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In the world of zombie horror films, where the undead roam and the living run, there's this epic lineup of 25 movies that have somehow managed to stay as fresh as the living, defying the rot that usually comes with age and repetition.
While some of these movies might lean into the classic, shuffling-zombie stereotype, others throw in a curveball, offering up smarter, faster, and sometimes even talking zombies, keeping the genre alive and kicking.
25. "Maggie" (2015) Rotten Tomatoes score: 61%
Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as a father standing by his daughter as she slowly succumbs to a zombie infection, offering a somber and emotional take on the genre.
24. "The Serpent and the Rainbow" (1988) Rotten Tomatoes score: 62%
Inspired by a true story, an anthropologist ventures to Haiti to investigate a drug used in Voodoo practices to create zombies, only to find himself entangled in the island's political turmoil and supernatural traditions.
23. "World War Z" (2013) Rotten Tomatoes score: 66%
A former United Nations investigator traverses the world in a race against time to stop a zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to destroy humanity itself.
22. "Dead Snow" (2009) Rotten Tomatoes score: 68%
A Norwegian film that blends horror with dark humor, featuring a group of students on a ski trip who encounter Nazi zombies in the mountains, leading to an over-the-top battle for survival.
21. "The Crazies" (2010) Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%
Residents of a small Iowa town find themselves plagued by insanity and then death after a mysterious toxin contaminates their water supply, turning them into violent lunatics.
20. "Fido" (2006) Rotten Tomatoes score: 72%
In an alternate 1950s where zombies are domesticated and turned into household servants, a boy's pet zombie becomes his best friend, leading to social satire mixed with heart.
19. "I Am a Hero" (2015) Rotten Tomatoes score: 74%
A Japanese manga-based film that follows a manga artist struggling to survive in a zombie-infested Tokyo, showcasing intense action and unique takes on the undead.
Part of Rodriguez and Tarantino's Grindhouse double feature, this film offers a high-octane vision of a zombie apocalypse, complete with machine-gun-legged heroines and an abundance of camp.
17. "The Battery" (2012) Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%
This indie gem focuses on the nuanced relationship between two former baseball players navigating a post-apocalyptic New England infested with the undead, highlighting the isolation and struggle of the survivors.
16. "Pontypool" (2008) Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%
In this unique take on the genre, a radio DJ in a small Ontario town discovers that a deadly virus is turning people into zombies, transmitted not by bites but by certain words in the English language.
15. "The Girl with All the Gifts" (2016) Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%
In a dystopian future where humanity is ravaged by a fungal disease, a gifted young girl navigates a complex world of survival and ethics, blending zombie horror with poignant drama.
14. "Day of the Dead" (1985) Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%
This third entry in Romero's series delves into the dynamics among a group of military officers, scientists, and civilians as they reside in an underground bunker during the zombie apocalypse, exploring themes of dehumanization and conflict.
13. "Night of the Living Dead" (1968) Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%
This George A. Romero classic depicts the harrowing story of a group of people trapped in a rural farmhouse in Pennsylvania while the undead surround them, laying the foundation for the modern zombie genre.
12. "Cargo" (2017) Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%
In the Australian Outback, a father infected by a pandemic searches for someone willing to protect his infant daughter, offering a poignant take on survival and parenthood.
11. "28 Days Later" (2002) Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%
This film revitalizes the genre by introducing a group of survivors trying to cope with the aftermath of a highly contagious virus that turns infected humans into rage-filled monsters, highlighting the fragility of civilization.
This French-Canadian film offers a tense and atmospheric take on the genre, depicting survivors in rural Quebec facing not only the threat of zombies but also the breakdown of societal norms and their own sanity.
9. "Dead Alive" (1992) Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
Before The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson directed this outrageously gory and hilarious film about a young man's life turned upside down by a zombie outbreak, leading to one of the most ludicrously over-the-top climaxes in cinema.
8. "Zombieland" (2009) Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
A post-apocalyptic comedy following a geeky college kid making his way through the zombie-filled America, meeting three strangers along the way and together facing the challenges of a life overrun by zombies.
7. "[Rec]" (2007) Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
A Spanish found-footage horror film that follows a reporter and her cameraman as they get trapped in a quarantined apartment building with residents infected by a mysterious virus, revealing a chilling revelation.
6. "The Return of the Living Dead" (1985) Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
A punk rock-infused horror comedy where a group of oddballs faces off against a horde of brain-eating zombies, inadvertently unleashed from a gas that reanimates the dead.
5. "Dawn of the Dead" (1978) Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
In Romero's follow-up, survivors of the zombie apocalypse take refuge in a suburban shopping mall, only to face the dual threats of the encroaching undead and the breakdown of societal norms.
4. "Shaun of the Dead" (2004) Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
A clever blend of humor and horror, this film follows an unambitious man as he navigates his personal and professional life, all while dealing with a sudden zombie uprising in suburban London.
A medical student experiments with bringing the dead back to life, leading to gruesome and unintended consequences in this campy, gore-filled adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's work.
2. "Train to Busan" (2016) Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
A high-speed train journey turns into a survival nightmare for a father and daughter as a zombie outbreak spreads throughout South Korea, pushing the boundaries of human desperation and sacrifice.
1. "One Cut of the Dead" (2017) Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%
A delightful and surprising Japanese horror-comedy that starts as a low-budget zombie film but turns into something utterly unique, offering a behind-the-scenes look at filmmaking.
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