Top 5 Zombie Movies

 

Zombies are hot. And they have been that way quite a while now. The walking dead are everywhere. In cinemas, on tv, books and in a lot of video games. For movies it’s always a new challenge to create an original way to let the zombie apocalypse happen. May it be at the hand of a pharmaceutical company, a mad disease or some ancient spell, when the dead start walking, some delicious things can happen.

Here are my top 5 favourite zombie movies. And as always, it’s my personal opinion.


5. Night of the Living Dead (1968) George A. Romero

The one that started it all. There were other movies before it using the zombie lore, but George A. Romero took the genre to new heights. Made on a shoestring budget, it still remains as one of the creepiest zombie movies ever made. Remade in 1990, but my advice is to watch the original first.




4. 28 Days Later (2002) Danny Boyle

For some it’s debateable if this movie can even be called a zombie movie, because the word Zombie is never mentioned. But the set up and the story are definitely aimed at a zombie breakout. The greatest thing of this movie are the different stages it portrays. Cillian Murphy walking through the streets of a deserted London, bonding with the new allies and finally fighting two different enemies, this movie has it all. Great Cinematography and with infected who can run, you can’t go wrong. The sequel 28 Weeks Later does not improve on the original, but is an enjoyable ride.







3. Shaun of the Dead (2004) Edgar Wright

Shaun of the Dead is an amazing horror comedy, which does everything right. It has a good script, it’s funny and it has a lot of fun with Zombie movies clichés. One of the best achievement in blending two genres so seamlessly. Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are amazing people.







2. Dawn of the Dead (1978) George A. Romero

Although Night of the Living Dead (1968) set the blueprint for all future zombie movies. It is its sequel that perfected the formula and stands as one of the best zombie movies ever made. True, the make-up looks dated for today’s standards, but the sheer brilliance of the plot and the tension that comes with it are top notch. Survivors are stuck at an abandoned mall, infested with zombies. Their survival and personal dramas are what keeps you at the edge of your seat. The 2004 remake is also watchable, but it comes nowhere near the original.




1. Braindead (1992) Peter Jackson

Call it overly campy or in Peter Jacksons case, bad taste, this movie is the most fun I had with a zombie movie. Its gory, overacted with a crazy sense of humour. But what you get is one of the greatest splatter movies ever made. The prosthetics and make-up look fantastic and the lawnmower scene is a classic. I understand that Peter Jackson is now doing major Hollywood films, but I really would like to see him return to the genre, just to do one more film in the style of Braindead. We all have our dreams…





Zombie movie I didn’t like:

Zombi 2 (1979) Lucio Fulci

Lots of people recommended this Italian zombie movie to me, but I don’t understand the hype around it. Ok, it’s one of the few, perhaps the only zombie flick, that has an undead battling a shark, but even with this scene, I found the rest of the movie rather dull and slow, without much happening in between.

Hope you enjoyed this list, if not, maybe you’ll find enjoyment out of something else.



Goodnight and sweet screams….