The 50 best zombie films of all time are distinguished mostly by their use of zombies, distinctive locales, realistic effects, gore and mayhem, sharp societal criticism, dark humour, or really terrifying tension.In White Zombie, Bela Lugosi plays a witch doctor. This was the first full-length "zombie" horror movie and the first time that the idea of Haitian voodoo zombies became popular in Hollywood.
A group of boaters who get stuck find the zombie crew of a sunken SS submarine on an empty island. Peter Cushing as an SS Commander who looks crazy.
A group of visitors explores the abandoned Templar monastery, awakening the blind dead, who can hear your heartbeat. A swarm of Templar zombie knights on zombie horses chases them across a meadow.
The young lads in Deadgirl argue over who gets to rape the "deadgirl" next as they delve into the sexuality of the dead. The picture is successfully horrifying and icky, and it made the cut only because it proposes a use for zombies that hasn't been fully explored in the previous 40 years.
The Serpent and the Rainbow, directed by Wes Craven in 1988, is an unexpected resurgence of the voodoo-style Haitian zombie, and a reminder that a "voodoo zombie" picture that takes itself semi-seriously and seeks to shock is definitely still conceivable.
Juan of the Dead injects political fervor into zombie movies, with Juan seeking to profit from the fear and uncertainty by starting a small business that rapidly spirals out of control.
In the next-to-last updated picture directed by George A. Romero, Dennis Hopper plays a ruthless plutocrat who rules over a walled-off Pittsburgh. It lacks the nuance of some of his other works, but it has Romero's signature rebellious spirit and looks amazing.
Rammbock is a short 63-minute independent German "feature film." It follows Michael, a deranged sad-sack who visits his girlfriend's apartment just as a zombie epidemic breaks out.An art-comedy with a spooky undertone, Cemetery Man follows the wandering life of a cemetery attendant. The protagonist's depression and sense of disillusionment with his own identity are reminiscent to American Psycho.
Night of the Living Dead, remade in 1990 by special effects guru Tom Savini, is a faithful remake that does not attempt to change anything about the original picture. If the title weren't Night of the Living Dead, it would be considered a greater classic.
A possibly zombified town local is played by Robert Englund, and Jack Albertson plays the eccentric town coroner/mortician.
In the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, a former baseball pitcher and catcher journey across the nation together in a low-budget zombie thriller. The zombies are there, but they serve as a perpetual impediment and bitter reminder of the men's losses.
Peter Jackson's horror-comedy Dead Alive has a room full of zombies and a lawnmower that works after being strangled with 1,000 gallons of blood.
Lucio Fulci's film The Beyond blends a haunted home aesthetic with demonic possession, the living dead, and eerie apparitions.
The Italian horror film Zombi 2 is the undisputed best example of its subgenre. It takes the craziness level to new heights while also setting a new benchmark for gore. It is replete with unforgettable scenes that have become synonymous with horror in general.
George Romero's Night of the Living Dead is the most important zombie film ever made, as well as a very influential independent film.
Dawn of the Dead advances in presentation, professionalism, thematic complexity, and visual effects. It's set in a gaudy mall overrun by zombies and features legendary aesthetics that later zombie flicks copied or mocked.