CSP
Zombies may seem unrealistic nevertheless there is no way of denial and we all love to watch zombie movies. The creepy blood-stained faces of the zombies and the survival of people for saving their lives are scary as well as exciting to watch. Since we are staying home, there is time to binge-watch a nightmarish zombie movie.
Here, I’m listing the best 20 zombie movies of all time and a short spoiler-free review of them.
Train to Busan (2016):
Train to Busan is a South Korean action horror film directed by Yeon Sang-ho. The reason for keeping it in number 1 on the list is because of the combination of horror, survival, and on a parallel thread an emotional journey of a father and his daughter.
A workaholic and divorced father wants to take his daughter to her mother in Busan. After the train departs, a zombie- disease infected woman bites a train attendant. Then the entire train falls into the risk of the disease. The story runs focusing on who will survive and who will lose the survival. Can the father keep his promise to take his daughter to her mother safely? The movie is much more than this. I guarantee that your heartbeat will be high throughout the movie. The zombies look quite realistic and scary enough for a nightmare.
Cast: Gong Yoo, Kim Su-an, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong- seok, Sohee,
Imdb rating: 7.5/10
Rotten tomatoes: 93% fresh.
28 days later (2002):
28 Days Later is a British horror film directed by Danny Boyle. It is a post-apocalyptic movie which is a sub-genre of science fiction deals with collapsing the civilization and the later events.
Some animal liberation activists’ releases chimpanzee infected with the rage-inducing virus. Soon people of Great Britain get infected with the virus and become like a living dead that results in societal collapse. 28 days later, a survivor awakens from Coma and finds the city empty and deserted. Eventually, he meets with some other survivors and together they fall into a trap. After that, the story unfolds some secrets and the constipation of a group of people. Another 28 days later, the story shows the final result of who ultimately wins the survival.
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns, Noah Huntley.
Imdb rating: 7.6 /10
Rotten tomatoes: 87% fresh.
World War Z (2013):
World War Z, directed by Marc Foster, is an American action horror film that deals with the zombie pandemic and the mission to find the solution. It is inspired by a novel of the same name by Max Brooks.
A virus suddenly outbreaks in Philadelphia that turns the infected persons into zombie. The only way of stopping the disease is to make the vaccine. For making the vaccine it is necessary to find out the origin of the disease. A former UN employee takes the responsibility and goes on a mission to search for the root of the disease along with a military troop. The story runs showing the survival of the people in Philadelphia and on a parallel thread the search for the cause of the disease. Many secrets start getting unfolded over some time. Now, the rest is yours to explore.
Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale, Matthew Fox, David Morse.
Imdb rating: 7/10.
Rotten tomatoes: 66% fresh.
Night of the living dead (1968):
Night of the living dead is an American horror, black and white film that is written, directed, photographed, and edited by George A. Ramero. The film is called an independent film because it is not under any production company.
The story of the movie starts when two siblings go to the countryside of Pennsylvania to visit their father’s grave. Suddenly they are attacked by cannibalistic living dead corpses. They manage to take shelter in a house and soon discover they are not alone there. They learn from the radio that the entire town is attacked by the zombies now. So, there is nowhere to be safe except for some rescue center. Are they going to be rescued? Well, no spoiler from my side!
Cast: Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman,
Imdb rating: 7.9
Rotten tomatoes: 97% fresh.
Zombie land (2009):
Zombie land is an American post-apocalyptic zombie movie directed by Ruben Fleischer. It is a combination of both horror and comedy.
The entire US is under the attack of “Mad Zombie Disease” which mutated from “Mad Cow Disease ”. Only a few survivors are there, and they are using pseudonyms so that they can stay away from other survivors. A college student intends to visit his parent in Ohio but ends up meeting three strangers on his way. Many unpredictable events keep happening with them that provoke a sense of comedy as well as terror.
Apart from intense tension while watching a zombie movie, this movie gives a different experience to the audiences.
Cast: Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Bill Murray.
Imdb rating: 7.6
Rotten tomatoes: 90% fresh.
ParaNorman (2012):
ParaNorman is an American animated horror film directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler. It is a dark fantasy comedy too. So, if you are an animation film lover, this one is for you.
An 11 years old schoolboy can speak with the dead though nobody believes it. So he is isolated from his family and friends. He gets his only friend who is bullied because of his overweight. They live in New England what is known for a witch-hunting long time ago. He comes to learn that their town is going to be cursed if he does not perform a ritual. Later, while trying to save the town, the dead arises as zombies and tries to destroy the city by the curse of the witch.
Voice Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jodelle Ferland, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick.
Imdb rating: 7/10.
Rotten tomatoes: 88% fresh.
Army of Darkness (1992):
Army of Darkness is an American comedy horror film directed by Sam Raimi. It is the 3rd movie of the Evil Dead franchise.
The protagonist has been transported into the middle age and get captured by king Arthur’s army. He is suspected as one of Duke Henry’s spy. Eventually, he kills a Deadite and becomes a hero to everyone’s eye.
But his main aim is to return to his time. For that, he has to search for Necronomicon, a magical book. His quest becomes difficult as he is attacked by the army of zombies.
Cast: Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert, Bridget Fonda.
Imdb rating: 7.5/ 10
Rotten tomatoes: 73% fresh.
The return of the living dead (1985) :
The Return of the Living Dead is an American comedy horror film directed by Dan O’Bannon. The film is unique from all other zombie movies because it has introduced a different concept of zombies who eat human brain instead of human flesh. Also, this film is the first that shows zombies can run as well as speak.
Uneeda Medical Supply warehouse accidentally receives 2-4-5 Trioxin that was used by the US army to reanimate corpses and bodies of the zombies. While showing the chemical drums to the new employee, the foreman raptures one drum that results in awakening the zombies again. They discover that even a piece of their body can survive independently.
Even after destroying everything with nuclear artillery, the contamination is not stopped for good.
Cast: Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Thom Mathews, John Filbin.
Imdb rating: 7.3/10
Rotten tomatoes: 92% fresh.
Dawn of the Dead (2004):
Dawn of the Dead is an American action horror film directed by Zack Synder. It is the official remake of George A. Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead” released in 1978.
Everett, Wisconsin is attacked by zombies what is unknown to a nurse and her husband. He gets killed by a zombie and attacks her reanimating from the corpse. The nurse comes to a shopping mall and discovers other survivors are also there. All of them become locked up in the mall surrounded by uncountable zombies. Only a bite is enough for a living being to be transformed into a zombie. Several unexpected events start happening that lead some survivors to leave the mall and go to an island in Lake Michigan by a yacht.
Cast: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer, Lindy Booth.
Imdb rating: 7.3/10
Rotten tomatoes: 75% fresh.
Dead snow (2009):
Dead Snow is a Norwegian comedy horror film directed by Tommy Wirkola. It shows a more disgusting version of zombies- Nazi zombies according to the director. What is more villain than a Nazi?
The plot of the movie is built on the horrific incidents that took place in Norway during World War II. Seven students go camping on a mountain in Norway. There they meet with a strange hiker who tells them the dark history of Nazi’s abusing and torturing the local people. After that night they are attacked by Nazi Zombies for stealing some old treasures from the area. The survival begins and soon they realize what wrong they have done to the dead.
Cast: Stig Frode Henriksen, Charlotte Frogner, Lasse Valdal, Jenny Skavlan.
Imdb rating: 6.3/10
Rotten tomatoes: 69% fresh.
Pontypool (2008) :
Pontypool is a Canadian horror film directed by Bruce McDonald. It is based on the novel “Pontypool Changes Everything” by Tony Burgess in 1998.
In Pontypool, Ontario, a strange virus is turning people into cannibals and flesh-eating monsters. Soon, a radio station is attacked by hundreds of zombies. A small group of radio workers starts finding out a way of saving themselves from the monsters.
On a surface level, the movie is showing zombies as a threat but in deep understanding, the movie shows the conflict between the English language and the French language. It also shows the effects of colonialism.
Cast: Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle, Georgina Reilly, Rick Roberts, Boyd Banks.
Imdb rating: 6.6/10
Rotten tomatoes: 84% fresh.
I walked with a Zombie (1943):
I walked with a Zombie is an American horror black and white film directed by Jacques Tourneur. It is partly inspired by the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
The story of the movie is storytelling by a Canadian nurse who went to the Caribbean island of Saint Sebastian to look after a sick woman. There she comes to know something disturbing going on around her. People believe in Voodoo rituals and they think her patient is a cursed woman. Here, unlike other zombie movies only one zombie creature. The concept of zombie is not a flesh-craving monster rather someone who is unable to do things by own choice.
Cast: Frances Dee, Tom Conway, James Ellison, Edith Barrett, James Bell.
Imdb rating: 7.1/10
Rotten tomatoes: 92% fresh.
Day of the Dead (1985):
Day of the Dead is an American horror film directed by George A. Romero. It is the 3rd film of Night of the Living Dead series by Romero.
People are living in a secured and protected area as the entire world is suffering from a zombie pandemic. Some scientists are trying to invent the root cause of the pandemic. Besides, there are soldiers to keep the area protected from zombies. But conflict begins to rise between scientists and soldiers when scientists want to experiment with zombies to find out the cure.
The movie shows the importance of human communication for the betterment of society on a deeper understanding.
Cast: Lori Cardille, Joseph Pilato, Terry Alexander, Jarlath Conroy, Richard Liberty.
Imdb rating: 7.2/ 10
Rotten tomatoes: 81% fresh.
Shaun of the Dead (2004) :
Shaun of the Dead is a British horror comedy film directed by Edgar Wright. It is inspired by the television series Spaced.
London is under the attack of thousands of zombies who are biting people around and turn them into a zombie. A frustrated electronic salesman and his friend wake up in the morning realizing the horror of the pandemic. They try to save their loved ones as well as themselves.
The plot of the movie is unique as it focuses more on living being instead of zombies. The undead here is an object of interrupting humans in their regular life rather than destroying civilization.
Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran.
Imdb rating: 7.9/10
Rotten tomatoes: 92% fresh.
Planet Terror (2007) :
Planet Terror is an American horror comedy film directed by Robert Rodriguez. The movie is known for using many new special technological features.
A deadly biochemical agent is released intentionally by a researcher that turns humans into an undead zombie. Soon the entire town is under threat of numerous zombies. Tension begins to rise among the survivors as they discover much-hidden truth. However, the gas can cure the pandemic. But it is hard to make the cure due to the conflict between military force and other survivors.
Cast: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton, Jeff Fahey.
Imdb rating: 7.1/10
Rotten tomatoes: 74% fresh.
The Evil Dead (1981) :
The Evil Dead is an American horror film directed by Sam Raimi. After the release of the movie, The Evil Dead becomes a franchise followed by three sequel movies and a television series.
A group of five students goes on a vacation at a lonesome cabin in rural Tennessee. There they unknowingly release a demonic entity by playing an old tape recorder of incantations. The demon starts possessing them one by one and making them a zombie. The powerful entity only go away by performing specific rituals mentioned in the book “Book of the Dead”
Cast: Bruce Cambell, Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker, Theresa Tiily.
Imdb rating: 7.5/10
Rotten tomatoes: 95% fresh.
The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988):
The Serpent and the Rainbow is an American horror film directed by Wes Craven and Bill Pullman. The story of the movie is inspired by a non-fiction book of the same name written by Wade Davis.
The film shows the origin of zombies which is black magic and some forbidden rituals. After the death of a Haitian man, he gets resurrected as a zombie by a mysterious plant. A Harvard anthropologist goes to study the uncommon herbs in the Amazon Rainforest. He discovers a plant that can give hallucinations. Eventually, he comes to know the truth beyond the zombies.
Cast: Bill Pullman, Michael Gough, Paul Guilfoyle, Dey Young, Cathy Tyson.
Imdb rating: 6.5/10
Rotten tomatoes: 65% free
Warm Bodies (2013):
Warm Bodies is an American romantic zombie comedy film directed by Jonathan Levine. The story is taken from a novel of the same name written by Isaac Marion. The movie is different from other zombie movies because it is told from the perspective of a zombie. Also, the zombie has human characteristics such as emotion and love.
8 years after a zombie apocalypse, zombies are still craving human flesh and brain. While searching for food, zombies come closer to a group of survivors. But a zombie starts growing human feelings for a girl and feels his heartbeat again. He helps the girl to escape from other zombies. They develop an unusual relationship too. Gradually, their relationship changes both the zombies and the feelings that humans have for them.
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Rob Coddry, Dave Franco, Cory Hardric.
Imdb rating: 6.9/10
Rotten tomatoes: 81% fresh.
The Walking Dead (2010):
The zombie genre is incomplete without this television series. It is an American show with 10 seasons that has a total of 146 episodes. AMC premiers this epic quality TV shows. Frank Darabont develops this series from a comic book of the same name.
The story is about the after situation of the zombie apocalypse in Atlanta. Survivors are trying to find a safe place under the leadership of a former police officer. The zombies are attracted by sounds of any kind. But the internal conflict starts to rise among the survivors gradually. It becomes much dangerous than the ‘walkers’ . Survival is the prime target of humans now and that is by any means.
Cast: Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Jeffrey DeMunn, Norman Reedus.
Imdb rating: 8.2/10
Rotten tomatoes: 81% fresh.
Kingdom( 2019):
The kingdom is the first South Korean Netflix original series that combines the horrors of zombies with the brutality of politics. It is directed by Kim Seong-hun. The series has two seasons with six episodes each.
The setting of the kingdom is in the Joseon period of South Korea. The king of Joseon is suffering from a mysterious disease that makes him a human flesh-craving monster. His son, the Crown Prince starts finding out the cause of his father’s disease but falls into the threat of deep political conspiracy. The disease spread throughout the country and turn humans into zombies who are dead in the sunlight but rise in the evening. A female physician discovers the cause of the disease. But when politics is dirty, it is hard for good people to do their jobs properly.
Cast: Ju Ji-hoon, Ryu Seung –ryong, Bae Doona, Kim Sang-ho, Kim Hye- jun.
IMDB rating: 8.4/10
Rotten tomatoes: 96% fresh.
So, now choose your favorite zombie movie, grab a snack and start binging the movie.