10 Original Zombie Movies That Redefined The Genre

The Zombiemovie genre has enjoyed mainstream popularity for the past 56 years, with its origins dating as far back as 1932. Since then, this horror theme has experienced several waves of popularity, especially since the creation of George A. Romero’s Living Dead Universe in 1968. However, certain titles inspired more significant upticks in zombie horror media than others, one of the most notable being the 2010 debut of the milestone zombie TV series The Walking Dead.

The hoards of new zombie movies and TV shows that have followed in the wake of such titles have been unstoppable; while arguably overdone, the undead genre shows no signs of dying off now. Zombie horror owes its popularity to movies like Romero’s that avoided common genre tropes and brought something new and thrilling to the table. Whether by playing with the origin of the zombie outbreak, the speed and behavior of the zombies, the setting, or the character types, a handful of unconventional zombie movies changed the genre forever.

10 White Zombie (1932)

The Rise Of The Zombie Movie Genre

Typically cited as the first zombie movie ever made, Victor Halperin’s White Zombie is responsible for the creation of the genre. Halperin’s premise originated from zombie folklore from 17th-century Haiti and Ancient Greece (via history.com). According to history.com, the concept came from the West African voodoo religion; potions or “zombie powders” were traditionally mixed by practitioners known as bokors, often incorporating tetrodotoxin, a neurotoxin produced by pufferfish that can simulate death and create zombie-like behavior. In White Zombie, Bela Lugosi’s voodoo master character, Murder Legendre, transforms Madeleine Short (Madge Bellamy) into a zombie using just such a potion.

While poorly received, especially in contrast to the astounding success of other Bela Lugosi horror movies of its time, White Zombie set the stage for the future of the genre. Zombie movies have since taken a sharp turn away from the voodoo-laden folklore that inspired this initial foray, and yet many attributes of this lore and Halperin’s take on it carried over into modern interpretations of the undead. The creatures of the underrated classic White Zombie acted as the genesis of the soulless, mindless, and borderline-indestructible creatures we see in film today.

9 Night Of The Living Dead (1968)

The Resurrection Of The Zombie Movie Genre

George A. Romero’s cult classic Night of the Living Dead breathed life into the zombie movie genre and created the zombie standards and tropes we still see today, such as the headshots-only zombie rule that is seen in shows such as The Walking Dead. It also created the classic Romero zombie: the mindless, slow-walking, cannibalistic living dead. The entirety of the film takes place within an abandoned farmhouse, paving the way for future zombie movies to be set in confined spaces, such as Train to Busan.

Night of the Living Dead‘s surprising political ending, as well as the casting of Duane Jones as Ben at a time when a Black lead was highly controversial, paved the way for future films about the undead to make social commentary on the living. This pioneering zombie movie grossed $238 thousand worldwide (which would be worth just over $2 million today) and led to multiple sequels, remakes, and reboots, many of which enjoyed similar success. The franchise is set to receive one final installment in 2025.

8 Dawn Of The Dead (1978)

The Best Zombie Movie Of All Time

Often described as the best zombie movie of all time, this sequel to Night of the Living Dead is just as much a cult classic as its predecessor. Romero’s Living Dead Universe truly took off with this film, resulting in countless sequels and reboots, not to mention inspiring many other films within the genre. Strangely, despite its popularity, this sequel grossed around $160 thousand worldwide, $70 thousand less than the preceding film.

Dawn of the Dead continued the use of a confined space, its outbreak occurring in a shopping mall. This setting allows for exploration of the more widespread effects of the zombie apocalypse (such as mass hysteria) and simultaneously builds upon Romero’s social commentary from the original film, with the sequel’s themes revolving around capitalistic, consumer America. Today, even from beyond the grave, the creator of the Living Dead Universe continues to influence the genre: Romero’s daughter Tina Romero is keeping her father’s work going with her own upcoming sequel, Queens of the Dead.

7 28 Days Later (2002)

Zombies, But Make Them Fast

28 Days Later is a horror movie about the zombie apocalypse directed by Danny Boyle. After Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes up from a coma in a deserted hospital in London, he discovers that the city is overrun by the undead, so he joins forces with other survivors to try and make it out alive.

Director

Danny Boyle

Release Date

June 27, 2003

Cast

Megan Burns , Cillian Murphy , Christopher Eccleston , Brendan Gleeson , Naomie Harris

Runtime

113 minutes

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Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later was the first post-2000 reimagining of the classic Romero slow-walkers as frighteningly fast-moving zombies. Although with far less success, Nightmare City (1980) was the first movie to use fast zombies. 28 Days Later challenges several tropes, not the least of which is the final girl, as Cillian Murphy acts instead as the final boy Jim.

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Some have debated whether 28 Days Later is a zombie movie due to the virus that causes the outbreak technically killing and reanimating the living, as opposed to taking effect only on the dead. The makers of the film have preferred to call their pseudo-zombies “infected,” but it is undeniable that this sort of deviation from the traditional Romero zombie is no longer unwelcome, and essential to redefining tropes and keeping the genre alive. It seems to be effective in doing so, as the movie’s second sequel 28 Years Later is expected soon.

6 Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

The Everyman Archetype Meets The Zombie Apocalypse

While neither the first nor last zombie horror comedy made, Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead is arguably the best balance of comedy and horror ever to grace the zombie movie genre. In this low-budget, cult classic comedy zombie movie, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost play two everyday Londoners doing their best to survive a zombie outbreak.

This film makes some unexpected diversions from the common zombie movie tropes, such as the outbreak not being treated as the apocalypse and the lead characters being your relatable, nerdy Everyman rather than muscular military types. Although it is not the goriest zombie movie ever made, Shaun of the Dead still boasts a good deal of blood and guts. Additionally, while the main character’s arc deviates from the norm in this type of film, Shaun of the Dead has more than enough campy tropes to satisfy any cult zombie movie fan.

5 Dawn Of The Dead (2004)

The Resurrection Of The Best Zombie Movie Of All Time

Zack Snyder’s 2004 reboot of Romero’s cult classic Dawn of the Dead is certainly not unconventional for the genre as a whole, but it did serve as an interesting reimagining of the 1978 original in several ways. The primary changes include a viral outbreak source (as opposed to radiation from an exploding space probe), fast-moving zombies replacing the slow-walking Romero creatures of old, and the addition of far more shock-value gore.

Despite its box office success, the film has had a mixed reception among viewers and key players alike, with Romero himself and Shaun of the Dead actor Simon Pegg criticizing Snyder’s remake.Dawn of the Dead grossed $102 million worldwide compared to the 1978 film’s $160 thousand (this would be equivalent to about $774 thousand today). On the other hand, the remake scored 77% on the Tomatometer, versus the 1978 film’s 91%. Despite the higher gross, the consensus is made clear by this remake’s critical reception: the oldie is still a goodie.

4 Warm Bodies (2013)

Zombies, But Make Them Romantic

Releasing just on the heels of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, Jonathan Levine’s Warm Bodies added a bit of spice to the zombie movie genre. Changing things up with not only a Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet-inspired romance but also sentient zombies, Levine’s Warm Bodies was a fresh take on a classic genre.

While venturing into the realm of teen romance is more than enough to qualify this as an unconventional zombie movie, Warm Bodies‘ unexpected ending breaks one of the most common zombie rules. Furthermore, the source of the outbreak is left intentionally vague, with the main character being simply unable to remember what caused the zombie apocalypse to occur. The choice to leave this open to interpretation dodges the usual expectation of a viral or possibly even supernatural source; it also leaves room for a potential sequel.

3 World War Z (2013)

Zombies, But Make Them Tsunamis

Based on the novel by Max Brooks, World War Z tells the story of a world ravaged by a zombie virus. Former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) braves the apocalypse in search of a cure. He is tasked with finding the point of origin of the virus in order to synthesize a vaccine, reluctantly doing so in exchange for his family’s safety. His search takes him around the world, where he witnesses all the devastation of the apocalypse.

Director

Marc Foster

Release Date

June 21, 2013

Writers

Matthew Michael Carnahan , Drew Goddard , Damon Lindelof

Runtime

1h 56m

Franchise(s)

World War Z

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In addition to being the most expensive zombie movie ever made, World War Z achieved remarkable new heights in the world of zombie movie special effects. The tsunami-like waves created by the hoards of zombies are like nothing seen before in the genre and are terrifying even a decade later. The film had a mixed reception, owing to many production problems which led to a somewhat clumsy change to the original World War Z ending and the resultant collapse of the third act.

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Despite its reception issues, World War Z created an interesting spin on the genre, focusing on the larger-scale, worldwide effects of the zombie apocalypse and a United Nations agent looking for a solution to the outbreak. The film also introduces the concept of a vaccine created to allow the living to survive the undead. While the relatively open ending has led many to hold out hope for a remake that could redeem the original film, some feel that the time that has passed and development issues mean a canceled World War Z sequel.

2 Train To Busan (2016)

The Modern-Day Contender For Best Zombie Movie Of All Time

This South Korean zombie movie grossed even more than 28 Days Later. Train to Busan was simultaneously a game-changer for the genre and a callback to some of the original cult classics in the sense that the entire film takes place inside a train (parallel to Night of the Living Dead‘s farmhouse, or how Dawn of the Dead‘s a ). This isolation causes the viewer to learn about the outbreak alongside the characters, creating a much more realistic experience.

Many are unaware that Train to Busan has a prequel and sequel in its three-film series; these installments exist on polar opposite ends of the critical reception spectrum, with the prequel being far more well-received. As for the second installment, Train to Busan is fast-paced, action-packed, and gut-wrenching. It grossed $93 million worldwide and was met with critical acclaim.

1 Cargo (2017)

The Only Zombie Movie Where The Main Character Is Bitten From The Start

Lead characters, particularly when played by stars such as Martin Freeman, are often clad in impenetrable plot armor. This is not so in the character-driven and emotional zombie movie Cargo. Having the main character bitten very early on in the film and focusing the remainder of the events on his attempts to get his child to safety is a completely unique spin on the often trope-laden, overdone zombie movie.

Cited as one of the most realistic zombie movies ever made, Cargo avoids the shock-value gore that is common in zombie horror, and yet it remains a dark, violent, and heartbreaking film, exploring themes of post-apocalyptic hopelessness and grief. Set in Australia, it briefly incorporates elements of Aboriginal spiritualism. These act as a somewhat similar plot element to the zombies from different folklore as adapted by White Vampire, and make Cargo perhaps the first modern zombie movie to reference this origin.

Source: History.com