Top Ten: Zombie Movies

This list strikes a personal note with me as zombie movies are the very essence of my existence.  Therefore, if you disagree with me, I will feed you to the zombies when the dead rise.  Just kidding, but maybe not…you won’t know until you’re being eaten alive.  In this list of zombie movies, I’m going to focus on Romero-style zombies in this list as I believe that voodoo zombies belong in an entirely different list of their own.

Top Ten Zombie Movies

10. Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974)

One of several on this list that are criminally underrated and overlooked is Let Sleeping Corpses Lie.  The other prominent title for the film is The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue; two titles, same movie.  This movie adds an interesting spin to the idea as the zombies are evading notice of the authorities for a good chunk of the film.  While the living dead are killing people, the area cops are accusing a group of hippies of what appear to be Manson-like murders.

9. Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things (1973)

The title’s weird, the plot’s weirder, and the characters are the weirdest, but Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things is a must-see zombie film.  The story begins with a humorous cast of characters and a strange storyline.  Eventually, the movie turns into what we’ve grown to expect in a zombie film.  Though, seeing as it pre-dates all but one of Romero’s films, and pre-dates a good chunk of this style of zombie films, this can easily be called one of the foundational zombie movies.

8. Dead Alive (1992)

Dead Alive, or Braindead, is Peter Jackson’s zombie-gore masterpiece.  Easily recognized as one of the goriest films of all time, no fan of gore or of zombies can miss this flick.  In fact, an interesting detail that I’ve read is that during the lawnmower scene, five gallons of fake blood were pumped a second to create this over-the-top scene.  Bring a strong stomach and don’t miss this film.

7. Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror (1981)

Another criminally underrated zombie film is Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror.  It is reasonable to assume that Andrea Bianchi took a lot of inspiration from Fulci’s Zombi 2 when creating this movie.  Though easily overlooked, this is a zombie masterpiece in my opinion.  By the end of the movie you will ask yourself: “self, am I scared of zombies, or of Peter Bark?”

6. Tombs of the Blind Dead (1971)

Tombs of the Blind Dead is a personal all-time favorite of mine, and therefore earns a spot in the best zombie films list.  I should begin by noting that you really need to watch the Spanish version of this film with subtitles, as it is uncut and in its original form.  Pre-dating all other films on this list aside from Romero’s original Night of the Living Dead, this film is a landmark in the genre.  Though not a mass-scale zombie flick like Romero’s sequels or modern zombie movies, this film still has all the elements.  And while you’re at it, do yourself a favor and watch all three of Ossorio’s sequels.

5. The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

If you enjoy comedy with your horror, then The Return of the Living Dead is right up your alley.  Combining 1980′s attitude with great zombie gore and hilarious one-liners, this film is thoroughly entertaining.  There’s not a lot to be said about the overall feel and attitude of the film that is not already stated in the tagline:

4. Day of the Dead (1985)

Romero’s second sequel to Night, Day of the Dead, is a look even further into the future after a zombie apocalypse. There is not much that needs to be said, it’s a Romero film, and it is just as good as his first two.  The characters and acting are great, the gore is even better, and the story is intriguing.  Watch Night, Dawn, and then don’t miss Day of the Dead.

3. Zombi 2 (1979)

Lucio Fulci’s genius is easily picked up in his most well-known film, Zombi 2 or Zombie.  The zombie makeup is incredible, the gore is even better.  If you want good classic zombie-gore, then look no further…except do look further because you’ve still got two films in the list to go.

2. Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Did you expect that the top two zombie movies would be anything but Romero’s two original masterpieces?  Dawn of the Dead is an epic sequel to his ground-breaking zombie film that portrays a mass-scale outbreak of the rise of the living dead.  There really isn’t a lot to be said, Romero revolutionized horror with this release, so see it.

1. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

It will be a cold day in hell when I deny Romero’s original zombie masterpiece the number one spot in zombie film-dom.  If you haven’t seen Night of the Living Dead, you don’t know zombie movies.  Obviously it cannot be proven, but it can be speculated that none of the other films on this list would exist as they are without this film.  Romero revolutionized film and culture in more ways than one when he released this film in 1968, and it remains one of the greatest films in horror movie history.