Zombies are simple creatures, driven by a single motivation – brains. They are also quite resilient and almost damn impossible to kill. The zombie genre began as a movie genre in the late 1930s. Since then, there have been countless versions and variations of this genre.
With some being intolerable to nonsensical while others being a downright masterpiece, films like ‘Night of the Living Dead’ catapulted zombie movies as a mainstream genre. The success of the ‘Resident Evil’ video game series meant zombies are never going to stop. Today, zombie movies are showing their true versatility as comedy, romance, and action elements are appearing to make them more entertaining.
Top Best Zombie Movies Ever
With that, it’s time to keep your brains aside and go through this list of the 20+ best zombie movies of all time that we have compiled for you.
Night of the Comet (1984)
IMDB – 6.4/10
It’s been 65 million years since the last comet flew past earth, and everyone is celebrating as they get to witness this phenomenon. Everyone except two sisters, Regina Belmont and Samantha, care more about the latest trends than some rock flying in the sky.
A completely unexpected event occurs the following day. A comet vaporized everyone who witnessed it, while the rest became zombies. Upon seeing this horrific sight, the sisters had the best idea; they decided to go on a shopping spree. Now along with a friendly truck driver, they embark on an epic adventure to collect the best dresses and save the earth alongside.
The movie has a good premise and many zombies that will make you jump from your seat at least once. It is a classic zombie film because it develops its characters meticulously.
Juan of the Dead (2011)
IMDB – 6.4/10
The story revolves around two friends Juan and Lazaro, who are trying to reconnect with their daughter and son. Juan’s daughter plans to go to her mother in Miami while Lazaro’s son is on a path to seduce every woman around him.
The duo plans to make up with their children but doesn’t have the slightest clue about where to begin. While brainstorming, they notice that people in the town are acting a little crazy as they are killing and eating each other, and the dead ones are coming back to life.
Meanwhile, the government says these creatures are dissidents participating in a revolt. Juan thinks that this is a brilliant opportunity to start a profiting business by killing the zombies and reconcile with their loved ones. Money starts rolling in but so do the zombies as they find themselves in deep trouble with their lives at risk.
As the first Cuban zombie film ever made, ‘Juan of the Dead’ is a beautiful movie that depicts life under a communist regime while taking a dig at the political propaganda.
Little Monsters (2019)
IMDB – 6.3/10
Devastated by his recent breakup, our protagonist, Dave, decides to get over his pain with his nephew Felix’s help. Dave begins dropping and picking him up from school or accompanying him on trips.
It seemed that Dave cares for his nephew until his real motive is revealed. All the while, he was trying to get close to one of Felix’s teacher, Miss Caroline. His plan was almost successful until a zombie invasion ruined everything.
A blend of comedy and gore that will keep you glued to the screen. A heartwarming movie with the perfect combination of humor, romance, drama, gore scenes, and quirky references from other films.
Wild Zero (1999)
IMDB – 6.4/10
The plot revolves around our protagonist, Guitar Wolf, who hails from the world of Japanese punks. The only thing he believes in is a cool attitude, so he dresses himself up complete with sunglasses, a pompadour hairstyle, and a black leather jacket.
Guitar, Bass, and Drum Wolf are in Asahi-cho city when they witness a meteor shower, which shortly reveals an alien invasion.
The remaining characters are soon introduced, and they are just as weird as the other ones. After spending some time together, they figure out that everyone is acting a little weird since the meteor shower and also the dead are coming back on the streets to eat people.
This eccentric group joins hands to save the earth from zombies, and from gunfights to guitar fights, the riots ensue. A quirky zombie comedy that goes out of its way to show the aliens and the zombies who’s the boss.
Deathdream (1974)
IMDB – 6.6/10
“After death, the horror begins” explains the plot in the simplest way. A young American soldier dies while serving in the Vietnam war; back home, his mother starts praying day after day that he “Don’t Die”! A miracle happens; the soldier emerges out of his grave and walks home. After being brought back by his mother’s wish, Andy goes and locks himself in his room.
He refuses to meet with any of his colleagues and only leaves the house after the sun sets down. The disintegration of a typical American family and the terror that comes with it is scarier than any zombie or vampire horror.
The film is less pretentious and suspenseful, leading the audience to be more involved and focused on the characters. The movie succeeds in every little thing it tries that makes this a classic horror film that can be watched anytime.
World War Z (2013)
IMDB – 7/10
Gerry Lane, a former United Nations investigator, is living a peaceful life surrounded by his family. But this doesn’t last for long as suddenly a virus outbreak has plunged the world into chaos. A mysterious infection is turning every human into zombies, and even the military is no match for them as they rampage mindlessly, devouring every other living being in their way.
Lane somehow made a miraculous escape and has been persuaded by his former employer to investigate the virus and find a cure for it. It’s now a race against time as Lane transverses through different countries facing unknown dangers hoping to find a cure before humanity falls on its knees.
Though the idea of ‘World War Z‘ was adopted from a book, the story is entirely different. A fast-paced film keeps you on the edge of your seats through the cinematography and intense sound effects. This movie has the highest ratings for best zombie movies IMDB.
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
IMDB – 7.3/10
Throughout history, whenever humanity has faced any threat, we have joined our hands and have always found a solution. The story begins with a lovely couple who live in a picturesque suburban neighborhood where the first zombie attack takes place. Upon seeing the gruesome sight, Ana escapes from her home and comes across a police officer named Kenneth.
He assures her that nothing is wrong and she must have had a nightmare, but upon seeing the zombies himself, Kenneth decides to flee along with other survivors. Their best bet, the abandoned mall known as Crossroads shopping mall.
Haven indeed, as they had access to multiple supplies that could assist them. But the joy was not for long as the supplies started to dwindle; they realized that they could not stay here forever and thus formulate an escape plan.
There are no profound messages in this film as it focuses solely on the zombies, the cast, and the gore scenes. A consistent theme is followed till the end, making this one of the best zombie movies to watch.
One Cut of the Dead (2017)
IMDB – 7.7/10
Director Higurashi desperately wants to create a zombie flick but has no budget to hire the best cast or the best location. Hell-bent on completing the film, they decided to set the studio up in an abandoned WWII facility where all the filming would occur.
With a long list of problems waiting to be addressed, Higurashi now faces another issue that could stop the film from being made. The crew members and the actors are quarreling with each other making it difficult to shoot to proceed.
The solution, everyone involved in the quarrel, has to receive a lesson that points out the merits of perseverance and family importance. While all this is going on, real zombies begin attacking, which at first seemed like a skit to scare the actors, but they soon realized that all this is real.
What ensues is pure comedy, and when you think everything is over, the film takes a u-turn and surprises everyone. A fantastic foreign story that deserves its place on the list as one of the best zombie movies of all time.
Braindead (1992)
IMDB – 7.5/10
Set in Wellington’s peaceful town, Lionel Crossgrove lives a very oppressed life with his mother, Vera. Lionel has finally found the person he wants to spend the rest of his life with, the beautiful clerk at the grocery store, Paquita.
However, as fate would have it, things don’t go according to plan as Vera gets bitten by the vicious Sumatran rat-monkeys at the local zoo. After getting the bite, she slowly starts turning into a flesh-eating monster squirting puss everywhere.
The situation is bound to get out of hand as dead bodies and other enhanced zombies begin flooding his basement. Poor Lionel, can he remain calm, solve the situation, and get the girl of his dreams? ‘Braindead’ is one of those films that brings together the ecstatic and brilliant moments with cinematography and other effects.
Re-Animator (1985)
IMDB – 7.2/10
The idea of dying is beautiful and terrifying to others, but death means a mystery that humans can beat through science for a particular group of people. Overcoming death and becoming immortal is an idea that has crossed the minds of many individuals, and some have even become obsessed with it.
Our protagonist, Herbert West, an ambitious medical student, has devoted his life to re-animating the corpses and bringing them back to life. After the horrific events at the Institute for Medicine in Switzerland, Herbert resumes his experiments and ropes in his roommate. As the scientists travel through uncharted territory, the campus starts filling up with living dead creatures.
This captures the eyes of his bitter rival Dr. Hill, who plans to take all his credit for the work he has done on reviving dead tissues. Can the young scientists escape from the traps laid by Hill and harness the power of their discovery before it’s too late?
The film has some flaws, but the sheer brilliance and comedic moments make up for everything and make it an enjoyable one.
28 Days Later (2002)
IMDB – 7.6/10
Most of the time, animal activists have the right intentions for rescuing animals who are suffering at the hands of humans. This time they plan to invade a laboratory where chimpanzees are being experimented upon with a new rage virus. They ignore the pleas of scientists involved with the experiment not to open the cage.
As soon as the cages are unlocked, a disaster happens, which leads to our protagonist falling into a coma. Twenty-eight days later, Jim wakes up from his coma in a hospital only to find it completely deserted.
He goes out on the street hoping to find anyone, but to his utter surprise, it seems like there’s not even a single soul around him. A short while after, Jim comes across a church brimming with zombies who only want one thing, his brains. He runs for his life only to be surrounded by a horde of zombies; with no chance of escaping, a hand comes out of nowhere and pulls him to safety.
A tale of survival that’s quite interesting and at times depressing as well, but it still is a good watch. One of the best zombie movies on Amazon prime.
Zombieland (2009)
IMDB – 7.6/10
It’s essential to live by rules as they help you survive a bad day or a zombie apocalypse. A shy college student who has no practical experience in life has survived by following his 30 rules. The rule book contains things like “always look in the backseat of a car,” avoid public restrooms,” and so on.
While searching for his parents, he decides to travel to Ohio to determine if they are alive. On his way, he comes across a zombie hating badass guy and decides to travel with him for safety. Together they start their long journey but soon come across a young woman whose sister has been supposedly bitten and wants to die before turning into a zombie. But alas, who knew, the sisters were in cahoots with each other and tricked them into believing their story.
They rob them of their guns and cars, leaving them without any means of reaching Ohio. As fate would have it, the four of them cross paths again, and it is revealed that the sisters plan to go to an abandoned amusement park that is supposed to be free of zombies. Will all of them survive and achieve their goals before it’s too late?
The script hits the right notes making the audience laugh, cry, get serious, and most importantly, have fun. ‘Zombieland’ is one of the best zombie movies to stream.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
IMDB – 7.9/10
Visiting the grave of loved ones is supposed to be an emotional moment where you let go of your prejudices. But when Barbara and Johnny visit their father’s grave, a tragic accident occurs, they get attacked by zombies. Barbara manages to escape to an abandoned farmhouse, but Johnny wasn’t so lucky.
In the house, she gets an unexpected visitor, Ben, who stopped to refill his car but soon gets surrounded by the walking dead and takes refuge inside. They somehow manage to bolt all the doors and windows, but that doesn’t mean they are safe. Reports of dead humans coming back to life and causing havoc starts emerging from different parts of the world.
They soon begin exploring the house, and to their utmost surprise, they find five people hiding in the basement. Tension begins to rise within the group and every passing minute makes it uncertain whether they’ll survive the night or not.
A low budget film that blew up with success and rightly so. The script, the acting, and the zombies glue everything together to make this movie work.
Train to Busan (2016)
IMDB – 7.6/10
It’s relatively easy to summarize ‘Train to Busan‘ in four words: Zombies on a train. But the movie is much more than that as director Sang-Ho Yeon delivers an excellent action-packed film with a simple premise.
Sok-woo is a father who spends most of his time working and has no time for his daughter, Soo-Ahn. One day they get aboard a fast train, KTX, to go to Busan from Seoul to meet with Soo-Ahn’s mother, but the apocalypse begins during their journey.
Survival begins as the passengers face a life-or-death situation with flesh-eating monsters inside the train and outside. In a dire situation, Sok-woo must make sure his daughter survives from the onslaught of zombies and the passengers as well.
One of the best zombie movies ever to come out in recent years develops its plot at a decent pace that keeps the audience glued to their seats.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
IMDB – 7.9/10
Shaun, our protagonist, is relatively having a nasty and uneventful day that gets on his nerve. The only viable plan in his head to turn his life back around is to get his ex to take him back (something we all can relate to, am I right? LOL).
Shaun’s perfect plan begins to fall apart as they get caught in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. But he is determined to get his girl back, and no puny zombie can stop him. His new plan shows how reliable and useful he is by killing all the zombies and saving everyone. ‘Shaun of the Dead‘ is a great British comedy film that will leave you in splits with its witty and nonsensical humor.
Planet Terror (2007)
IMDB – 7.1/10
A secret experiment going in a remote U.S military in Texas leads to a devastating disaster. An experimental bio-gas weapon is accidentally released inside the facility and whoever comes into contact begins mutating into flesh-eating zombies.
Things go haywire as these “sickos” plan to take over Texas and then eventually the world. To save humanity and stop those behind this experiment, an unlikely group of people comprising a stripper, a mechanic, a doctor, a sheriff, and other locals join hands.
Few gore moments are somewhat over the top and come out as funny rather than gruesome. The non-stop action, the dialogues, and the cinematography keep the audience from getting bored.
ParaNorman (2012)
IMDB – 7/10
Norman Babcock lives in Blithe Hollow’s town and possesses a mysterious power; he can communicate with the dead. But everyone in the village thinks that he is a trickster and refuses to believe him except his new friend, Neil.
One day out of nowhere, his estranged uncle contacted him regarding an important ritual Norman must partake in to save the town from a curse. He agrees to the task with no other option, but things don’t go according to plan due to this failure.
A magic storm surrounds Blithe Hollow with the dead rising from the ground. On his journey to save his town, unexpected companions assist Norman, helping him figure out the truth behind the curse and save their beloved town.
A beautiful claymation wonder where every scene contains a rich amount of details with bits and pieces of humor and sadness.
The Girl With All the Gifts (2016)
IMDB – 6.6/10
Set in a near dystopian future where humanity’s survival seems bleak as a mysterious virus is turning healthy people into flesh-eating zombies or ‘hungries.’ Humankind’s last hope depends upon a group of hybrid children who act like zombies and crave human meat but at the same time also possess the ability to think and feel.
The children are subjected to cruel experiments at an army base situated in rural Britain under Dr. Caroline Caldwell’s command. The army base is converted into a school, and one of the school teachers named Helen forms a special bond with one of the hybrid children, a girl named Melanie.
However, their peaceful time is interrupted as the base gets invaded, and Helen narrowly escapes along with Melanie with Sgt’s help. Eddie Parks. Together they set off on a journey where everyone will be tested. It is one of a kind zombie film that explored the genre differently and came out on top. A beautiful film that reminds us of the importance of love and family bonds.
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
IMDB – 7.3/10
They have returned from their graves and are ready to party like an apt description of zombies. Set in the city of Kentucky, two happy go lucky employees of a medical supply warehouse one day accidentally release a deadly agent that vaporizes in the air.
These vapors are so deadly that they can reanimate the dead and bring them back to life, the only catch being they want to eat their favorite foods and it’s not fried chicken. While not concentrating on the gore too much, the film still manages to kick-ass thanks to its flawless plot and fantastic chemistry between the characters.
Rec (2007)
IMDB – 7.4/10
‘R.E.C.’ is about a young T.V. reporter who receives a call from an old lady saying something terrifying in her house. As an upcoming reporter, she agrees to the task and reaches her apartment with a cameraperson alongside her.
They both are greeted with scary sounds once they reach her house. They enter inside, hoping to figure what was going on but instead get trapped with a sinister presence inside. This leads to a nightmarish and long dramatic T.V. report.
The movie proceeds at a perfect pace, neither too fast nor slow, making for a compelling cinematic experience. Could turn out as the best zombie movies download even.
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
IMDB – 7.9/10
The zombie apocalypse has reached the earth, and tensions are at an all-time high. With no sure cure or a way to stop these flesh-eating monsters, humanity has taken a plunge towards destruction. Two employees of a T.V. station and two S.W.A.T. members get aboard a helicopter to find a safe hideout spot in unexpected circumstances.
Amidst their search, they come across a shopping mall, though not free of zombies but can serve as an ideal spot. The survival now begins as they dodge through unexpected circumstances and try to survive the night. The soundtrack works brilliantly to add to the tension on screen, the action and cinematography gel the movie together.
So this was our best zombie movies list. Did we miss anything? If you want to get into more horror or scary movies, check out these lists: