert Schwartzman, chronicles the British rockers’ formation while in school in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England in the early 1960s. It follows the group through their rise as The Zombies with hits like “ Time of the Season ,” “Tell Her No,” and “ She’s Not There ,” and the band’s further ascent as inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

“The soundtrack of my life is The Zombies’ timeless [1968] album ‘Odessey and Oracle,'” said Schwartzman in an earlier statement. “It inspired me to start writing songs and chase the dream of being in a band.

“Flash forward, now I get to tell these stories on the screen, bringing together my passion for music and film, all set to the backdrop of one of my favorite recording artists, The Zombies. Their story has to be told, the music is too good to not give fans and audiences a better perspective of their career to this point. I can’t express how happy I am to be on this journey with them.”

The Zombies 2023 North American Tour: Sunday, Oct 1 – Massey Theatre – New Westminster (Vancouver), BC Monday, Oct 2 – Washington Hall – Seattle, WA Tuesday, Oct 3 –  Aladdin Theater – Portland, OR Thursday, Oct 5 –  Palace of Fine Arts – San Francisco, CA Friday, Oct 6 –  Alex Theatre – Glendale (Los Angeles), CA Saturday, Oct 7- Belly Up Tavern – Solana Beach (San Diego), CA Monday, Oct 9 – Lensic Performing Arts Center – Santa Fe, NM Wednesday, Oct 11 – Boulder Theater-  Boulder, CO Friday, Oct 13 – Fitzgerald Theater – St. Paul (Minneapolis), MN Saturday, Oct 14 – South Milwaukee PAC – Milwaukee, WI Sunday, Oct 15 – Old Town School of Folk Music – Chicago, IL Tuesday, Oct 17 – Queen Elizabeth Theatre – Toronto, ON Wednesday, Oct 18 – Royal Oak Music Theatre – Royal Oak (Detroit), MI Thursday, Oct 19 – Brown County Music Center – Nashville, IN Friday, Oct 20 – Ludlow Garage – Cincinnati, OH Sunday, Oct 22 – MGM Northfield Park – Northfield (Cleveland), OH Tuesday, Oct 24 – The Birchmere – Alexandria, VA Thursday, Oct 26 – The Cabot – Beverly (Boston), MA Friday, Oct 27 – Adler Hall at the NY Society of Ethical Culture – New York, NY Sunday, Oct 29 – Keswick Theatre – Glenside (Philadelphia), PA

Photos: Alex Lake / Courtesy of The Bloom Effect

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Tim McGraw Details 17th Album, Shares Story of Sobriety with “Hey Whiskey”

© 2024 American Songwriter

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Rob Zombie Unveils First Full Trailer for The Munsters: Watch

The rocker-director's movie adaptation of the '60s sitcom is set to arrive in September

Rob Zombie has unveiled the first full trailer for his upcoming movie adaptation of The Munsters , revealing the film as a comedic love story between main characters Lily and Herman Munster. The preview also discloses that the movie will arrive in September.

The beginning of the trailer fools the viewer into thinking that Zombie’s version of the ’60s sitcom may be gory, as it features spooky music and shows a cemetery while listing the rocker-director’s past movies like House of 1000 Corpses , Halloween , and The Devil’s Rejects . However, we quickly see that it’s a PG-rated family-friendly adaptation that’s true to the original sitcom, as Zombie himself pointed out a few months ago.

In fact, Zombie’s take on The Munsters is billed as “The Greatest Love Story Every Told” early on in the trailer. From there, we see the relationship between Lily (Sheri Moon Zombie) and Herman (Jeff Daniel Phillips) develop. Grandpa (Daniel Roebuck) and other characters are also seen throughout the preview.

Overall, the trailer reveals a campy take on the sitcom, with some questionable acting choices and a low-budget vibe to the production. That just might be Zombie’s intention, or else we may be in for a long couple hours when the movie hits theaters.

The very ending of the trailer unveils a September 2022 release date via Universal Pictures, which means the movie will be out in just a couple of months. The full preview follows a brief teaser trailer that dropped last month and essentially recreated the opening sequence of the original TV show.

Rob Zombie and Mudvayne Announce Co-Headlining Summer 2022 US Tour

Zombie recently wrapped up production on The Munsters in Budapest, Hungary. He returned to the States, where he is set to kick off a co-headlining US tour with Mudvayne on July 20th, with tickets available via Ticketmaster .

Watch the first full trailer for Rob Zombie’s film adaptation of The Munsters below.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by RobZombieofficial (@robzombieofficial)

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The lost tour.

2015 Directed by Le Van Kiet

The Lost Tour will follow the footsteps of two American friends who travel to Vietnam for the first time. Instead of spending time with the famous tourist destinations, they decided to explore the distant suburbs of the countryside to participate in exciting activities, enjoy the exotic dishes of each places. Unfortunately, they get lost in a dense forest, and the nightmare of zombie uprising begin... (screenanarchy.com)

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Le Van Kiet

Releases by Date

10 oct 2015, releases by country.

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Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie Plot Summer Tour

By Jon Blistein

Jon Blistein

Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie will reunite for another joint North American tour this summer.

The “Hell Never Dies” tour kicks off July 9th at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. Along with a slew of co-headlining shows, Manson and Zombie will also perform at the Rock USA festival in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and the Rock Fest in Cadott, Wisconsin July 19th and 20th, respectively. The tour wraps August 18th at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford, New Hampshire.

Tickets will go on sale February 22nd at 10 a.m. local time. Both Manson and Zombie will run artist pre-sales that start February 20th, while additional pre-sale tickets will be available February 21st via Blabbermouth . Citi cardholders will also have access to pre-sale tickets between February 20th at 12 p.m. local time and the 21st at 10 p.m. local time.

Meet the Singer Who Replaced Scott Weiland and Chester Bennington in Stone Temple Pilots

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Manson and Zombie’s “Hell Never Dies” tour marks their third joint trek as the self-proclaimed “Twins of Evil.” The duo first teamed in 2012 before  reuniting in July 2018 for the “Twins of Evil: The Second Coming Tour.” Last year, Zombie and Manson also released a cover of the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter.”

Manson released his most recent album, Heaven Upside Down , in October 2017.   Zombie, meanwhile, released his last LP, The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration , in 2016, while his next full-length is is scheduled to arrive later this year. The musician is also prepping a new horror film, Three From Hell , which is expected to be released in 2019 as as well.

Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie Tour Dates

July 9 – Baltimore, MD @ Royal Farms Arena July 10 – Allentown, PA @ PPL Center July 12 – Huntington, WV @ Big Sandy Superstore Arena July 13 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center July 14 – Evansville, IN @ Ford Center July 16 – Rockford, IL @ BMO Harris Bank Center July 17 – Bonner Springs, KS @ Providence Medical Center Amphitheater July 21 – Council Bluffs, IA @ WestFair Amphitheatre July 23 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Denny Sanford Premier Center July 24 – Bismarck, ND @ Bismarck Event Center July 25 – Billings, MT @ Rimrock Auto Arena Aug 4 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena Aug 6 – Saskatoon, SK @ SaskTel Center Aug 7 – Winnipeg, MB @ Bell MTS Place Aug 9 – Fargo, ND @ Fargodome Aug 10 – Cedar Rapids, IA @ US Cellular Center Aug 11 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Allen County Coliseum Aug 13 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena Aug 14 – London, ON @ Budweiser Gardens Aug 16 – Ottawa, ON @ Richcraft Live at Canadian Tire Centre Aug 17 – Quebec, QC @ Videotron Centre Aug 18 – Gilford, NH @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion

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