Must-See Zombie Movies
By Matt Baker, Roz Young September 14, 2009
White Zombie (1932)
Matt: I think this is actually the first zombie movie, which is its main reason for being on this list. It is not a particularly great movie or anything, but it does star Bela Lugosi, and that is always fun. Fun fact: the band White Zombie took their name from this movie.
Roz: I don’t remember anything about this movie... It’s one of those things you can catch very late at night on TV, but you just sleep through anyways. Lugosi is a better vampire.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Matt: This is really the great-Grandpappy of modern zombie movies and is the biggest must-see of all of these, in my opinion. It is also the first zombie movie to use the monster as social commentary, which is the common thread through all George Romero zombie movies.
Roz: Awesome! I’ve watched this movie several times and it never loses its people eatin’ charm. A must see. Just keep in mind that special effects have come a long way.
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Matt: More social commentary from George Romero. Consumerism is bad. Don’t hide from zombies in a mall. Check.
Roz: Is it wrong that I love this movie? The blue, ashen-faced zombies are hysterical. Especially when the biker guys show up. And the leg chewing, stringy, gooey bits of flesh eating is classic. These old movies might not be scary to kids today, because they have attention spans measured in femtoseconds, but the Romero trilogy made me into the horror fan I am today. One who stays up all night with the terrors...
Evil Dead (1981)
Matt: This is probably my favourite zombie movie, although it is debatable whether it is even technically a zombie movie. Some people consider them possessed, but the general consensus is zombie. And it introduced us to both Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell, so two thumbs up.
Roz: Can’t argue with Matt’s glowing review. If you haven’t seen this movie, shame on you. Bruce Campbell is amazing. He can be so cute and so crazy all at the same time... If only all horror movies could capture your imagination the way the Evil Dead movies do. Then, well, nothing much would happen, but it would be cool.
Thriller (1983)
Matt: Ok, this is not actually a movie, but nor is it just a music video. I think it has enough theatrical elements (and was directed by John Landis, of An American Werewolf in London and Animal House fame) to qualify for this list. In any event it made a big impact on pop culture.
Roz: We grew up sneaking peaks at this video. I think it’s worth a youtube search if you haven’t seen it. People from our generation are scared of zombies for this reason.
Day of the Dead (1985)
Matt: I have this at home, but haven’t actually seen it yet. For shame!
Roz: Matt! Tsk tsk. I have more shame to admit to myself, not having seen Fido. They remade this didn’t they? I haven’t seen the new one. If you want something more modern, see Land of the Dead (2005).
Re-Animator (1985)
Matt: Ahh! Another one I haven’t seen! How dare I co-run this website.
Roz: Clearly we have some movie watching to do!
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Matt: Ok, this getting ridiculous. Apparently I really need to catch up on some zombie watching. I smell a marathon in the works.
Roz: Isn’t this the one where he says “But I don't care darling, because I love you, and you've got to let me eat your brains”? Classic zombie dialogue. This is a pretty cheesy movie.
Night of the Creeps (1986)
Matt: This movie is awesome. I wasn’t going to put it in this list because it is not on dvd, but all that changes on October 27, 2009.
Roz: Alien brain parasites turn people into zombies. You can’t go wrong with logic like that. Thrill me!
Evil Dead II (1987)
Matt: More awesomeness for Raimi and Bruce, but with a bigger budget. And a dancing headless corpse. Sweet.
Roz: We watched this movie recently, and it was just as awesome as ever. It’s great for a late night with popcorn and friends. Really, you shouldn’t watch Bruce’s movies alone. You need someone else to appreciate the crazy.
Army of Darkness (1992)
Matt: I don’t know if this should really be considered a zombie movie, per se, but it does feature a horde of undead soldiers, so it is here.
Roz: And it’s motherfuckin’ awesome!! So it should be on the list.
Braindead (1992)
Matt: Splatterific. A great zom-com with good gags and a final battle scene that breaks records for blood loss. Probably not a good idea to eat when you watch this. I wish Peter Jackson would go back to this stuff.
Roz: This movie is fantastic! It’s definitely a splatterfest. Must see. With friends. Also known as Dead Alive.
Resident Evil (2002)
Matt: The sequels are by no means must-see, but the first movie is pretty sweet.
Roz: And it’s counterparts, Apocalypse (2004) and Extinction (2007), are solid zombie movies. If you’ve played the games, it’s even more fun seeing the monsters in the flesh, so to speak. I also think Milla is great in these movies. Girl crush!
28 Days Later (2002)
Matt: Introduction of the modern “fast zombie”. Oh, what you have wrought! To be fair, you can argue that these are not actually zombies.
Roz: Oh, psh, they’re zombies. And they are scary, scary, scary. Of course, the people in this movie are just as terrifying. I guess that’s saying something. Did I learn something from a zombie movie? Oh, I learned that in England, they call pharmacists “chemists”. So, what are chemists called?
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Matt: Zombie movies aren’t usually scary, but the first time I tried to watch this it was midnight and Eva was gone for the week. I had to turn it off after half an hour because I was just not prepared for a movie that was actually pretty frightening. Stupid fast zombies.
Roz: I saw this at the theatre when it came out, with a girlfriend of mine that will probably never forgive me. It was great! I love the elevator music in the mall. Hehe. This is a fast paced movie in general. Good characters.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Matt: The ultimate rom-zom-com, Shaun of the Dead is a hilarious movie that never forgets to keep the blood and scares a-coming.
Roz: Possibly one of the best movies ever made. Comedy and gore! And Coldplay! We’re all zombies Monday morning before coffee.
Matt: I don’t think you should advertise Coldplay. A zombie killing spree set to Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now, however, is a selling point.
Pontypool (2008)
Matt: I love it when someone decides to do something new with a genre, and this is definitely one of those movies. A zombie virus that is transmitted through the English language sounds kind of ridiculous, but somehow it works. I don’t want to say too much else. Great performance by Stephen McHattie.
Roz: Fantasticness. I promise you will not be disappointed. It’s slow, and without the gore we all know and love, but you will still be spooked and entertained.
Zombieland (2009)
Matt: Ok, this one is not actually out yet, but it looks sure to be a hit. I wanna see Woody Harrelson kick some zombie ass.
Roz: Can..not..wait..to..see..this..movie...
Worth Seeing
Zombi 2 (1979)
Matt: Famous for a zombie vs. shark fight. Neither of us have seen it, but it sounds hysterical.
Pet Semetery (1989)
Matt: Personally, I don’t really like this movie, but it is an important example of something different being done with the genre.
Roz: Just like the book, but less scary. Still, the idea is classic. And reanimated animals are extra creepy.
Dellamorte Dellamore (1994)
Matt: Also titled “Cemetary Man”, it looks pretty cool, but we haven’t seen it. Stars Rupert Everett though. So take that however you want.
Versus (2000)
Matt: Neither of us have seen this, so it can’t really go on our must-see list, but it is high on our to-do list and sounds like it will deserve a spot above.
Undead (2003)
Matt: A fun, modern, Australian zombie movie. Definitely worth checking out. Zombie-making rain is always interesting.
Fido (2006)
Matt: I have only seen the first half of this movie because I watched it with my parents and wife and they thought it sucked pretty hard. I disagree, although I don’t think it quite reaches “must-see” status.
Roz: Hanging my head in shame. I will see this.
Don’t Watch
Flight of the Living Dead (2007)
Roz: Zombies on a plane. Or so I hear. The snake version was good though, haha.
Zombie Strippers (2008)
Matt: This movie blows. I don’t even want to waste words on it. What should be an awesome combination is just plain stupid.
Roz: I am so surprised.