Everyone has their own personal favorite genre of movie. Some folks want to laugh with a family comedy. Others want to cry when the romantic tension between two characters culminates in marriage. And sometimes, whether it’s for the thrills or the chills, throwing on a classic horror movie or a suspenseful thriller can be what you need after a long day.
Zombie movies can be a fun and sometimes hilarious way to blow off steam. Throughout pop culture and films since the early 1960s, zombies have been present. Horror is a good genre for young, aspiring filmmakers, but zombie horror flicks have been known to bring low-budget films great returns and great recognition as resourceful and creative. This is, of course, not always the case as zombie movies have been jacked up and popularized by the many cult fans that imagine how they might survive the zombie apocalypse, were it ever to happen.
Whatever kind of zombie is your favorite, all types are represented in our list today: fast zombies, angry zombies, dumb zombies, subaquatic zombies, you name it, we got it. So board up your windows and doors, get your best Louisville Slugger handy, and strap in for the best zombie movies ranked.
11. Ojuju (2014)
10. Land of the Dead (2005)
Land of the Dead has some of the most ridiculous lines as well as zombie tendencies of all zombie films — ever. Not to discredit the bombastic fun of the movie, it’s still one of the necessities in the Romero zombie movie collection but takes it a bit too far. It’s not really a spoiler — since it’s in the trailer — to mention that these zombies get way smarter, utilizing their newfound abilities to wield guns, drive cars, and march along the ocean floor.
9. Little Monsters (2019)
8. Resident Evil (2002)
An all-out action fest and the beginning of a film franchise that would continue for what seems like forever, Resident Evil is a zombie movie that turns humans and animals into all sorts of undead creatures. While it’s a fun and explosive adventure all the way through, Milla Jovovich is the guiding light who keeps these films alive with her incredible badassery. Yes, there are many zombies in this movie series, but a lot of the time they completely change their shape/size/bone structure to more accurately follow the video game series on which they are based. The Last of Us on HBO would go on to do much greater things as a zombie video game to television/film adaptation.
7. Zombieland (2009)
6. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
In Zack Snyder’s modern-day reboot of the 1978 classic, Dawn of the Dead makes its zombies faster, stronger, and scarier than ever. Based in the same setting as the original, a group of survivors holes up in a shopping mall surrounded by a ridiculously large horde of the undead. While it doesn’t quite match up to the quality of the original, it stays true to it while exploring new fields of interest.
5. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
The first-ever zom-rom-com to hit was the incredible Edgar Wright feature Shaun of the Dead, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost to make the dialogue and narrative a dryly hilarious adventure. Inspired to save his girlfriend when the zombie apocalypse hits (even though she just broke up with him), Shaun (Simon Pegg) ultimately just wants to get to his favorite pub and wait for the whole thing to blow over. While the zombies in this movie are painfully slow and dim, it adds to the humor of the film, especially when they are able to navigate a crowd of them simply by acting like a zombie.
4. Train to Busan (2016)
3. 28 Days Later (2002)
2. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
1. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Editors' Recommendations
- Your weekend watch list for September 30-October 1: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Still Up & more
- Brand Profile: How Dr. Squatch went from a viral social media startup to men’s grooming sensation
- E.T., The Goonies, Back to the Future: Your old VHS tapes might actually be worth thousands
- Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the U.S., alpine touring (2nd) and splitboarding (5th) also rank high
- What is Kratom? Everything you need to know
