Your Top 10: Zombie Films

[Pirate]

We seem to have a lot of horror buffs here, so this should be interesting. List your top 10 flesh-chewing, blood-spattering, rage-infecting films here.





P.S. All Top 10 lists should now be placed in Film Discussion. With the advent of HD, these discussions are no longer exclusive to DVD.

[Agalloch]

Great topic! Well, I may get a little loose with what's considered a 'zombie' movie sometimes, but I think they still qualify.

1. Night of the Living Dead
2. 28 Days Later
3. Dawn of the Dead (Remake)
4. Dawn of the Dead (Original)
5. They Came Back
6. 28 Weeks Later
7. Zombi 2
8. Shaun of the Dead
9. Dead Alive
10. Cemetery Man

The order of the list is very subject to change, but as of right now, there ya have it.

[Astrakan]

Originally Posted by piratehunter

P.S. All Top 10 lists should not be placed in Film Discussion. With the advent of HD, these discussions are no longer exclusive to DVD.

I assume: not -> now

As for the list... I'm not much of a horror fan, and in turn haven't seen a lot of the classics, so I don't think I'm really qualified to create a top 10 list with pure zombie movies.

But in an effort to do so I'll include some stuff I think at least belong in the same ballpark as true zombie movies.

So:

1. Slither
2. Dawn of the Dead (remake)
3. 28 Days Later
4. Pet Sematary
5. Shaun of the Dead
6. Planet Terror
7. 28 Weeks Later
8. Cemetery Man
9. Plan Nine From Outer Space
10. Serenity

In terms of "good movie"-ness, Serenity should be in the #1 spot, but I felt I stretched the "zombie movie" defenition the furthest with that one so stuck it at 10.

KM

[iluvalex]

Lets not forget...

• Dead Alive
• Return of the Living Dead
• Night of the Creeps
• Re-Animator
• Evil Dead Series
• Night of the Comet

[MrMike]

1. Dawn of the Dead
2. The Return of the Living Dead
3. Re-Animator
4. 28 Days Later
5. Dawn of the Dead (remake)
6. Night of the Living Dead
7. Day of the Dead
8. Let Sleeping Corpses Lie
9. Zombie 2
10. The Dead Next Door

[Pirate]

Originally Posted by Astrakan

I assume: not -> now

Fixed.

[Pirate]

Here's my list:

01. Night of the Living Dead
02. 28 Days Later
03. Evil Dead II
04. Dead Alive
05. Dawn of the Dead (04)
06. Cemetery Man
07. Shaun of the Dead
08. Frankenstein
09. Evil Dead
10. Dawn of the Dead (78)

[varybarry]

1. Shaun of the Dead
2. Dawn of the Dead (remake)
3. 28 Days Later
4. Night of the Living Dead
5. Dead Alive
6. Planet Terror
7. 28 Weeks Later
8. Pet Sematary
9. Evil Dead
10. Serenity

[Pirate]

Welcome to the forum, varybarry.

[Monrozombi]

aahhhh a thread after my own heart

1. Dawn of the Dead 1978
2. Night of the Living Dead 1968
3. Day of the dead
4. Land of the Dead
5. Evil Dead
6. Shaun of the Dead
7. Re-Animator
8. Return of the Living Dead
9. Fulci's Zombi
10. Planet Terror

[Agalloch]

Speaking of zombies...I recently learned that this Friday at midnight about an hour away from where I live a theatre is going to be putting on a live performance of Night of the Living Dead. Supposedly a hundred extras from around the city have been recruited to play zombies and there's supposed to be some great fx and gore. I just about flipped out when I heard this, and there's no way I'm missing it.

[iluvalex]

Originally Posted by Agalloch

Speaking of zombies...I recently learned that this Friday at midnight about an hour away from where I live a theatre is going to be putting on a live performance of Night of the Living Dead. Supposedly a hundred extras from around the city have been recruited to play zombies and there's supposed to be some great fx and gore. I just about flipped out when I heard this, and there's no way I'm missing it.

Now THAT's entertainment. That would be pretty cool to experience.

[sub780lime]

1. Evil Dead
2. Evil Dead 2
3. Army of Darkness
4. Shaun of the Dead
5. Night of the Living Dead (original)
6. Serenity
7. Dead Alive
8. Dawn of the Dead (remake)
9. 28 Days Later
10. Resident Evil

[plissken99]

1. Dawn of the Dead (remake)
2. 28 Weeks Later
3. 28 Days Later
4. Night of the Living Dead (remake)
5. Army of Darkness
6. Shaun of the Dead
7. Land of the Dead
8. Dawn of the Dead (original)
9. Evil Dead 2
10. Resident Evil

And yes if Serenity could be counted as a zombie movie, it would be #1.

[Taxi]

I've only seen two zombie movies (not my favorite genre...) so I'd have to rank them:

1. Shaun of the Dead
2. Army of Darkness

[Monrozombi]

I'm very surprised by the amount of people ranking the Dawn 04 remake in their top 10 zombie films, 7 at the time of my post. Maybe i'm too critical or just a purist at heart but I can't really rank that in a top 10 list for zombies. Zombies stumble and walk, they do not run. Let me repeat that, they do not run. I'll give DOTD 04 its credit where its do and that is in the first 15 minutes of the film. Balls to walls action and great cinematography. But once the characters start getting fleshed out, it really moves on to an mtv style film with no substance. But hey, to each his own and they're your opinions.

[Titleist]

Can 28 Days/Weeks Later be considered zombie movies then they're not Zombies?

[rixrex]

I would normally list several of the ones already listed, but I'm going to put in 10 that I think are really good but aren't what you'd typically find on one of these lists, so some readers can take a look at a film they may have not seen yet like for a Halloween fest.

Not in any particular order or rating:

Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things
City of the Walking Dead
The Dead Don't Die
The Beyond
Antropophagus
City of the Living Dead
Plague of the Zombies
Zombie Holocaust
Tombs of the Blind Dead (has 3 sequels)
Let Sleeping Corpses Lie

Several on this list are really grisly and not for the squeamish, a couple are not but got there because of a certain unique quality.

[plissken99]

Originally Posted by Monrozombi

Zombies stumble and walk, they do not run. Let me repeat that, they do not run.

I disagree, the fact that zombies move faster in the new Dawn and 28 movies actually makes them scary. The original is not scary, and not very intense save for a few moments. As to wheither the things in 28 Days/Weeks Later can be considered zombies... close enough for me, especially in a genre that doesn't have many movies.

Plus it makes sense that zombies move fast. Since they turn pretty much instantly after death, rigor mortis wouldn't set in for hours, and likely not at all since their always moving(and rigor is temporary when it does set in).

[rixrex]

If you like quick zombies, you'll like City of the Walking Dead (aka Nightmare City), one of the films on my list of 10. Here's an IMDB plot blurb:

"TV news reporter Dean Miller waits at the airport for the arrival of a scientist that he is about to interview. There, an unmarked military plane makes an emergency landing. The plane doors open and dozens of zombies burst out stabbing and shooting military waiting outside. Miller tries to let the people know of this event, but General Murchison of Civil Defense will not allow it. Then, Miller tries to find his wife and escape from the blood-thirsty zombies that are all over the city."

If you like the slower, but unstoppable type of zombie, then catch Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, from 1974, which means it predates most zombie films.

"A cop chases two young people visiting the English countryside, suspecting them of a local murder; unbeknownst to him, the real culprits are the living dead, brought to life with a thirst for human flesh by radiation being used by area farmers as a pesticide alternative."

There's no doubt that the slow moving zombies that Romero introduced in Night of the Living Dead were pretty terrifying at the time, and the sheer multitude of them coming in a continuous, seemingly unstoppable stream can be just as frightening as a quick moving zombie film. Romero used slow moving zombies to good effect in most of his zombie films.

[Titleist]

Originally Posted by rixrex

There's no doubt that the slow moving zombies that Romero introduced in Night of the Living Dead were pretty terrifying at the time, and the sheer multitude of them coming in a continuous, seemingly unstoppable stream can be just as frightening as a quick moving zombie film. Romero used slow moving zombies to good effect in most of his zombie films.

Agreed this statement alone sums up why slow zombies are better than fast zombies.

[plissken99]

I dunno, if I see a horde of slow moving undead, I think to myself "Just gimme a good katana, and a sandwich to keep my energy up". I see fast zombies sprinting toward me, I think "run like hell and have infinite oozy ammo". I don't understand in Romero's movies how the dead take over the planet, seems those rednecks in the sticks were doing fine without military help.

[Monrozombi]

Originally Posted by plissken99

I dunno, if I see a horde of slow moving undead, I think to myself "Just gimme a good katana, and a sandwich to keep my energy up". I see fast zombies sprinting toward me, I think "run like hell and have infinite oozy ammo". I don't understand in Romero's movies how the dead take over the planet, seems those rednecks in the sticks were doing fine without military help.

See thats the flaw in your logic there. You see slow moving zombies and you think you can take them, so you run in w/ said katan and oops, you miss and one bites you, game over. You know runnig zombies are fast so yes you will run but remember they don't need to breathe and won't tire, you will. Hence slow zombies will rule the earth

[plissken99]

Originally Posted by Monrozombi

See thats the flaw in your logic there. You see slow moving zombies and you think you can take them, so you run in w/ said katan and oops, you miss and one bites you, game over. You know runnig zombies are fast so yes you will run but remember they don't need to breathe and won't tire, you will. Hence slow zombies will rule the earth

Dude that makes no sense, they won't tire, I will, that makes them all the scarier. And I could totally take slow zombies, from my video game training(I always play through scenarios until I don't get hit even once), don't rush in, just pick em off one by one, boo ya!

[reaper]

No one listed "Omega Man" with Charlton Heston, or the remake "I Am Omega?"

I really enjoyed "Omega Man." Curious to see how the remake was "updated."

[Astrakan]

Originally Posted by reaper

No one listed "Omega Man" with Charlton Heston

Since Omega Man is an adaptation of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend, aren't the

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

undead in question vampires and not zombies? I haven't seen the movie, only read the book. I'm putting this in spoiler brackets because they've been careful to not show that Neville is dealing with vampires in the trailers for the upcoming remake.

Spoiler may pertain to any version of I Am Legend, including the upcoming remake. If you've read the book you're obviously safe to read it.

KM

[Monrozombi]

Originally Posted by plissken99

Dude that makes no sense, they won't tire, I will, that makes them all the scarier. And I could totally take slow zombies, from my video game training(I always play through scenarios until I don't get hit even once), don't rush in, just pick em off one by one, boo ya!

hahaha, I didn't know of your mad video game skills. I'm just saying if they were better or scarier that all the zombie films and even the low budget b-movies would contain fast zombies. I don't think that they will ever catch on.

And going back to an earlier questions about the 28 Days/Weeks later "zombies." I don't classify them as zombies as they are infected with the rage and aren't technically dead nor do they eat their victims just more or less puke blood and rip them apart.

[rixrex]

I like both styles of zombies, fast or slow, not that picky about the science of something that's basically supernatural fiction anyway.

Along with Omega Man, a film deserving mention is the Vincent Price version, Last Man on Earth (now available widescreen as an MGM midnight movie double with Panic in Year Zero).

Several movies about raging maniacs under the influence of some type of toxin and who are akin to zombies but still alive, come to mind. Some worth seeing are Warning Sign, The Crazies, and Nightmare at Noon.

[iluvalex]

Originally Posted by Monrozombi

And going back to an earlier questions about the 28 Days/Weeks later "zombies." I don't classify them as zombies as they are infected with the rage and aren't technically dead nor do they eat their victims just more or less puke blood and rip them apart.

Interesting. I was thinking about this the other night watching 28 Weeks Later. They said the infected starved to death. That's how they were wiped out. So were they not only ripping up the living, but surviving off their flesh?

I'm on the fence here. I really don't think the infected are zombies, at least in my definition the body dies then re-animates. The infected in this case, just instantly changed to raging maniacs.

Then again, I prefer watching these 'zombie' films then Romero's. Romero's were good for it's time, but slow moving zombies are just that. Just like Frankenstein's monster doesn't frighten me. Maybe he would have back then, but I just find them uniquely engaging in an old fashioned kind of way.

[plissken99]

Yeah actually the infected do eat flesh(you see them gathered around dead bodies. They just usually don't stop to eat when theirs more people to rip apart. Oh Monrozombi, I'm right and your wrong so..

[rixrex]

The slow-moving zombies are like the wheels of the system of justice once they have you in their sights.

They take forever to get anywhere, but are always on your heels no matter where you turn.

Better to stay out of sight.

[Monrozombi]

Originally Posted by plissken99

Oh Monrozombi, I'm right and your wrong so..

oh no you didn't.....thats it, the fanboy in me is coming out, be prepared, i shall unleash the zombie fanboy in me upon you plissken99 oh yes...you just wait

[plissken99]

Originally Posted by Monrozombi

oh no you didn't.....thats it, the fanboy in me is coming out, be prepared, i shall unleash the zombie fanboy in me upon you plissken99 oh yes...you just wait

If only your zombie fanboy was faster, you might get me! OH SNAP!

[sub780lime]

Originally Posted by plissken99

If only your zombie fanboy was faster, you might get me! OH SNAP!

[rixrex]

Just got my order of Midnight Movies DVDs yesterday, and watched The Earth Dies Screaming. Aliens kill most of earth's population with a deadly gas, but a few people manage to not die.

It's a cool, short movie with reanimated corpses being controlled by alien space force which has also sent robots to cover all the aspects of total world conquest. Robots and Zombies! Now all that's needed is an Aztec mummy and a couple of masked wrestlers.

[suedelike]

Don’t know if you guys have heard of this one but I caught a lil indie horror release with the old lady this weekend. Zombie strippers here’s the trailer YouTube - Official Trailer from Zombie Strippers!!!, believe it or not this film was actually a boat load of laughs and I walked away from what I was sure was going to be a cliché slumberfest with a new outlook on zombie movies as a whole. I never really liked zombie movies to be honest but if others are as fun as this one was there may be more to the zombie niche than I was giving credit for.

Here is the trailer for the Zombie movie:
YouTube - Official Trailer from Zombie Strippers!!!