The zombie horror movie genre largely took off in 1968 when George Romero released Night of the Living Dead. Since then, a plethora of movies, shows, books, and video games featuring zombies have sprung up, each one depicting the undead in either realistic or completely outrageous fashion.
By their very nature, zombies themselves aren't the most realistic of movie monsters, but they do make for a compelling and terrifying threat. While some movies attempt to portray the zombie apocalypse in the most realistic manner possible, others don't mind tossing believability out the window for the sake of thrills and chills.
Updated on August 23rd, 2021 by Derek Draven: It seems the public hasn't quite suffered from zombie movie burnout just yet. The genre continues to tickle both new and existing fans with a lot of films centering on the ravenous undead and the unfortunate, hapless humans trying to stay alive. Part of the reason for the success of the genre is the overall plausibility of the situation. It evokes the deepest and darkest fears that society has about a major viral outbreak, or Hell's vengeance against humanity. Either way, some zombie films opt for jokes or outrageous action scenes to push the narrative, while others stay firmly rooted in a sense of foreboding realism. There are a lot of zombie films that cater to either side of this particular aisle.
Realistic: #Alive (2020)
• Available to stream on Netflix
#Alive is a 2020 South Korean zombie movie about a video game streamer who wakes up one morning and discovers that the zombie apocalypse has completely overwhelmed the city of Seoul. Horrified by events, the character must learn to deal with an environment upended by a nightmare scenario.
The story follows this main character, who hides out in his apartment through the first month of the virus. The movie then takes on a real-world approach as food and water become a priority for survival. Though the premise of an overnight zombie infestation is far-fetched, the aftermath feels realistic.
Over The Top: Resident Evil (2002)
• Available to rent on AppleTV
The Resident Evil movie franchise was based on a video game series, which means realism was not high on the franchise's list of priorities. The first film started out as a somewhat plausible take on the zombie formula, but it didn't stay that way. Subsequent sequels went completely off the rails just for the fun of it.
The movies get more and more over the top as they follow the story of Alice, who undergoes several genetic transformations. The zombies themselves also take a backseat to some of the more outlandish horrors engineered by the ultra-evil Umbrella corporation, acting more like cannon fodder.
Realistic: Train To Busan (2016)
• Available to stream on Fubo
Another critically acclaimed South Korean horror movie, Train to Busan made massive waves among fans of the zombie genre. This film follows a father and daughter who race to Busan in order to reunite with her mother during the initial outbreak of a zombie virus.
The movie follows the characters as they board a train, meeting new characters along the way who each fight for survival. All of the characters meet obstacles aside from zombies, including each other. It's one of the rare zombie movies to focus heavily on emotion, which leaves a huge impact on the audience.
Over The Top: Warm Bodies (2013)
• Available to stream on MaxGo
Warm Bodies is over the top in a different style than that of other zombie films. It's essentially a zombified retelling of Shakespeare's classic Romeo and Juliet, featuring R as a zombie who is utterly bored with his undead life. Eventually, he meets a living human being named Julie and believes her to be his second chance.
The story is a romantic and funny take on the zombie movie genre, which has been done before in other films like Zombieland. It blends hilarious comedy with high-octane action sequences to create an entertaining and quirky alternative to the zombie apocalypse formula.
Realistic: Dawn Of The Dead (1978)
George Romero struck gold with the second chapter of his zombie series, Dawn of the Dead. He traded up the rural farmhouse horror formula for a more action-oriented story that takes place largely within an abandoned shopping mall. The film continued to show off Romero's penchant for social satire and commentary in relation to the downfall of society.
In 2004, Dawn of the Dead was remade by Zack Snyder, with a slightly modified formula. Much of the social commentary was expunged for the sake of increased gore and violence, while the zombies themselves changed from slow-moving creatures to marathon sprinters capable of finishing the quarter-mile in record time.
Over The Top: Scout's Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse (2015)
• Available to stream on PlutoTV
Scout's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is a lighthearted and hilarious zombie romp that blends elements of 1980s flicks like Revenge of the Nerds with modern "zomedies" like Shaun of the Dead.
The boys rely on all of their Scout training to cobble together makeshift weapons and tactics to fight the horde. This includes one over-the-top hilarious scene showing a bunch of zombie cats chasing the group through a house, which is one of the great highlights of the film.
Realistic: Zombieland (2009)
• Available to rent on AppleTV
Zombieland has become a true cult classic for any horror and zombie fan. Despite the comedy, it's a surprisingly realistic take on the zombie apocalypse story. In fact, the entire film is a platform for a series of important facts that every human being should adhere to in order to survive such an ordeal.
The zombies are realistic, but so are the human characters. Though they don't react as normal humans would in such a situation, they do have layers of depth and complexity that helped sell the story. In the end, they're some of the most down-to-earth survivors of any zombie breakout.
Over The Top: White Zombie (1932)
• Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video
White Zombie is coined as the first actual zombie movie. Bela Lugosi stars as Murder Legendre, a voodoo master who commands a contingent of the undead. After a jealous plantation owner decides he wants a woman all to himself, he elicits the voodoo master's help to try and seduce her.
Things go pear-shaped quickly, and the woman ends up zombified. This movie may be a classic, but it still has some over-the-top qualities, particularly when it comes to the actors' performances and the nature of the undead. Nevertheless, it helped lay the groundwork for what was to come.
Realistic: Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
• Available to stream on HBO Max
George Romero should be credited with turning the zombie movie genre into a mainstream horror platform. His original Night of the Living Dead was a creepy vision of a plausible future where the undead rose from their graves to feast upon the flesh of the living.
The story wasn't just about horror but social commentary as well. In the end, it's the human survivors who are the biggest threat to each other. Their inability and unwillingness to cooperate become their downfall after they make a series of rash decisions that cost them their lives.
Over The Top: Overlord (2018)
• Available to stream on Paramount+
Overlord is an action horror movie about a team of soldiers discovering Nazi experimentation. This wasn't the first film to blend the Third Reich with the zombie formula, and the theme would even be ported to video games like the Zombie Army series from developer Rebellion.
In the film, Nazi experiments are the cause of people turning into zombie-like creatures. What follows is a purposely over-the-top action flick that requires the viewer to throw plausibility and believability completely out the window, purely for the sake of some trashy fun.
