As Halloween draws closer, fans will be looking for the right horror movies to get them in the mood for the spooky season. While there are so many types and subgenres of horror movies, one of the most prominent and popular has long been the tried and true zombie movies.
While George A. Romero will likely always be the king of the genre, filmmakers like Edgar Wright, Zack Snyder, and Danny Boyle have tried their hand at a good zombie film in recent years. In the 2010s alone, there have been some stellar entries into the zombie movie collection, including some overlooked gems.
Maggie (2015) - 5.6
When you hear that Arnold Schwarzenegger is starring in a zombie movie, it's hard not to picture the action star gunning down hordes of flesh-eating baddies. In that regard, Maggie is a much different movie than fans were probably expecting, which could explain the lower rating.
Schwarzenegger plays a man living with his daughter (Abigail Breslin) during a zombie invasion. After she is bitten, he goes to extremes to protect her as she slowly turns into a zombie herself. Maggie is a much quieter and emotional zombie story with an effective performance from Schwarzenegger.
Cargo (2017) - 6.3
Cargo is an Australian film that actually shares a lot of similarities with Maggie. Martin Freeman stars as a new father who loses his wife in a zombie attack and is bitten himself. Knowing the virus will soon consume him, he begins a desperate search for someone who can look after his newborn.
It is another film that takes a smaller-scale approach to the zombie story. Though it might seem a bit dry for some audiences, Cargo is a deep and personal story for the genre.
Little Monsters (2019) - 6.3
When it comes to zombie comedies, Shaun of the Dead is seen as the best of the best. But there are some other fun zombie movies that mix the humor and the gore quite effectively. A recent attempt at this mash-up is Little Monsters.
Lupita Nyong'o gets a rare chance to show her comedic skills as Miss Caroline, a sweet yet tough music teacher who is forced to protect her students when a zombie outbreak happens during a school trip.
The Crazies (2010) - 6.5
One of George A. Romero's lesser-known horror films was remade for this underrated gem. The Crazies is set in a small town where a virus outbreak turns citizens into mindless killers. Timothy Olyphant stars as the sheriff who tries to get his wife out of town while the military takes extreme measures to contain the outbreak.
The Crazies is a unique take on the genre as the military is as villainous as the zombies. The fast-paced nature of the film and its sharp writing elevate it above the genre, and there is a fun bit of dark humor throughout that adds another entertaining layer.
Overlord (2018) - 6.6
J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot productions delivered this hard-R World War II zombie movie that deserved to find a wider audience. Overlord follows a group of American soldiers who parachute behind enemy lines for a secret mission. Soon they discover the Nazis are performing some horrific experiments to create the ultimate soldier.
The gory and action-packed adventure is a blast from beginning to end. Jovan Adepo makes for a sympathetic lead while Wyatt Russell has a lot of fun with his action hero role.
The Girl With All The Gifts (2016) - 6.6
Given how many zombie stories have been told over the years, it's always a treat when a film can find a new approach to the genre. The Girl with All the Gifts is set in a dystopian future devastated by a zombie virus.
The film follows a group of people who believe a young girl caught between human and zombie could be a cure for the virus. It is a bloody and action-packed movie that also has a powerful emotional core to its story.
Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) - 6.7
Even though the first Zombieland was a big hit with audiences and critics, it still took ten years to get the sequel off the ground. The follow-up reunites the four heroes played by Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin as they form a pseudo-family during the zombie apocalypse.
The cast is a big part of the reason the movie works so well and it's a sheer delight seeing them all together again. There are also some fun new additions to the cast as the story continues to have a blast with the genre tropes.
Warm Bodies (2013) - 6.8
Warm Bodies is yet another zombie comedy, but this one sets itself apart from the rest by telling the story from the zombie's perspective. Nicholas Hoult stars as R, an odd zombie who saves a girl from being eaten by other zombies and begins to fall in love with her.
The movie is a fun and fresh take on not only the zombie genre but also the story of Romeo and Juliet. It's packed with a lot of great humor from beginning to end.
World War Z (2013) - 7.0
While the zombie genre doesn't always attract the biggest star in the world, Brad Pitt stepped into this large-scale zombie epic based on Max Brooks' best-selling book. Pitt plays a former United Nations employee who sets out on a globe-trotting mission to track the origins of a zombie outbreak.
It's a lot of fun to see the zombie movies get a big-budget blockbuster treatment like this. Pitt makes for a great hero to follow through this story and there are some truly great set pieces throughout the film.
Train To Busan (2016) - 7.6
There have been a lot of great thrillers to emerge from South Korea, but Train to Busan is one of the nation's biggest hits. The film follows a group of passengers on a high-speed train heading for the large Korean city of Busan.
The claustrophobic setting for the film is perfect and the characters are compelling enough to keep the audience invested throughout all of the carnage and mayhem. Train to Busan is a wild and thrilling zombie action-adventure.