The Zombie Movies That Will Make You Love Zombies
Ever since George Romero changed the history of horror culture by establishing the most popular iteration of the zombie, the living dead have been a constant presence in the world of film. From massive blockbuster epics to intimate low budget art flicks, zombie movies have an incredible range for a variety of viewers.
Unfortunately, thanks to factors like The Walking Dead TV universe lasting forever or video games overloading on the undead, a lot of people are either burned out on re-animated corpses or can’t even get interested in zombie stories in the first place.
So, if you had to choose some zombie movies to help discover or rediscover a real passion for the zombie sub-genre, which ones should you go out of your way to check out? I’m Drew Dietsch and this is Giant Freakin’ Robot’s Zombie Movies That Will Make You Love Zombie Movies.
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Like I already said, George Romero forever turned “zombie” into a household term in Night of the Living Dead, even though they were called ghouls in that must-watch classic. And you really can’t go wrong watching any of his zombie outings – except maybe Diary of the Dead, that’s skippable – but the one entry that best captures the anarchic glee of the sub-genre is 1978’s Dawn of the Dead.
The core idea of a group of survivors taking over a shopping mall is given plenty of room for fun, and by the time zombies are taking pies to the face, you’ll understand exactly what kind of vibe Dawn of the Dead is going for. That doesn’t mean there isn’t legitimate drama to find in Dawn of the Dead, but it’s such a bombastic concept that it would inspire an even wackier remake and the enjoyably ridiculous Dead Rising video game franchise.
Dawn of the Dead isn’t the first zombie movie but it’s the first one to take the concept and understand the potential for outright fun without losing what makes the sub-genre special.
Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Once the 1980s rolled around, the horror genre went wild with effects and over-the-top comedy, and that included another Night of the Living Dead sort-of sequel, Return of the Living Dead.
This entry takes the idea that Night of the Living Dead is a movie based on a real incident covered up by the U.S. government. After two bumbling storage employees release the toxic gas responsible for creating zombies, the reanimated dead get up to party.
Return of the Living Dead takes the zombie movie into a full-on punk rock black comedy satire. It also boasts colorful and unforgettable effects work that I’ll argue might be the most fun a zombie movie has ever produced. The Tarman alone is in contention for the best movie zombie ever.
Re-animator (1985)
Released unrated and all the better for it, Re-animator takes inspiration from the H.P. Lovecraft short story and turns it up to eleven. A brilliant and, let’s say driven scientist named has invented a glowing green concoction that can bring the dead back to life. Unfortunately, they seem to be pretty pissed off.
As the story escalates, we are treated with so many gifts. The superbly entertaining performance by Jeffrey Combs, fantastic low budget direction from Stuart Gordon, the idea to have the villainous Dr. Hill get decapitated and then re-animate his head! Who doesn’t want to see that?
Granted, Re-animator is deliberate bad taste cinema. It isn’t afraid to push the envelope. Heck, it rips right through it. But if you can appreciate its grindhouse goofiness, Re-animator might just be one of your favorite movies.
Night of the Creeps (1986)
Mixing aliens and zombies? Yes, please! Night of the Creeps drops a bunch of space slugs into a high school prom and the result is one of the 1980s most hilarious hidden gems. With its tongue planted firmly in its cheek, Night of the Creeps pays homage to the classic era of ‘50s sci-fi horror but gives it all the ‘80s glow-up it can with fun special effects and humor.
Thanks to an all-timer turn from Tom Atkins as a burned-out detective with a dark secret, Night of the Creeps has more going on than just its B-movie homage delights. But those are more than enough to make this a guaranteed good time.
Dead Heat (1988)
You know we love us some Treat Williams if you watched our video on The Phantom, and you don’t get much better than a re-animated Treat Williams as a hotshot cop in Dead Heat. After a robbery with seemingly unkillable assailants, Williams and his partner, played by SNL alum Joe Piscopo, investigate a diabolical plot involving resurrecting corpses.
Unfortunately, Williams is killed and has to be brought back to life with the resurrection machine. He only has so much time before he decomposes to try and solve the case. Yes, our heroic lead is a zombie cop.
Dead Heat is all the fun of an ‘80s shoot-em-up with goofball horror gags thrown into the mix. If you aren’t smiling by the time an entire Chinese butcher shop of dead animals is being brought back to life, maybe fun zombie movies just aren’t for you.
Braindead aka Dead Alive (1992)
Before he conquered Middle-earth, Peter Jackson was making some of the most offensive and grotesque horror comedies of the era. And his unquestionable masterpiece is the zombie free-for-all Braindead, known as Dead Alive in the US.
Thanks to a bite from a Sumatran rat monkey – who doesn’t love a Sumatran rat monkey? – a horrible old crone becomes the living dead as her sweet but bumbling son tries to keep everything normal. Things devolve as more and more zombies get made, we get a karate priest, a mutant zombie baby, and the best lawnmower scene in cinema history that I don’t think we can even show here!
If you have a strong stomach for the most over-the-top gore you’ll ever see in a movie, Braindead takes the crown as the true spiritual successor to The Evil Dead, which isn’t on this list because Deadites aren’t zombies! But there’s no question that Braindead is chock full of the undead.
Cemetery Man (1994)
Director Michele Soavi came up under the tutelage of the Italian horror maestro, Dario Argento. And after directing a few of his own films, Soavi created what is easily one of the best Italian zombie movies of all time, Cemetery Man.
Rupert Everett plays a depressed graveyard caretaker named Francesco whose dead residents resurrect after about seven days in the ground, and he has to shoot them in the head and re-bury them for good. When a stunning beauty enters Francesco’s life, it starts a spiral of darkly humorous corpse capers that culminates with a conversation with the Grim Reaper himself.
Cemetery Man will give you a flying zombie head and jokes about impotence all in the same breath. It’s a truly unique horror comedy that’s as arthouse as it is grindhouse. This one will probably be for more discerning zombie movie lovers, but it also might be the best of the whole bunch.
Versus (2000)
Japan loves its zombie movies too, and there are so many to choose from that this whole list could just be Japanese zombie movies, but the one you’ve gotta see is Ryuhei Kitamura’s Versus.
An escaped prisoner runs afoul of a Yakuza group in the middle of the Forest of Resurrection, which does exactly like it says and brings the dead back to life as zombies. Equal parts Evil Dead, Highlander, and The Matrix, Versus is an action fantasy horror hybrid in a class of its own.
The low budget charms and outright energetic creativity on display make Versus a truly one-of-a-kind flick that thrills with just as much blood as it spills.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
If you ask me, and you’ve watched the video this far so I’m guessing you would, the best zombie movie of the 2000s is Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead. A loving homage to zombie films while still crafting this own distinct characters and story, Shaun of the Dead drops a dopey bunch of Londoners into a zombie apocalypse and hilarity ensues.
What makes Shaun of the Dead so great isn’t just how funny its cast and script are, it’s also the movie building legitimate and engaging characters that surprise you with how much you care about them when the movie inserts real drama and conflict into the story.
At this point, Shaun of the Dead should be a movie everyone sees. You don’t get a much better zombie movie than this.
Fido (2006)
The last entry on our list feels like a slightly forgotten film at this point and that’s a shame because Fido is one of the most original and clever ideas I’ve seen in a zombie movie.
Set in an alternate 1950s inspired America, Fido posits the idea that zombies exist and can be used for menial labor, pets, and even romantic companions. The core story is about a boy and his dog, er, zombie Fido and how his love for his pet ends up taking down the oppressive system of societal standards.
Seriously! Fido is a bright and chipper movie that touches on darker material with just the right amount to never feel preachy or get in the way of the movie’s good times. If there’s one movie on this list you should search out, it’s Fido. He’s a very good boy.
What are some of the zombie movies you love? Let us know in the comments! Want more on some of these movies? Check out the GenreVision podcast. I recommend our Dead Alive episode. And make sure you subscribe to the YouTube channel because that guarantees we can keep making videos for y’all.
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