When it comes to watching horror movies, what could be the best option other than any zombie movie? The zombie is basically shown in the movies as an inhumane creature that lacks empathy and is only motivated by a single hunger. Since zombies first appeared in movies in the 1930s, there have been times when it felt that no one would ever see another zombie movie. However, then the eras came when their movies not only came back but also made a huge impact on the world of cinemas. The story of zombies mainly shows how humans have converted into zombies and the place has turned into hell, where the dead people walk all around who were tortured by the same issues that troubled them when they were alive such as consumerism, xenophobia, government persecution, and violence and also desires to satisfy their hunger.
There have been zombie films for more than 80 years since ‘White Zombie’ came out in 1932, and ‘I Walked With a Zombie’ came out in 1943. But they didn’t get appreciation or recognition until 1968 when George A. Romero released ‘Night of the Living Dead’. Zombies have had a strong hold on cinema for decades now and they still continue to be so popular across the world. Therefore, we made the list of the best zombie movies of all time. These are the best zombie films, including timeless masterpieces, cult favourites, gross-out comedies, and many more.
1. Shaun Of The Dead
Category: Horror, Comedy
IMDB Rating: 7.9
Directors: Edgar Wright
Casts: Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield
Year Of Release: 2004
“Shaun Of The Dead” is a zombie comedy film that was created from the ideas of Pegg and Wright that were used for their TV series known as Spaced. This movie premiered in London on 29th March 2004 and was a hit grossing $30 million all around the world. This movie has also received two nominations in the British Academy Film Awards and was ranked at 3rd position on the Channel 4 list of the 50 Greatest Comedy Films.
The story of the movie revolves around a person named Shaun, who is a 30 years old loser with a dull and easy existence. He usually stays with his friend named Ed, when he is not working at the electronics store. He also has a girlfriend named Liz, who wishes so desperately for Shaun to grow up and be mature. When his town mysteriously becomes overcrowded with zombies, he must step up to fight zombies and protect both his girlfriend and his mother. Excited to know what happened next, then go and watch this movie.
2. Night Of The Living Dead
Category: Horror, Sci-fi
IMDB Rating: 7.8
Directors: George A. Romero
Casts: Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman, Tony Todd
Year Of Release: 1968
The American independent horror film “Night Of The Living Dead” had its world premiere on October 1st, 1968, in Pittsburgh. This film brought approximately $12 million domestically and another $8 million abroad. Additionally, Empire, Total Film, and The New York Times have included this film on their lists of the best and most significant movies. In 1999, the Library of Congress agreed to add the film to the National Film Registry because it was “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The film even spawned a profitable franchise with 5 follow-up films that were released between 1978 and 2009.
The story starts with the siblings – Barbra and Johnny, who went to a cemetery situated in rural Pennsylvania to pay a visit to their father’s grave. While they were on their way, the car’s radio went off due to some technical difficulties. As they are about to leave, a pale man (wearing a tattered suit) attacks Barbra and kills Johnny. She ran away and hides in a farmhouse where she saw a woman who lived there was dead and half-eaten. She then witnesses plenty of strange ghouls who were led by the man from the cemetery, coming towards the house. Ben, who boards the farmhouse’s doors and windows and uses a lever-action rifle to keep the dead away, appeared out of nowhere. Ben shields the farmhouse from harm. To know more about what exactly happens next, you can watch this movie.
3. 28 Days Later
Category: Horror, Post-apocalyptic
IMDB Rating: 7.5
Directors: Danny Boyle
Casts: Brendan Gleeson, Naomie Harris, Cillian Murphy, Christopher Eccleston
Year Of Release: 2002
“28 Days Later” is a British post-apocalyptic horror film that was written with the inspiration from George A. Romero‘s film series named “Night of the Living Dead” and John Wyndham’s 1951 novel “The Day of the Triffids” the film’s post-apocalyptic story. This movie was released on 1st November 2002 and received critical acclaim with financial success. The movie grossed about $82.7 million all around the world and became 2002’s one of the most profitable horror films. Since its debut, it has appeared on several “best-of” movie lists and has retained a fan base, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2020s.
A highly transmissible virus known as Rage is spread all over Great Britain after an infected chimpanzee is discharged from a Cambridge laboratory by a gang of activists for animal liberation. Rage is a highly contagious virus. The rapid spread of this virus causes society to disintegrate. A bicycle messenger named Jim emerges from a coma in London 28 days after the original epidemic, having been left behind with the telltale indications of disaster. He is attacked by infected people, but Selena and Mark manage to save him. To know how they make it to the finish, watch the film.
4. Zombieland
Category: Horror, Comedy, Action
IMDB Rating: 7.6
Directors: Ruben Fleischer
Casts: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin, Emma Stone
Year Of Release: 2009
“Zombieland” is an American post-apocalyptic zombie comedy film that premiered in Austin on 25th September 2009 and was released (by Sony Pictures Releasing) in theatres in the United States on 2nd October. The movie got positive critical reviews and grossed $102 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing zombie film in the US. The sequel of this movie – Zombieland: Double Tap was released in October 2019.
Beginning with a scene of a metropolis where the contagious humans have turned into zombies after being infected for two months with mad cow disease, the film’s plot is introduced. In order to protect themselves from being attached to other survivors, it is advised that they use the nicknames of their cities of origin when they encounter them. As he moves from city to city in search of his parents, Columbus, a college student, has developed a special set of rules for surviving zombie attacks. You need to see this movie to find out if he was successful in learning where his parents were.
5. Dawn Of The Dead
Category: Horror, Classic
IMDB Rating: 7.3
Directors: Zack Snyder
Casts: Sarah Polley, Kim Poirier, Ty Burrell, Ving Rhames
Year Of Release: 2004
“Dawn of the Dead” is an American action horror film that was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on 19th March 2004. The movie ended its theatrical run grossing $102.3 million all around the world and got positive favourable reviews for acting, scares, and production values. Moreover, according to retrospective evaluations, this movie was director Zack Snyder‘s best movie and one of the best zombie and horror movies ever created.
The story of the movie starts with Ana – a nurse who returns to her house after her long shift gets over. Ana and her husband named Luis miss an emergency news bulletin due to their planned date night. In the morning, a neighbourhood girl came inside their room and killed Luis. The girl was turned into a zombie and also chased Ana to kill her. Eventually, Ana escaped the house, got inside the car, and drove which got crashed later and Ana passed out. After she wakes up, she finds out about her neighbour that has been overrun by the walking dead and she joins police Sergeant Kenneth Hall and many other people who are inside the local mall. To find out how they all protect themselves against the walking dead, do watch this movie.
6. Braindead
Category: Horror, Fantasy
IMDB Rating: 7.5
Directors: Peter Jackson
Casts: Peter Jackson, Diana Peñalver, Tim Balme, Fran Walsh
Year Of Release: 1992
“Braindead” movie is also known as Dead Alive, is a zombie comedy splatter film that was made on a budget of $3 million, Jackson’s most expensive movie of that time. The movie was released in New Zealand on 13th August 1992. This movie was a box office disaster even though critics gave it positive reviews. Since then, it has gained a cult following and is now recognized as one of the most horrifying movies of all time.
The story of the movie shows the time of 1957 when a zoo official – Stewart McAlden and his team smuggle a captured Sumatran rat-monkey (a hybrid creature). During the team’s escape from the island’s warrior natives, who demanded the return of the creature, Stewart gets bitten by the rat-monkey and his crew killed him who feared the effects of the bite. Then the rat-monkey was shipped to Wellington Zoo by the survivors of the expedition. In Wellington, an overprotective mother- Vera spies on her son – Lionel when he went to the zoo with his girlfriend. The mother in the zoo accidentally gets bitten by the creature and turned into a zombie. To know about what happened next, watch this thrilling movie.
7. [REC]
Category: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
IMDB Rating: 7.4
Directors: Paco Plaza, Jaume Balagueró
Casts: Manuela Velasco, Pablo Rosso, Jorge-Yamam Serrano, Javier Botet
Year Of Release: 2007
[REC] is a short form of record which is a Spanish-found footage horror movie. The movie was released on 23rd November 2007 and gained critical and commercial success. It was even considered one of the best movies for both the horror and found footage genres. The movie was ranked at 60th position on Time Out’s Magazine list of the top 100 best horror films. The film was also remade in the United States by the name – Quarantine in 2008. This movie has a series that includes 3 sequels that came in between 2009 and 2014.
The film opens with a reporter named Angela Vidal and her cameraman Pablo filming a nighttime scene at a local fire station in Barcelona for their television show, While You’re Sleeping. The fire station receives a call from an elderly woman screaming after becoming trapped in her apartment during the time they are recording. Two police officers were waiting for them when Angela and Pablo and the two firefighters arrived at the woman’s apartment. The elderly woman suddenly became violent and bit one of the officers on the neck. Watch this movie to find out what happens to the other people who were inside that apartment.
8. Train To Busan
Category: Action, Horror
IMDB Rating: 7.6
Directors: Yeon Sang-ho
Casts: Gong Yoo, Ma Dong-seok, Yeon Sang-ho, Jung Yu-mi, Kim Su-an
Year Of Release: 2016
“Train to Busan” is a South Korean action horror film that premiered in the Midnight Screenings section of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on 13th May. On 7th August, the movie has even broken the record as the first Korean movie of 2016 for most theatre visitors with over 10 million.
The story of the movie starts by showing a workaholic and divorced father named Seok-woo and his daughter named Su-an. She wants to celebrate her birthday with her mother in Busan, so his father decides to fulfill her wish and they leave for Busan by train. As the train departs from the railway station, an ill young woman comes inside the train unnoticed. She then turns into a zombie and starts attacking the train attendant. By this, the infection spreads drastically all over the train. You can find out what happens next by watching this movie.
Conclusion
We have done all the heavy lifting and done a perfect selection of zombie movies just for you that contain drama, fantasy, action, horror, and comedy. This blog has come to an end by showing you the list of the best zombie movies of all time that are by far the best zombie movies to watch right now, but the list is not over yet. There is a vast range of amazingly created movies all around the world that are based on zombies such as World War Z, Dead Snow, Fido, Little Monsters, One Cut Of The Dead, The Girl With All The Gifts, and many more. These movies are perfect for your binge-watch on weekends or any gathering with your family and friends if you desire to watch a mixture of horror, thriller, and action.