The zombie comedy or “zom-com” genre is one of the most popular subgenres of horror-comedy. Ever since George A. Romero first popularized flesh-eating zombies with Night of the Living Dead, various directors have offered their own comedic spin on the genre. Today, zombie comedies are just as popular as traditional zombie horror movies.
That said, not all zombie comedies are blockbusters. In fact, many of these films are low-budget indie projects that never even make it to theaters. Nonetheless, there are still a lot of hilariously-horrifying zombie comedies out there. So, let’s look at the 10 best zombie comedies (according to Rotten Tomatoes).
Eat, Brains, Love (100%)
You’d think that romance and zombies wouldn’t mix very well, but Eat, Brains, Love (2019) finds a way to make it work. The film follows Jake and Amanda, two teenagers who contract a virus, turning them into brain-eating zombies. They end up eating half of their senior class in the process.
While searching for a cure, the teenagers are tracked down by Cass, a psychic employed by the government. Cass intends to stop Jake and Amanda at any cost. The film’s over-the-top gore and ridiculous plot left both critics and audiences highly entertained.
One Cut Of The Dead (100%)
One Cut of the Dead (2017) is a Japanese zombie movie within a zombie movie. While attempting to film a zombie movie in an abandoned WWII bunker, a film crew gets attacked by real zombies.
As you can imagine, chaos ensues as the crew and director try to finish their film and differentiate between the real zombies and the fake ones.
Shaun Of The Dead (92%)
Though Shaun of the Dead (2004) did not invent the zombie comedy genre, it certainly brought it to the mainstream and influenced later zombie movies, television shows, and video games. The story follows Shaun, a lazy-but-loveable loaf who seems to get criticized at every turn. His girlfriend wants him to be more romantic, his roommate wants him to clean up the apartment, his boss wants him to have more ambition, and his mom wants him to get along with his step-dad.
While Shaun attempts to patch things up with all of the people in his life, a zombie epidemic takes over London. It takes Shaun and his best friend, Ed a while to realize that anything is wrong. Once they do, they realize that there is only one place that's safe: their favorite pub.
The Return Of The Living Dead (92%)
The Return of the Living Dead (1985) is a punk rock parody of the genre. When two not-so-bright workers accidentally release a gas that reanimates the dead, they must team up to stay alive.
Though The Return of the Living Dead looks like a standard zombie horror film on the surface, it aims more for laughs than scares.
Zombieland (90%)
Zombieland (2009) is all about survival. The four central characters — Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita, and Little Rock — all abide by a set of rules in order to stay alive during a zombie apocalypse.
However, as they make their way to Los Angeles (a rumored safe haven), they are forced to make some tough decisions and break a few of their own rules.
Braindead (88%)
Braindead (1992), also known as Dead Alive, is the early work of famed Lord of the Rings director, Peter Jackson. However, this movie is not quite as family-friendly. In fact, it might be the goriest on this list!
The movie follows Lionel, a self-effacing man who lives with his overbearing mother, Vera. When Lionel falls for the local shopkeeper’s daughter, Paquita, Vera is overcome with jealousy. She follows the couple on their date to the zoo, where she is bitten by a rat-like creature. The bite turns her into a zombie, causing an epidemic to spread throughout the town.
Night Of The Living Deb (88%)
After a one night stand on the 4th of July, Deb thinks that the hangover and walk-of-shame are her biggest worries. However, she quickly realizes that zombies have overrun their town.
Deb must now awkwardly team up with her one-night-stand partner to survive the zombie hoards. Night of the Living Deb (2014) is yet another zombie comedy that seamlessly mixes comedy, horror, and romance.
Juan Of The Dead (82%)
As one can imagine, Juan of the Dead (2010) borrows heavily from Shaun of the Dead. The movie focuses on two lazy best friends caught in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.
However, Juan of the Dead takes things in a different direction, as Juan and his friend, Lazaro, decide to capitalize on the crisis by creating a business to help people kill their reanimated family members.
Dead Snow: Red Vs Dead (81%)
Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead (2014) is the only sequel on this list and one of the few sequels to receive more acclaim than the original. In the first Dead Snow (2009), a group of friends steals Nazi gold, only to awaken a horde of Nazi zombies. In the second film, the sole survivor, Martin, awakens in a hospital.
The police don’t believe his story and decide to charge him with the murders of his friends. However, Martin is able to find others that believe in his story. Once again, Martin must team up to fight against the evil dead.
Dance Of The Dead (80%)
In Dance of the Dead (2008), a few unpopular friends fail to get dates to prom. As they lament their social status, a zombie pandemic breaks loose. Now, the “losers” are the only ones who can save everyone on prom night.