Halloween is just over a week away, but there’s still enough time to catch up on your favorite zombie content. From “The Walking Dead” to “Army of the Dead,” and even the popular “Resident Evil” gaming franchise, zombies are huge right now, and we’re not just talking about popular movies and TV shows. The Center for Disease Control created an online campaign to make sure that you’re prepared in the event of a zombie apocalypse (as if a global pandemic wasn’t scary enough). Elsewhere on the internet, anti-vaxxers have been using films like “I Am Legend” (which you can stream on HBO Max) to spread false conspiracy theories about the covid vaccine.
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“World War Z”
Brad Pitt stars in this post-apocalyptic zombie thriller directed by Marc Forster. The plot begins with a former United Nations employee, Gerry Lane (Pitt), and his family getting caught in a New York City traffic jam that turns out to be more than your average gridlock. Lane heads on a global trek in an effort to stop the zombie pandemic threatening to end humanity. Despite the original raking in over $500 million at the box office, the sequel for “World War Z” was eventually shelved.
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“Train to Busan”
“Train to Busan” is set to receive an American remake, but there’s nothing like the original. Most of the 2016 South Korean action thriller from Yeon Sang-ho goes down on a train, which somehow makes the story that much spookier. Starring Gong Yoo Jung, Jung Yu-mi, and Ma Dong-seok, “Train to Busan” follows a zombie apocalypse that breaks out after a chemical leak at a biotech plant.
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“28 Days Later”
A list of best zombie movies doesn’t feel complete without “28 Days Later.” Released in 2003, this Danny Boyle horror drama still terrifies fans nearly two decades later. Like any good zombie plot, “28 Days Later” unfolds in a post-apocalyptic setting that’s ripe with gore and suspense. The story centers around a small group of survivors seeking refuge while an incurable virus spreads through London. Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Noah Huntley, Brendan Gleeson, and Megan Burns, are among the cast.
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“The Girl With All the Gifts”
Directed by Colm McCarthy, this 2016 sci-fi horror film centers around a gifted little girl named Melanie (Sennia Nanua) and a small group of survivors of a parasitic fungal infection that turned most of humanity into flesh-eating zombies (a.k.a “hungries). The survival of humanity hinges on a small group of half-zombie, half-human children. “The Girl With All the Gifts” is based on a 2013 short story and features Glenn Close, Fisayo Akinade, Dominique Tipper, Paddy Considine, and Gemma Arterton.
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“Shaun of the Dead”
Written and directed by Edgar White, “Shaun of the Dead” is the lighthearted zombie comedy that amassed a cult following. The film’s protagonist Sean (Simon Pegg) works a dead-end job while his relationship is on life-support — mainly because his girlfriend wants him to grow up and do something more productive with his life. Little does everyone know, an impending zombie apocalypse descends on London, which could give Sean a chance to finally prove himself.
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“Night of the Living Dead”
After more than 50 years, “Night of the Living Dead” remains one of the most influential zombie films in movie history, and certainly the most successful of its time. The 1968 indie horror flick, directed by George A. Romero, is considered pivotal to the development of the zombie horror film genre that we know today. The classic, which stars Judith O’Dea, Duane Jones, Marilyn Eastman, Karl Hardman, Judith Ridley, and Keith Wayne, spawned an entire film franchise that includes “Day of the Dead” and “Diary of the Dead.”
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“Day of the Dead”
Where to stream: HBO Max Speaking of its predecessor, this 1985 film was the third installment in Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” series. The plot takes the franchise into the “Day of the Dead,” a pretty dark day considering that zombies outnumber human 400,000 to one. The plot centers around a group of post-apocalyptic survivors hunkering down at a shelter while battling to save what’s left of the human race. “Day of the Dead” has been remade a couple times over, but there’s nothing like the original. “Zombieland”
“Zombieland”
Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin star in the 2009 comedy “Zombieland.” The film is about four people in a battle for survival after a global virus turns just about everybody into a zombie. Eisenberg plays Columbus, a shy and lonely college student hoping to get to his family in Ohio to make sure they’re safe, and hopefully alive. Along the way, he meets the gun-toting Tallahassee (Harrelson), who’s on a mission to find the last Twinkie. Meanwhile, Stone and Breslin play sisters Little Rock and Wichita who end up conning the guys.
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“Dawn of the Dead”
Zack Snyder’s “Dawn of the Dead” is about a gaggle of Milwaukee residents who seek refuge in a local mall as a swarm of zombies close in on them. Sarah Polley stars as Anna, a nurse whose husband gets attacked by their young zombie neighbor. Naturally, Anna has to get away from her husband, and any other zombiefied beings around town, but she’s not the only one looking for a safe hiding place. The cast of “Dawn of the Dead” includes Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer, and Tyler Bates.
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“Night of the Comet”
If you’re in the mood for an ‘80s zombie film, try out “Night of the Comet.” After a comet triggers a zombie apocalypse that wipes out a large portion of the population, teenage sisters Regina (Catherine Mary Stewart), and Samantha (Kelli Maroney) team up with fellow survivors on an end-of-the-world adventure that finds them trying to avoid zombies, but also the doctors who want to use them as human test dummies for a potential antidote. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
