Whether they're moving fast or slow, zombies are downright terrifying. They look hideous with their dead and decaying flesh, and all they want is to devour you whole. These days, they're all the rage in media.
With shows like The Walking Dead still going strong, zombies show no sign of slowing down in the horror genre. We're taking a look at 15 of the scariest zombie movies of all time. You might not want to watch these movies by yourself!
Updated on October 8th, 2020 by Mark Birrell: Fittingly enough, the zombie craze just won't die. With great movies and TV shows still being made around the subject, and discussion about classics and hidden gems still growing, it seemed only right to add another 5 great examples of how scary the genre can be to this list.
World War Z (2013)
Based on Max Brooks' popular book, World War Z is the biggest attempt yet to bring zombies into mainstream action movie culture with a huge budget and a lead hero played by none other than Brad Pitt.
Pitt plays Gerry Lane, who makes it his goal to try and stop the zombie outbreak by traveling around the world in search of the outbreak's origin so he can develop a vaccine that will end it for good and save humanity before it's too late.
I Am Legend (2007)
Will Smith stars in this chilling and suspenseful film based on the novel of the same name by Richard Matheson. The zombies in this film are created by a virus that was initially intended to cure cancer but mutated into something far more malicious.
Neville (Smith) is the last living person around due to his viral immunity. He attempts to create a cure from his blood. But it's not easy considering he has to deal with the deadly mutants, although they only come out at night.
Resident Evil (2002)
Many have differing opinions on the Resident Evil films. Passionate fans of the video games tend to have more problems with the movies than casual fans. Regardless, the first Resident Evil film is still a pretty terrifying zombie movie, even if it's not the best adaptation of the video game it's based on.
The first movie kicked off what would become a major horror franchise and came with plenty of grisly moments. The laser sequence and make-up on the zombie creatures alone are enough to give nightmares.
The Crazies (2010)
A remake of George A. Romero's often-overlooked offshoot of the original zombie formula, The Crazies sees a small town fall under the influence of a government-made biological agent that sends the inhabitants of the rural community into a murderous frenzy.
Naturally, a band of survivors has to fight the zombie horde, not to mention the military attempting to cover everything up, in order to try and escape their perilous situation — fans of The Walking Dead (which premiered later that same year) will notice a number of shared influences.
Overlord (2018)
The most accomplished example so far of the Nazi zombie niche that has fascinated genre fans for many decades now, Overlord sees a mostly green company of American soldiers parachute into occupied France for a deadly mission only to discover that their target harbors dark and terrible experiments of the Third Reich.
Produced by J.J. Abrams, the movie offers plenty of Hollywood spectacle but isn't afraid to get really graphic and bloody when it needs to.
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Though technically a comedy, Dan O'Bannon's zombie movie is bursting with some pretty scary designs for a more unstoppable breed of the famous monsters.
The Return of the Living Dead actually altered quite a bit about the overall zombie mythos and, though not as well-regarded as many of the other movies that O'Bannon worked on (Star Wars, Alien, Total Recall) it is, and really always has been, a certifiable cult classic and a pretty uniquely freaky ride.
28 Weeks Later (2007)
A sequel to the classic original film, 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later was an admirable follow-up. It wasn't quite as iconic as the first film but it's still plenty terrifying. Plus, the movie stars a number of familiar faces like Idris Elba, Jeremy Renner, and Rose Byrne.
It takes place after the first movie, following the military forces attempting to carve out more safe spots in London. But then two siblings make the mistake of breaking protocol and introduce the Rage Virus into a sanctuary.
REC (2007)
Found footage movies can be hit or miss but the 2007 Spanish film, REC, is considered one of the best in the genre. When found footage films are done right, they can be truly terrifying. REC spawned its own franchise due to its popularity. There is also an American remake called Quarantine.
The plot follows a reporter and her cameraman to an apartment in Barcelona. They're attempting to get coverage on an incident in the building but quickly learn that something is seriously wrong with the building's residents. If you haven't gotten the chance to watch the movie yet, you should definitely do it with the lights on!
Dawn Of The Dead (2004)
There are two Dawn of the Dead films, the original 1978 movie, and the 2004 remake. Usually, remakes aren't that good, and rarely do they measure up to the original. However, in this case, Dawn of the Dead (2004) is a genuinely good movie.
The film primarily takes place in an abandoned shopping mall that has become one of the last remaining safe zones during a zombie invasion, but when it becomes surrounded by the monsters, the human survivors have to figure out a way to fight them off at any cost.
The Girl With All the Gifts (2016)
Based on a popular book of the same name, The Girl with All the Gifts is an eerie British film that takes place in a dystopian future. Humanity has been decimated by a deadly virus that mutates people into horrific zombie-like beings.
The virus is fungal-like in nature. The plot of this movie is a little bit similar to the popular video game, The Last of Us. It focuses on a young girl who may be humanity's only hope and a group of survivors must come together to keep Melanie safe no matter what if they want any hope of saving the world.
28 Days Later (2002)
If you're familiar with movies like Ex Machina or Annihilation then you already know how talented Alex Garland is. His original claim to fame, however, came with the iconic zombie film, 28 Days Later. The post-apocalyptic movie is considered one of the best zombie films and one of the best horror movies of all time.
Alex Garland served as the writer for the movie. Another reason 28 Days Later is so frightening and notable is that it was one of the first major examples of fast zombies. Prior to this movie, most zombies were slow and lumbering. The idea of zombies being able to run introduces a brand new type of fear into the equation.
I Walked with a Zombie (1943)
A very different kind of take on the original idea of a zombie taken from Caribbean culture, I Walked with a Zombie is a remarkably eerie supernatural drama in the spirit of horror movies of that era. Revered director Jacques Tourneur creates a disturbing atmosphere out of shadows and long silences rather than blood and guts.
There's no cannibalism or action-packed gunplay, the representation of the occult is even quite restrained. Yet, it's still considered one of the best examples of the genre. The zombie, as movie fans now know it, would not appear until the next iconic entry on our list.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Horror legend George A. Romero directed this 1968 movie that helped create the zombie genre. Most zombie movies since then pay some kind of homage to this movie due to its legendary and iconic status. The movie is considered a cult classic and it is surprisingly gory considering the time period it was released.
The heavy amount of bloodshed was criticized at first but Night of the Living Dead spawned a franchise and, even if you haven't seen the original film, you might have seen some of the follow-ups. However, the original is considered a classic for a reason and, if you consider yourself a horror fan or zombie fan, it's a must-watch.
Day of the Dead (1985)
Romero went on to direct a large number of movies within the zombie genre, with his followup to Night of the Living Dead a decade later (the original Dawn of the Dead) proving to be equally iconic.
His third film in the genre, Day of the Dead, was also hugely influential and is perhaps the best example yet of how the truly terrifying villains in zombie fiction are the human beings. Zombie movies should always say something about inherent human flaws and the real horror Day of the Dead comes from the characters and not the gore (though that's still pretty spectacular).
Train To Busan (2016)
Train to Busan became an instant classic when it was released in 2016. The South Korean film took audiences by storm with its tense and horrifying story.
Taking place on a train to Busan, as the title suggests, a zombie outbreak suddenly occurs in the country and compromises the safety of everyone onboard the train. A woman aboard the train is unknowingly nursing a zombie bite and suddenly turns into one, setting the film's action into motion.