12 Most Iconic and Awesome Zombie Movies of All Time

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For some reason, out of the wide pantheon of movie monsters, zombies hold a special place of horror. Maybe it’s because they walk that eerie line between alive and dead. Or maybe it’s because they tend to come in unstoppable packs of thousands. Or maybe it’s simply because they want to tear us apart and
eat our living flesh.

But whatever the reason, there is no denying that zombie movies are some of the most popular horror movies ever, with a very loyal following. But if you want to jump into the zombie-movie fray, where do you start? Try these 12 most iconic, most awesome zombie movies of all time.

1. Night of the Living Dead

Although Romero’s classic black-and-white masterpiece wasn’t the first zombie movie ever made (that distinction goes to White Zombie [1932] with Bela Lugosi), it is the movie that brought zombies to the mainstream movie-going audience. It was a big hit back in 1968 and still serves as a template for the claustrophobic tension that is present in many zombie movies today.

2. Dawn of the Dead

It took Romero 10 years to make a sequel, featuring a small group of people stuck in a mall after the zombie apocalypse breaks out, but it is a strong follow up to its original and is often cited as the best zombie movie ever made.

3. Day of the Dead

The third installment in Romero’s zombie movie franchise features a group of rag-tag survivors trapped inside a military base trying to survive each other as well as the zombie horde that surrounds them. And this is the movie that teaches an old zombie can’t learn new tricks.

4. Dawn of the Dead (2004 remake)

Although this movie (directed by Zack Snyder 300, Watchmen) shares a title with one of the most iconic zombie movies of all time, it follows a completely different story line with completely different characters. Notwithstanding Snyder’s departure from the source material, this is a solid zombie movie
packed with all the action, human infighting, and gore that a zombie fan could wish for.

5. 28 Days Later

One of the best reviewed zombie films of all time, Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later takes zombie movies to a whole new level with a fantastically original storyline and zombies who run rather than stumble and limp along—upping the scare factor and the adrenaline for viewers.

6. Zombie

After the success of Romero’s initial film, two other directors attempted to capitalize on its success by making their own unsanctioned sequels. One of them was Italian director Lucio Fulci, who created Zombie (titled, Zombi 2 in Italian and in some places released as Zombie Flesh Eaters)which was
marketed as a sequel to Romero’s film. This movie is particularly memorable for a scene in which a zombie has an underwater battle with a real tiger shark.

7. Return of the Living Dead

John Russo, who served as a co-writer on Romero’s original movie, retained the copyright to the phrase “living dead” and started making his own sequels separate from Romero. In this “sequel” a bumbling pair of warehouse workers accidentally release a secret military chemical gas that reanimates the dead, which then turn on the local townspeople.

8. Shaun of the Dead

In this fantastic comedy homage to zombie movies, two 30-something losers (Pimon Pegg and Nick Frost) find themselves caught in the middle of a zombie apocalypse in London and decide they are going to save themselves, their friends and family, by hiding in a pub.

9. Zombieland

Another great comedic zombie movie, after the zombie apocalypse hits, a group of survivors band together to find safety and the last remaining Twinkies.

10. Fido

This movie is a different take on the comedic zombie genre and takes place in a world where zombies have been domesticated and work as servants to the living. But when the local zombie population gets out of control, mayhem ensues.

11. Army of Darkness

Although not usually considered a zombie movie, the 3rd installment of the Evil Dead franchise features out hero, Ash, accidentally bringing to life an army of the dead that lays siege to a medieval castle he has sworn to protect.

12. Dead Snow

In this new twist on the Zombie Genre, a group of Norwegian medical students heads to the mountains for the weekend. And when they stumble upon a cache of hidden Nazi gold, they unwittingly unleash zombie Nazis who have been waiting in the mountain for decades.

Zombie movies may be scary (and sometimes gross), but they are also a lot of fun. Start your zombie movie training off right by checking out these 12 awesome zombie movies.

Featured image courtesy of Bahman licensed via creative commons.