When it comes to our favorite horror creatures, zombies definitely seem to be the trend at the moment, with hit series such as The Walking Dead still going strong. If you recall, the last monster madness craze seemed to revolve around vampires when the Twilight Saga was at its height.
Zombies come with their own set of lore, though sometimes films deviate from this. The undead have not always been referred to as “zombies”, with the term originating in Haitian folklore, usually as the result of magic, rather than the virus staple we’ve come to know through most zombie flicks. Labeled zombie or not, the undead aren’t always well represented. Spoilers ahead!
Best: 28 Days Later
Released in 2002, 28 Days Later follows the story of Jim as he awakens from a coma in a hospital to discover that London has been deserted. Jim is attacked by infected people before being saved by two other survivors who explain to him that a highly-contagious virus that induces rage has destroyed civilization.
While many viewers argue that 28 Days Later is not strictly a zombie film as it is about a virus rather than the undead, the film’s portrayal of fast-moving and aggressive infected has been lauded as revitalizing the zombie genre. Additionally, the film follows staple zombie tropes such as infection from being bitten.
Worst: Hell of the Living Dead
Hell of the Living Dead released in 1980 and is largely considered to be a cheap rip-off of Dawn of the Dead from 1978. This film went by multiple titles, including; Zombie Creeping Flesh, Night of the Zombies, and others.
This film finds itself in this list not just because it’s completely unoriginal and adds nothing new to the zombie table, but also because of its extremely poor special effects that leave viewers wondering whether the zombie make-up was bought from the dollar store. The film was also criticized for its awful dialogue and poor attempts at dubbing.
Best: Return of the Living Dead
Return of the Living Dead released in 1985 and follows a group of survivors as they struggle to overcome the hordes of zombies attacking their town. It is discovered that the zombies were created by an experimental military toxin that reanimates the dead. The film gained cult status and went on to release multiple sequels.
It was hailed as the first film to create the idea of the “modern” zombie, with Return of the Living Dead showcasing fast-running zombies that are able to speak. This film created the notion that zombies moan “braaaiins” and created the idea that zombies feed on brains.
Worst: Zombie Lake
Released in 1982, Zombie Lake is set in a small French village with a nearby locally-named “Lake of the Damned”. Nazi zombies appear from within the lake, drowning some skinny-dippers before leaving to attack the women in the town, including a whole female basketball team who happens to be visiting.
As well as featuring a really weak storyline, the real issue here is the appearance of the zombies. They’re essentially just men painted green, and in some of the more watery scenes viewers can actually see the paint coming away.
Best: Warm Bodies
Warm Bodies released in 2013 and is a comedy zombie film that tells the story of a budding romance between a human survivor and a zombie. The film offers a unique take on the zombie genre and features three interesting plot points. Firstly, zombies are able to experience their victim’s memories by eating brains, making them “feel alive.”
Secondly, the story is told from the perspective of R, a zombie. Lastly, R’s heart starts to beat again when he develops feelings for a survivor named Julie. He begins to regain better function of his limbs and speech once more. This reverse re-animation begins to spread to the other zombies and cures them – a weird parallel to the initial zombie infection.
Worst: Oasis of the Zombies
Oasis of the Zombies released in 1982 and tells the story of an expedition looking to uncover treasure in the desert that was lost when the German troops who were transporting it perished during World War II. Unbeknownst to those hunting the treasure, Nazi zombies will attack them when they get there.
The inclusion of zombies seems random at best; with no real answer as to why they’re there other than to make this treasure hunting movie have more of a kick to it. Additionally, the zombie make-up is so awful it looks like someone let the cast loose on some paper-mache.
Best: Night of the Living Dead (1968)
George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead released in 1968 and quickly became a cult classic that spawned several sequels and remakes. The story follows Barbara and Johnny, two siblings who travel to Pennsylvania where they are attacked by a strange man who kills Johnny. Barbara takes refuge in a farmhouse, where she and other survivors work together to battle the increasing number of undead.
Romero is credited with redefining the zombie genre; creating the idea of flesh-eating, reanimated corpses rather than just the mindless victims of voodoo. Interestingly, the word “zombie” is not used within the film and are instead referred to as “ghouls.” The idea of an infectious bite is also used here, with the character Karen succumbing to her wounds and turning afterward.
Worst: House of the Dead (2003)
House of the Dead released in 2003 and is based on Sega’s arcade game of the same name. The plot follows some students as they travel to Isla del Morte for a rave, yet when they arrive they find the island has been ravaged by zombies. It transpires that the island is home to a 15th century Spanish Catholic priest, Castillo Sermano, who performed experiments that allowed him to live forever. He also attained the power to reanimate corpses to control them.
This cheesy horror flick gives us your average zombies, as well as Sermano, who is of a different nature. Sermano wears the skin of some of his victims and is a surprisingly agile and skilled swordsman, who continues fighting even when beheaded. It’s a bit hard to buy into, even for a zombie flick.
Best: White Zombie
White Zombie released in 1932 and is considered to be the first feature-length zombie movie. The film follows the story of a young betrothed couple, Neil and Madeleine, who travel to the home of Charles Beaumont. Charles falls for Madeleine and he seeks the help of the evil voodoo priest, Murder, in order to claim the bride-to-be for himself. As a result, the men kill Madeleine and turn her into a zombie with a potion.
While it didn’t receive the same positive praise as other horror films of the time, White Zombie opened the door to the zombie genre. It presented a far different take from the modern undead, with the film utilizing mindless zombies who appear alive and can be controlled, though they ultimately walk off a cliff when there is no one to direct them.
Worst: Zombi 3
Zombi 3, also known as Zombie Flesh Eaters 2, was released in 1988 and is an indirect sequel to Zombi 2. The plot revolves around a lab-made serum called “Death One” that reanimates the dead. Unsurprisingly, the serum gets out and a zombie outbreak begins.
This film finds itself in the worst portion of this list for a couple of reasons. Though the zombies seem like your average, lurching undead at first, viewers quickly find that they are inexplicably skilled combatants that even wield weapons. There’s also an odd part where a character named Nancy is helping a pregnant woman to deliver her baby when she is killed by the zombie newborn as it rips its way out.
