Michael A. Appel 
What are the best zombie movies to watch? What is the thing that we ALL fear the most? Death, right? What could be worse? There is an answer to that.
A dead man who refuses to die! Welcome to the imaginary world of zombies.
The first zombie movie, White Zombie, was directed by Garnett Weston in 1932, and since then zombies have captured the human imagination.
The popularity of zombie movies
The zombie movie genre has been a staple in film and television for almost 90 years. There’s just something about the concept of zombies that keeps pushing us back. They respond to our need to play on our fears; fears of extinction, mutilation, loss of autonomy, separation and ego death.
These five essential zombie traits, coupled with the fact that zombie horror movies come in all shapes and sizes, from thriller to drama and even comedy, keep us coming back for more.
Why are there so many zombie movies?
In addition to their overwhelming popularity, there are several reasons why producers are encouraged to keep making new horror films. The first of these is a lower budget which, in turn, gives way to higher returns – zombies are good business.
There’s also the fact that the zombie premise alone can guarantee that there will be some suspenseful and engaging action. If you want to dive into the best zombie movies, we’ve put together a list of them.
8 Best Zombie Movies – Ranked & Reviewed
If you’re looking to dip your toe in the proverbial zombie water, we’ve put together a list of the best zombie movies to help get you started.
The Zombie Apocolypse (2011)
Photo credit: Imdb.com
A plague nearly wipes out the population, and the film follows the attempts of groups of survivors to survive. The inevitable casualties caused by battling swarms of attacking zombies drawn to the noise provide action, suspense, and emotional moments.
At one point, party members have to hold down one of them that has been bitten so that another party member can break his neck to prevent him from completely turning into a zombie.
Directed by award-winning Nick Lyon, this is one of the zombie movies that brings you closer to despair but still manages to leave you with a silver lining for the eventual survival of humanity as the movie comes to an end. by the idea that some survivors will take the ferry to reach a refugee camp.
Train to Busan (2016)
This South Korean zombie debut feature film from acclaimed Yeon Sang-Ho introduces you to fast-transforming, flesh-eating zombies as we witness the struggles of a small group of survivors against hordes of zombies determined to have some fun. of their flesh.
As the name suggests, Train to Busan is mostly set on a bullet train that runs from Seoul to Busan, but at that point, a factory leak causes a zombie apocalypse in all its horror. An infected woman gets on the train unnoticed, and soon survival on board is no longer guaranteed.
The star of this 2016 action-horror, Gong Yoo, and many other passengers on board provide a robust characterization that gives depth to this film. Courage, skill and sacrifice go hand in hand with cowardice and selfishness as the survivor struggles (through many original actions) to get to Busan, which is a quarantine area.
Walking Dead
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The first season of The Walking Dead premiered on October 31, 2010. It is based on the post-apocalyptic horror comic book series of the same name written by Tony Moore, Robert Kirkman, and Charlie Adlard.
This series takes us through the lives of survivors of a zombie apocalypse as they not only have to fight for their lives against zombies (known as walkers and other nicknames in the series) but also against others. surviving humans who turn against their kind in a search for power in this post-apocalyptic world. The show has 11 seasons and counts, keeping viewers hooked through an engaging storyline and high-quality special effects.
Living Dead (Braindead) (1992)
This movie has been described as a bloody splatter movie, but it retains more than a hint of good humor. Braindead is set in New Zealand and released as Dead Alive in North America. The film was one of the first works by Peter Jackson (who went on to direct the Lord of the Rings trilogy, among other acclaimed films) shot in 16mm, but the good news is that it is the subject of a 4k remaster.
In all of his films, Peter Jackson makes an appearance as the undertaker’s assistant. Timothy Balme, who plays Lionel, discovers that his overly strict mother, Vera, slowly becomes a zombie after being bitten by a “Sumatran rat-monkey”. Lionel tries to keep her and all those she returns locked in the basement, but fails miserably.
Her greedy uncle Les comes face to face with the resuscitated Vera after trying to fight Lionel’s house, with dire consequences. The original screenplay and comedic action gained a devoted cult following for this film, one of the best films ever to be made.
The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)
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This horror thriller focuses on Melanie (played by Sennia Nanua) after a fungus epidemic has turned most of humanity into quick but stupid flesh-eating zombies. The survivors discover that the children born with the infection, including Mélanie, are different, and they set out to study and experiment on them. Eventually, their laboratory is invaded and in their flight to London, they encounter dangers and losses. The film ends with the realization that these children are the new human species.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
This horror comedy stars Simon Pegg as a white collar worker whose life is so boring that at first he doesn’t even notice that a zombie apocalypse has occurred. He and his friend eventually realize it, and Shaun of the Dead features fast-paced action, lots of laughs, and lots of emotional moments in addition to genuine horror, which makes him appealing to a large audience without alienating them. die-hard zombie fans.
28 days later (2002)
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This 2002 Danny Boyle film was the first to bring in the idea of ​​fast-moving zombies. It’s also having revived the zombie genre, which was quivering at the time, influencing other films and marrying a sequel, TV series and even a graphic novel of the same name.
Set in the UK, the film focuses on the struggles of the four main characters. Actor Cillian Murphy, who plays Jim, wakes up from a coma to find himself in post-apocalyptic London.
Interestingly, the word “zombie” was never in the movie. 28 days earlier, a virus named Rage had broken out and spread rapidly through the population, turning those infected into angry demons. This action drama sees Jim join the other survivors, but the promise of safety lures them into human captivity. Three of the four finally get away with it.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
This 1968 George A. Romero film is considered one of the most important and influential zombie films as it was the first film to translate the zombie away from the Caribbean concept of voodoo and magic hence emerged the living dead, and more in the form we know it today.
In addition, the director chose Duane Jones, an accomplished black actor, who played an active and noble role, which was also unheard of for a black actor in a horror film. Jones had an influence on both the script and the choice of the ending. In which his character survived the zombies to be killed by a white policeman.
Do zombies exist?
The concept of zombies comes from Haitian folklore, where it represents a corpse that has been revived by magic like voodoo. Various artists have since transformed it to represent resuscitation in other ways. All in all, the idea of ​​zombies is that – an idea. He’s just as real as vampires, dragons, and other fictional creatures.
What is the # 1 zombie movie?
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Consumption, interpretation and enjoyment of entertainment are purely subjective. Still, we were able to pick the best zombie movie based on presentation, thematic complexity, professionalism, special effects, and use of satire.
The number one position of the film Zombie goes to Dawn of the Dead (1978) by George A. Romero. Romero’s original zombie flick – Night of the Living Dead, was undoubtedly iconic and influential. He produced the current Americanized version of zombies which differs quite a bit from the original Haitian voodoo version.
However, it was a bit old and had a relatively low budget. Dawn of the Dead makes up for the shortcomings of NOTLD and makes huge strides in a more engaging storyline and overall production quality.
Conclusion
The zombie movie genre has grown and continues to develop. So much so that even the very concept of what a zombie is has remained fluid. But if horror movies are your thing, then zombie movies will provide all the flavors of entertainment, from skill to luck, from comedy to drama, from intense to general, and everything in between.
While zombie movie making is in decline right now, there are enough movies out there ready to keep you going. That is until something new happens that rekindles the imagination of the zombie world again.
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