JJ Abrams' wildly entertaining Overlord functions like a send-up of cheesy B-movies with the help of an impressive Hollywood budget. The action-horror gem, released in 2018, follows American paratroopers who discover that Nazis are up to no good behind enemy lines, possibly experimenting under an old church to create an army of the undead.
With all of its gore, it might be easy to dismiss as just another zombie slasher movie, but JJ Abrams and his creative team manage to elevate it beyond the confines of its genre by introducing elements of the occult and the supernatural and capitalizing on Abrams' trademark incorporation of "mystery boxes." For fans of intelligent writing, artful cinematography, and a fascinating storyline, these other movies will offer similar fun.
Frankenstein's Army (2013) - Available On Prime
Near the end of WWII, Russian soldiers push into Eastern Germany and discover a secret laboratory home to bizarre Nazi experiments. They find dead soldiers have been pieced together to construct super-soldiers, who attack relentlessly and are nearly impossible to overpower. Fighting their way out of the lab becomes their only way of escaping the region alive -- the alternative is to be made into a creature themselves.
Frankenstein's Army is a creative use of the found footage genre, and while it can be jarring to view a setting like WWII in that format, if fans can get past the use of shaky-cam, they may find that the look lends it an air of authenticity. The super-soldiers have impressive creature designs, and when they pursue their prey in a cramped, dimly-lit hallway, they're utterly terrifying.
Blood Creek (2009) - Available On Amazon Prime
When a man's older brother is kidnapped and shows up bloodied, days later, claiming to have been beaten at a homestead of German farmers nearby, he decides to track down the family and seek revenge. When the two brothers infiltrate the farm, they encounter a horrific relic of WWII in the basement, intent on keeping the Nazi ideology alive by any means necessary.
Though Blood Creek doesn't often appear on a list of Joel Schumacher's best (or even worst) movies, amidst a lot of remakes and reboots, this fascinating gorefest is a welcome change. Starring a pre-famous Henry Cavill and Michael Fassbender, it can veer into the same camp territory Schumacher already explored in The Lost Boys with its emphasis on Nazi occult and Viking runestones, but it's decidedly scarier and more effective.
The Keep (1983) - Available On Prime
When a Gestapo officer and his men are sent to Romania, they are charged with guarding a fortress hidden in the Carpathian Mountains that holds an ancient and deadly evil. Once they awaken it, it goes after each member of the team, leaving chaos and bloodshed in its wake.
Though it won't top many lists of Michael Mann's best movies, it has too many compelling elements to be dismissed completely. With an ethereal soundtrack by Tangerine Dream juxtaposing synths with WWII-era imagery, a poetically gothic vibe to both its structures and its heroes, and strong performances by veteran actors like Scott Glenn, Gabriel Byrne, and Ian McKellen, it has all the attributes of a movie that should have more wide appeal.
Outpost (2008) - Available On Prime
When a scientist hires a group of mercenaries to take him deep into Eastern Europe to uncover an old WWII bunker, the team discovers the remains of Nazi experiments focusing on the use of the occult in creating super-soldiers. After awakening the creatures, the mercenaries start to get picked off as they try to escape with their lives.
Atmospheric, thrilling, and sporting a strong British cast, it's not hard to see why Outpost inspired three sequels (though none quite manage to recapture the original's glory). What starts as a treasure hunt for lost Nazi gold turns into a goldmine of fun kills and quality creature design.
Shock Waves (1977) - Available On Prime
When a group of innocent tourists finds themselves marooned on an island, the vacationers discover they're not alone. After Germany lost WWII, a former Nazi commander in charge of an experimental unit of undead super-soldiers found they were too difficult to control, so he isolated himself on the island and sunk his ship, leaving them on the ocean floor ... until the ship resurfaced.
Just when undead Nazis can't get any more frightening, they decide to go for a dip. For fans fearing that as a '70s horror movie, Shock Waves might be full-on pulp and lacking in any real horror, is there anything more terrifying than Peter Cushing -- who performed one of his best roles as Star Wars villain Grand Moff Tarkin in the same year -- as an SS Commander, cranking out an army of the undead with a taste for the sea?
The Devil's Rock (2011) - Available On Tubi
Just prior to D-Day, two New Zealand commandos are sent to infiltrate the Nazi-occupied Channel Islands, intent on sabotaging their guns and performing distraction raids. They uncover a sinister plot by the Nazis to use occult forces and demonology to summon an entity that will turn the tide of the war and ensure a victory for Germany.
With strong visual effects around the demon and a surprisingly emotional core (it can take the form of people's loved ones to gain their trust and sympathy), The Devil's Rock offers a little respite from the slew of zombie and super-soldier storylines that seem to be the main focus of movies like Overlord.
Dead Snow (2009) - Available On Apple TV
Perhaps one of the most famous horror movies focusing on undead Nazis, Dead Snow follows a group of innocent medical students on a skiing trip in the mountains of Norway, who find themselves running afoul of the last members of the Third Reich who wandered off into the woods at the conclusion of WWII. They spend their vacation battling hordes of undead fascists, who seem to delight in their slaughtering.
The movie deftly blends comedy and horror, and while its sequel arguably has superior visual effects and a bigger budget, the original remains the most fun. Everyone, from the Norwegian students to the frozen SS Officers, takes the movie completely seriously, which is perhaps why it's so enjoyable to watch.
The Frozen Dead (1966) - Available On Amazon
Like the best B-movies from the '60s, The Frozen Dead takes a bizarre idea (like freezing Nazis to resurrect later), pairs them with pseudo-science (that this can actually work), adds some hammy acting (Kathleen Breck as a disembodied head), and produces something highly entertaining.
This time, Nazi scientists are up to no good in England, thinking they can unthaw a few dozen fascists after the war and turn the tide for Germany. What they don't count on, is that the one "person" essential to their plan -- a disembodied head -- might use her newfound telepathic powers against them.
Puppet Master III: Toulon’s Revenge (1991) - Available On Amazon Prime
The third in the Puppet Master series, Toulon's Revenge focuses on Andrew Toulon trying to keep the secret formula for his puppets away from the Nazis. This makes his puppets the "good guys" of this prequel, which takes a look at how the murdering marionettes came to be, as they try to evade the clutches of Major Kraus and his officers.
While some fans might not be used to seeing the puppets as antiheroes, they still manage to perform some particularly horrific kills (in fact, the best death of the series happens in this film). The usual amalgamation of camp, gore, and irony abound, but this time with more Nazis.
Deathwatch (2002) - Available On Amazon Prime & Apple TV
Deathwatch takes place during the waning days of WWI when a British company finds itself behind enemy lines and is forced to secure a trench. While trying to maintain morale and determine their next plan of attack, each member of the group slowly goes insane. By the time they realize they aren't alone, it's too late.
Claustrophobic, atmospheric, and steeped in paranoia, the British-German production will burrow into viewers' minds like the dark forces that inhabit the trench. Strong acting and tight cinematography help fans feel as though they're right in the thick of things, while a Twilight Zone-esque twist gives it a psychological element they won't see coming.