After George A. Romero reinvented zombies with his iconic Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, zombies became a permanent staple of horror. As such, so many filmmakers began making zombie movies of various styles and executions. It resulted in hundreds of horror films that range from classics to low-budget SyFy channel fodder.
More often than not though, these movies tend to forget about making zombies scary. Instead, they are merely obstacles for action sequences or used in comedies. However, every now and then, a movie will come along to remind viewers that the undead monsters are supposed to be feared and for good reasons.
Army Of The Dead (2021)
Though leaning more towards an action epic, Army of the Dead does deliver on the zombies. Not only are there the typical mindless shamblers that can swarm and kill anything as shown in the opening, but there are also the Alphas, a group of faster, stronger, and more intelligent zombies.
The zombies provide a genuine threat, taking out the cast of characters one by one. With standouts like the Alpha King, Queen, and the zombified tiger named Valentine, Zack Snyder brought his A-game in delivering tension while making an epic action-adventure.
28 Days Later (2002)
Up until 2002, most zombie movies relied on shambling zombies. 28 Days Later was the film that reintroduced ultra-fast sprinting zombies. Just one of these zombies showcases the terror that the film brings. What makes them even scarier is how fast the infection spreads: it takes minutes before the rage takes over.
28 Days Later also relies on a chilling atmosphere that comes from a derelict London. Combined with some great performances by Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, and Naomie Harris, it has become a classic that revitalized zombies for the early 2000s.
#Alive (2020)
Harking back to George A. Romero's films, #Alive focuses less on the world but rather on the isolation with the survival of one character. In the film, a young man stuck in his apartment complex is trying to survive a zombie outbreak. The main character is rather likable, which makes it easy to feel invested in his survival.
#Alive features some impressive effects and cinematography that help make the isolation horror more palpable. It's a South Korean film that manages to do zombies better than most Hollywood films do.
REC (2007)
REC is another foreign zombie film - similar to #Alive - about an outbreak in an apartment building. This time from Spain, REC was one of the early pioneers of the found footage genre along with The Blair Witch Project.
Using the proper cinematography and relying less on shaky cam to hide things, REC proved to be so scary that it spawned several sequels and an American remake titled Quarantine. However, they never quite reached the same level of terror as the dark, claustrophobic, and classic original film.
The Return Of The Living Dead (1985)
Yes, Dan O'Bannon's The Return of the Living Dead is definitely more of a horror/comedy. However, much like Sam Raimi's Evil Dead franchise, it is perfect half and half of those genres. It may have some well-executed humor with many memorable lines, but at the same time, the horror is present.
For example, the iconic zombie known as the Tarman can be nightmare-inducing, and there is with disturbing gore throughout. The Return Of The Living Dead is also the origin of zombies that eat brains and "sprinter" zombies. As a bonus, these immaculately designed zombies cannot be killed without being burnt to ash, and their constant screaming of pain assures that there is constantly an eerie tone, despite the humor.
Overlord (2018)
Seemingly taking inspiration from Call Of Duty: Zombies, Overlord is a WWII action/horror in which Nazi scientists harvest a strange substance that transforms the dead into unstoppable super soldiers. While it begins as an excellent war thriller, the horror elements introduced, later on, transform Overlord into a modern horror classic.
The zombies in this are far from typical; the substance twists and mutate their bodies, often resulting in protruding bones and an unsatiable rage. The zombies can also throw a human as they if they were a football, and they are seemingly indestructible. The living who turn retain their intelligence and become worse than the undead.
Night Of The Living Dead (1990)
Only fitting that a remake of the Romero classic would bring zombies back to their former glory. Directed by Romero's go-to special effects master, Tom Savini, Night of the Living Dead keeps everything that made the original so scary and arguably improves upon it.
Zombies were more brutal, and with stellar makeup, the gore was improved as well. Barbara was written as a much stronger female lead, and it featured Tony Todd in one of his most overlooked performances as the new Ben. It shows that good remakes can happen.
Dawn Of The Dead (2004)
Speaking of good remakes, Zack Snyder put his name on the map by taking what is often considered the best zombie movie of all time and adapting it for the modern-day. It's still features the same concept (a group of survivors holding out in a mall during a zombie apocalypse), and it's a testament to how good it is that fans debate whether Snyder's remake is better than Romero's original or not.
This time, Snyder updated the zombies to be sprinters a la 28 Days Later. This makes the zombies more of a threat, and they are given far superior makeup than the original. This Dawn of the Dead remake also amps up the stakes and manages to introduce new storylines to feel more unique rather than being a shot-for-shot remake of the original.
Day Of The Dead (1985)
Unfortunately, Day of the Dead was released the same year as The Return of the Living Dead, leading to it becoming a box office flop as well as critically panned. Still, the film has become a cult classic over the years, recognized as almost on par with Dawn of the Dead.
Day of the Dead returned to the series' roots with claustrophobic horror featuring villains just as scary as the zombies. This alone made Day of the Dead an eerie film but added some of the best and gnarliest kills of the franchise due to Tom Savini's special effects work. Over time, Day of the Dead has become the classic that it deserved to be.
Train To Busan (2016)
Talk about a surprise hit: this South Korean film about a zombie outbreak on a train has become one of the most beloved zombie movies. Train to Busan not only has creepy zombies that cannot be killed (and turn in seconds), but it also features strong and likable characters.
Most of the characters stand out and go on their own arcs, developing throughout. The fear comes because the audience feels invested in the heroes and wanting them to decide. There are even emotional moments that can pull at the heartstrings, and when was the last time that can be said about a zombie movie?