15 Best Zombie Movies of All Time

Horror movies have been plagued with terrible reviews for decades and criticized for their unchanging stories. One sub-genre though has changed the variables around its formula over and over, especially in the last 20 years, and brought the genre back from the dead. This has also led to the birth and sustenance of one of the most popular TV series, ‘The Walking Dead’. Here is the list of top zombie movies ever. You can watch some of these really good zombie movies on Hulu or Amazon Prime.

15. A Christmas Horror Story (2015)

An anthology of short stories, “A Christmas Horror Story” will surprise because of the quality performances which the directors were able to draw out of his cast, some of them quite young. High school students investigate a mysterious homicide, a couple of notices their young son is acting strangely after a snowy forest trip and one family is stalked through a winter wonderland by Krampus, the Xmas demon. These are some of the stories you will encounter in this mystery/horror film. And especially appropriate to watch on Christmas time.

14. What We Become (2015)

A family of four is quarantined in their home as a virulent strand of the flu spreads into town and they are forced to the extreme to escape alive. Set in a small town in Denmark, “What We Become” starts out as a fairly slow-paced movie. Nevertheless, it actually turns out to be interesting and thrilling. The locations, settings, and moods feel very realistic. Also, character development and dialogue was satisfying. It is a movie well-worth watching if you enjoy zombie movies, and don’t mind it not being a movie with a standard English audio.

13. Night of the Living Deb (2015)

After a girls’ night out, Deb wakes up in the apartment of the most attractive guy in Portland, Maine. He rushes her out the door next morning into a zombie apocalypse. A walk of shame suddenly becomes a fight for survival. It is a smart “zomedy” with good writing and several clichés avoided. Comedy fans will enjoy the mix of swift wit and funny slapstick. Romantics will appreciate the genuine heart and friendship between Deb and the rest of the ensemble. And horror lovers will enjoy the clever inside jokes. A film for everyone.

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12. Contracted (2013)

After being drugged and raped at a party, a young woman contracts what she thinks is an STD; but, it’s actually something much worse. This horror drama is unexpected and unique; it will keep you interested and curious the whole time. Instead of exploring how she got the disease, “Contracted” focuses more on the mental and physical transformation of the main character. It unfolds with sweet unpredictability, never an epidemic film, and always retaining focus on its central character.

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11. The Rezort (2015)

Following a near-apocalyptic zombie outbreak, humans are once again in control. The ReZort, a safari park, offers paying guests the opportunity to kill as many zombies in a controlled environment. With an unusual and original plot, “The Rezort” is a low budget movie with incredible makeup effects and camera work. Character development happens while the action takes place so you certainly won’t feel bored during the whole film. The film brings freshness to the genre despite some performances that leave us wanting more serious and professional.

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10. Dead Snow 2: Red Vs Dead (2014)

The best antagonist in horror movies are those that don’t need to be explained and what could be worse than an army of zombies? Well… Nazi zombies. The concept of the original movie was that a bunch of youngsters out partying in the mountains happen onto some cursed Nazi gold. To retrieve it a horde of undead Nazis attack and kill off the group with only one member surviving at the cost of his arm. This sequel pushes off the back of the original with more outrageous humor to outdo an already good zombie flick.

9. I Am Legend (2007)

This is a really underrated zombie movie in which the only survivor of a pandemic is trying to find a cure for the virus that brought the world to its knees. This film explores the isolation, fear and hopelessness that would crescendo from within if you were the last man on earth with only your dog beside you.

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8. REC (2007)

This Spanish movie, filmed from the point of view of a TV crew that has been documenting the lives of fire-fighters displays ingenuity while also using time-honored jump-scares to create an atmosphere of claustrophobic dread. The found-footage style also lends it an added layer of realism much like ‘The Blair Witch Project’.

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7. Zombieland (2009)

This is a very popular horror-comedy starring Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg as survivors of a Zombie apocalypse. They all have the same destination but very different approaches to get there. While one of them sticks to rules that help him survive, another one just wants Twinkies. They start out bickering about everything constantly but apparently, killing zombies is a great activity to bond over.

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6. Train to Busan (2016)

What could have been just a gore fest has been made into a fast-paced drama revolving around characters worth rooting for and an unbelievably claustrophobic atmosphere. The Korean actors work very well to communicate emotions across the language barrier. It also shows the frailty of human nature in face of adversity.

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5. World War Z (2013)

Based on a highly acclaimed book by Max Brooks, this movie does what is very difficult to achieve in this genre. ‘World War Z’ has amazing special effects, a huge budget and an A-list star like Brad Pitt at its center. This movie doesn’t have the slow lumbering zombies from older movies. They are essentially mutant humans with no real weakness. The movie feels real in its depiction of the combative efforts on an international scale. This is a grand movie with the title of the highest grossing zombie movie earning more than a half a billion dollars.

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4. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Not only is this a parody of the zombie sub-genre but an objective look at its absurdity. Directed by arguably the best comedic director, Edgar Wright, this movie marked the start of his hilarious Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. This film essentially paved the way for zombie-comedies like ‘Dead Snow’ and ‘Zombieland’.

3. 28 Days Later (2002)

A Danny Boyle masterpiece, ’28 Days Later’ is the haunting depiction of our society which crumbled in less than a month since the outbreak of a deadly rage virus that makes the infected people highly violent, dangerous and cannibalistic. This movie redefined the genre but also showed the cruelty of human beings and the similarity between humans and monsters.

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2. Dawn of the Dead (1978)

This was a landmark film, set in a shopping mall where a group of survivors took shelter after the outbreak of a Zombie apocalypse. It revived the zombie genre as more than just blood and guts. It also had a sense of humor that propelled it into pop culture. It inspired Zack Snyder to remake the film in 2004 which is almost as good as the original.

1. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

The O.G. of zombie movies, ‘Night of the Living Dead’ brought the zombie genre out of obscurity and thrust it into the mainstream culture. Before this one, zombies were depicted in movies as people mind-controlled by voodoo powers. But this movie brought to us the concept of the dead coming back to life in a violent, cannibalistic flavor. George Romero, widely hailed as the father of modern zombie flicks, worked with a very small budget to make this movie and at times, it shows through. Nevertheless, it remains an entertaining ride and the best zombie movie ever made.

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