Even as the Walking Dead enters its umpteenth spinoff, allowing for some burnout no doubt, its fair to say zombies still remain in the cultural conversation. Whether you’re a casual fan of zombies on screen, or a devotee, we’ve broken down a list of some of the impactful and iconic zombie films and shows through the years.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
No list on zombie media would be remiss to not include one of the touchstones of the genre, and a key influence for essentially every zombie film after. That of course is George Romero’s 1968 classic ‘Night of the Living Dead’. Did Romero, ‘Godfather of the Dead’ to some, invent the concept of zombies? Not at all. However he was the first who not only really brought their menace to life in such a compelling manner, but he also presented an argument, that still holds up alas, that maybe the real danger isn’t the zombies after all, but the people themselves.
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Ten years after Romero’s initial film defined the zombie genre, he returned to again use the concept to sewer consumerism with his film Dawn of the Dead. Dawn of the Dead expands on Romero’s previous work, in scale and production as this film was shot in color and not black and white as the original. This allowed Romero to capture more of the effects of the zombie outbreak on the world, while also using the mall as the perfect setting to interrogate humanity’s strengths and weaknesses, and our compulsion for consumption. Yet again even as the movie itself has aged, Romero knew how to make a film that has still held up as relevant through the ages.
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998)
There’s a meme right now with the poster for ‘Scoobie-Doo on Zombie Island’, which says something to the effect of ‘they didn’t have to go this hard for us, but they did’, and for a generation my age this speaks so much truth. At the time of its release, the Scooby Doo franchise hadn’t released a significant new show since ‘A Pup Named Scooby Doo’ 10 years prior, so especially for children such as myself we were looking for more. What I didn’t expect at the time is that Scooby Doo would return with one of their darkest stories, as – spoiler ahead – for perhaps the first time in the franchise the Scooby Doo gang realize the monsters are real. This alone was compelling, and creepy, and why I loved it. Likewise this direct-to-video film helped launch a new era of Scooby Doo, which is still celebrated by many millennials who now look back fondly at these halcyon days in our lives.
28 Days Later (2002)
Cillian Murphy in 28 Days Later
If you love the era of zombie media we are living in today, then you likely owe thanks to Boyle’s 2002’s film ’28 Days Later’, which put zombies back on the map. Not only did this film remind us zombies could be scary, and fast, but like Romero it used the concept of zombies and the apocaplyse to reflect truths back on ourselves about humanity’s potential for darkness. Though living in a post-pandemic world has perhaps skewed some of this message, as now we’ve seen first-hand how humans react, its impact on today’s culture cannot be overstated.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Hot on the heels of Boyle’s ’28 Days Later’, Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg wrote together the perfect send-up of zombie films with ‘Shaun of the Dead’. ‘Shaun of the Dead’ takes nuggets from the work of Boyle, Romero, and others, and uses the genre to poke fun at British culture as well as preceding zombie tropes. What results is a hilarious, and surprisingly heartfelt, zombie film, that too has stood the test of time.
Zombieland (2009)
‘Shaun of the Dead’ set the bar high for all future zombie comedies, and while Zombieland doesn’t quite clear it its pretty close. Instead of a group of friends who try to survive the end times, Zombieland follows passersby who know each other only by their city of origin’s name. They bond together while on the road, find romance, friendship, and they hope salvation from the horde. Conversations about Twinkie’s, a guest appearance by Bill Murray, and the rules for survival are just some of the highlights of the film.
Warm Bodies (2013)
When our reviewer watched ‘Warm Bodies’ for its 10th anniversary, it wasn’t the romance that sold him outright but the film’s use of the zombie genre, and the Romeo & Juliet framework, to tell a different story about human connections than most zombie films cover. In most zombie films, humans are the real bad guys to prove a director or screenwriter’s pessimistic point about the world. ‘Warm Bodies’ does certainly hint at that two, but what humans do wrong in crises is not as important to the film as what they do right. We could use more optimism in films in general, and for zombie movies it’s a welcome addition to all that these films can showcase.
The Walking Dead (2010 – 2022)
Even if you weren’t ever a fan of ‘The Walking Dead’, it was, and still somewhat is, hard to escape the phenomenon of this seemingly endless juggernaut. ‘The Walking Dead’, adapted by the comic series written by Robert Kirkman, did what few movies have the time to do, which is to look at the after effects of a zombie apocalypse over a significantly longer period and with more depth. After starting in a manner that nearly mimics Boyle’s ’28 Days Later’ opening, it quickly gets its own legs as it focuses on the survivors who must band together, and the horrors they encounter, and sometimes have to inflict themselves, along the way. Though many have dropped off from the franchise after one too many character deaths, ‘The Walking Dead’ universe lumbers onward with spin-offs, undoubtedly only increasing its cultural capital bit by bit.
Train to Busan (2016)
As with other genres, Korea has really taken the lead when it comes to creating compelling films and TV shows that have captured the world’s attention. Squid Game is only the latest iteration of this trend, and really Korean films have led the way for sometime, with ‘Train to Busan’ a standout of Korean genre cinema. ‘Train to Busan’ is many things, a zombie film, a film about transportation, a terrifying example of fast zombies, but what’s most impactful is actually how incredibly heartfelt this story is. You may not always remember that fact, as you likely picture first the fast zombies literally pouring out in every manner; however, when the credits role it’s the emotional weight, and undoubtedly the tears, that leave their mark.
Kingdom (2019 – Present?)
Korea’s mastery of the zombie genre has only become more apparent with the development of the incredible TV series Kingdom, based on the webcomic ‘The Kingdom of the Gods’ by writer Kim Eun-hee and artist Yang Kyung-il. ‘Kingdom’ introduces viewers to the Joseon period, a key point in Korea’s history filled with war and political intrigue, which is fascinating already but then add zombies to the mix and it ups the ante entirely. What results is a strange but wonderful mix of suspense, royal drama, war, and of course zombies. Likewise as is so often demonstrated in zombie films of old, especially Romero’s and Boyle’s, we see again so perfectly demonstrated that maybe the downfall of humanity isn’t zombies, but our own hubris.
