Zombie movies have been a big part of the horror genre, but some titles stand out as truly terrifying examples of the subgenre.George A. Romero’sNight of the Living Deadbrought the concept of the undead into the mainstream way back in 1968. Since then, the best zombie movies have found new ways of approaching these types of stories.
There have been times when it feels like the genre has run its course, only forunique zombie moviesto rejuvenate the concept and make them popular once again. There have been zombie comedies, zombie action movies, and countless other approaches. However, the zombie movies that remain scary have the strongest legacy.
The recent success ofThe Last of Usand28 Years Latersuggests that the genre is still strong and there aremany upcoming zombie moviesand shows to keep it that way. However, these terrifying zombie movies will always be there to scare fans.
It is hard to talk about the zombie movie genre without talking about the film that helped popularize it. While George A. Romero’sNight of the Living Deadwas not the first zombie movie ever made, it was the major influence on how zombies would be depicted in popular culture.
The low-budget black-and-white movie likely won’t scare modern audiences the way more recent zombie movies do. However,the images of the hordes of emotionless undead people walking aimlessly around as the heroes are trapped inside an old farmhouse are undeniably creepy and enough to give you nightmares.
The movie also delivered the concept of a zombie child, something that remains incredibly unsettling in the genre today. Even though it is decades old at this point,The Night of the Living Dead’s endingalso still packs a punch.
World War Zwas the big-budget approach to the zombie genre, and despite having a PG-13 rating, it manages to be incredibly scary. The film takes a global look at a zombie outbreak as Brad Pitt stars as a UN worker who is forced to venture out into the chaotic world to find the origins and cure for this virus.
The zombies taking over a plane in mid-flight is also one of the best sequences in the movie, while also taking advantage of the bigger budget.
The bigger budget means that some of the hordes of zombies are rendered as a CGI mess, but it is surprisingly effective.The image of zombies mindlessly piling on each other to climb walls has been recreated in shows likeThe Last of UsandGame of Thrones. It is a chilling sight and something different for the zombie genre.
The zombies taking over a plane in mid-flight is also one of the best sequences in the movie, while also taking advantage of the bigger budget. However,World War Zis effective in smaller sequences as well, such as Pitt sneaking around a medical facility in hopes of finding the pivotal cure.
The Night Eats the Worldis a French movie that once again proved there were more areas to explore in the zombie genre. The film follows a troubled young musician living in Paris who awakens from a night of partying to find that he is on his own in a city that has become overrun by the undead.
One of the inventive aspects ofThe Night Eats the Worldis that it uses very little dialogue in its story. As the main character, Sam (Anders Danielsen Lie), navigates this new reality on his own, he silently explores his apartment complex and the empty streets.
It is this lack of dialogue that makesThe Night Eats the Worldsuch a scary movie.It brilliantly uses every other sound to raise the tension and put the audience on edge. Creaking floors and opening doors are as terrifying as actual zombie attacks, reminding us that effective horror is all about atmosphere.
George A. Romero has cemented himself as the most iconic name associated with the zombie genre, but his 1973 movie,The Crazies, is a rather forgettable entry in the genre. Luckily,The Crazieswas remade in 2010 and stands as one of those rare remakes that is better than the original.
Timothy Olyphant stars as a sheriffwhose small town becomes quarantined as citizens are infected by a virus that turns them into emotionless killers. What adds to the horror of the movie is the fact that the military is as big a threat to the remaining citizens as the infected are.
There are plenty of great jump scares in the movie, as well as some memorable horror set pieces. In particular, a scene in which one of the heroes is strapped defenselessly to a hospital bed as one of the infected enters with a pitchfork is memorably intense.
Zack Snyder made his directorial debut, boldly choosing to remake one of the mostbeloved zombie movies of all time.Dawn of the Deadsees the zombie outbreak taking over a typical American town as a group of survivors takes refuge in a local shopping mall, and the undead masses collect outside.
James Gunn’s script adds in a considerable amount of humor, but that only makes it all the more effective when the jokes stop and the gore starts.
By the early 2000s, the idea of “fast zombies” changed the genre, and Snyder embraced the new reality in which they could be terrifying and brutal creatures again. James Gunn’s script adds in a considerable amount of humor, but that only makes it all the more effective when the jokes stop and the gore starts.
While Snyder is paying homage to George A. Romero a lot throughout the movie,Dawn of the Deaddoes actually raise the bar set byThe Night of the Living Dead’s zombie child by delivering a zombie baby.
The Sadnessis a Taiwanese zombie movie that is another great example of how some of the best modern entries in this genre are being made outside the United States. It is also a film that fully embraces the gore of these types of movies, making it not for the faint of heart, even where zombie movie fans are concerned.
Despite the bloody nature of the movie, there is also a lot of heart at the center ofThe Sadness. It follows a couple trying desperately to reunite as the city falls apart around them.Following an early build-up, the way the movie suddenly explodes with chaos is shocking, leading to some brutal moments.
The hospital massacre is a particularly harrowing scene, and even with moments of dark humor, it is hard not to be disturbed by the wild sequences.
Pet Semataryis considered one ofStephen King’s scariest books, and the 1989 adaptation does justice to that reputation. The movie follows a family moving to a new home and discovering an ancient burial ground with the ability to resurrect the dead. However, when tragedy strikes and the father uses the site, it proves that “sometimes dead is better.”
King is a writer who knows how to build a chilling premise and tell a story that will get under your skin.A big part of the effectiveness ofPet Semataryis how it makes zombies personal, with loved ones coming back as the violent undead.
There is a gripping atmosphere to the movie, putting the audience on the edge of their seat even as the horror of the plot is still being developed. The film is a terrific example of dread casting a shadow over an entire story and how a relatable theme like grief can elevate a horror movie.
There have been a number ofgreat Korean zombie movies, butTrain to Busanstands out as the best and a truly great entry into the genre, regardless of its country of origin. The movie follows a group of people on board a train that is traveling to the South Korean city of Busan when the zombie outbreak takes over.
The scenes of the survivors trying to barricade the various train cars and make their way further up the speeding locomotive are unbearably intense.
The movie brilliantly puts the survivors in a no-win scenario, unable to disembark the train as the rest of the country has been overtaken, but also trapped inside the train as the majority of the passengers have turned into the undead.
The confined setting of the movie really adds to the horror. The scenes of the survivors trying to barricade the various train cars and make their way further up the speeding locomotive are unbearably intense, made even more so because the movie creates characters the audience genuinely cares for.
The found footage approach to horror movies took over the genre following the success ofParanormal Activity. It was covering all subgenres of horror movies, so it was only a matter of time before it reached the zombie movies. Quite surprisingly,[REC]ended up being one of the best of the found footage movies.
[REC]received an American remake calledQuarantinein 2008.
The Spanish movie centers on a camera crew following a fire department around one evening when they get a call to an apartment complex. It soon becomes clear there is a virus spreading through the apartment, and authorities are not allowing those inside to get out.
As with thebest found footage movies,[REC]puts the audience right in the position of the characters, feeling unable to escape the horror that is unfolding. The seemingly continuous shooting builds the tension and delivers some effective scares, including one of the most famous final shots in horror movie history.
The Night of the Living Deadis the most influential zombie movie of all time, but28 Days Lateris the most influential zombie film of the 21st century.This was the movie that made the revolutionary decision to turn the infected from slow, staggering ghouls to rage-fueled killers who could sprint.
The change immediately makes the movie more terrifying, as the infected feel like rabid animals that will tear through any living thing they get their hands on. However, the film also delivers some truly creepy imagery outside of vicious zombies, including the shots of Jim (Cillian Murphy) wandering through abandoned London.
The success of28 Years Latershows the impact the original movie had on the genre, igniting a franchise that fans still care about all these years later. However, that franchise has yet to deliver something as incredibly terrifying as the original movie.
