Got Brains? My Top 20 Zombie Movies
Friday February 15, 2008
With Diary of the Dead, George Romero's fifth (and last?) zombie movie coming out today, it seems only right to have a countdown of the 20 best zombie movies -- "best," of course, being a relative term, and 20 being a definite number. You might be surprised at what makes the list and even more so at what doesn't (Dawn of the Dead anyone?). Read it and weep.
Photo courtesy of Google Video
Comments
Mark:
Read your top 20 Zombie Movies list– great list! Thanks for that– it’s going to give me alot more movies to check out!
I honestly think one of the best Zombie flicks of all time is “Return of the Living Dead.” (#8 on your list) I saw it so many years ago, and I think it was the the one that got me hooked. I do have to agree though, the “Dawn” remake was brilliant.
Oh– and I also agree the first 10 minutes of “28 Weeks Later” were amazing– some of the most intense I’ve seen in a zombie flick. I’ve started a blog, and I discussed this in my posting “The Best Zombie Scene Ever”. When I read your list and similar comment, I just had to drop you and email.
By the way, my blog is at: zombienight.wordpress.com
Thanks and keep up the good work!
Dave
Have you seen Dead People aka Messiah of Evil (1974)? I don’t really do “favorites,” but I always champion this film when the subject of zombie movies comes up. I’ve only ever seen it on crappy grey-market DVDs in a horrible pan-and-scan chop job with bad sound sync, and for all that, it’s still one of the most visually arresting and entertaining zombie films I’ve ever seen. The zombie hunters (a menage a trois of swingers) are about as creepy as the zombies themselves. The grocery store sequence is a triumph of zombie moviemaking, and there’s a great little cameo by the legendary Elisha Cook, as the sole non-zombie in small California town.
If anyone ever finds an intact 35mm print and does a decent restoration, it could be the Carnival of Souls of zombie movies.
HP - I’ll have to check out Messiah of Evil. I haven’t seen it, but it just so happens that it was re-released this week as part of a budget zombie collection called Walking Dead (see New Horror Releases in Theaters and on DVD: Week of Feb. 17, 2008).
It is indeed hard when making a list of “favorites” to say one film is better than another. Frankly, there are some — like the 1990 NOTLD remake or even ROTLD Part II — that could’ve made the list, but I think that films like Evil and Plaga Zombie should get some love.
Thanks!
Mark
What, no Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead!?!?!?! (I also disagree with Dawn of the Dead off… the ear-blasting Goblin score, the biker gang, the helicopter scene — I can’t picture zombies without thinking back to this film. Instead of slow, perhaps “meditative”?) Otherwise, great roundup!
Andy
Andy - Ha, no dead chickens — yet — but I’ll have to catch Poultrygeist when it screens in LA in June. About Dawn, I think everyone has that one “classic” that they just can’t get into, and Dawn is mine. And Norbit.
-Mark
I would say that your list is….. okay.
You left out some of the better zombie flicks, and threw in some, not so great ones. There is one movie that really should have been in there, and yet you failed to mention it. Undead.
I can’t say I’d put Undead in the top 20. It’s close in quality to some of the lower-ranked ones, like Plaga Zombie and Evil, but it just didn’t do enough for me, especially at the end.
-Mark
Good list
but its missin resident evil dude
COMON!
richard - Yeah, that’s a tough one. It probably should be in there somewhere. I think the stench of the second movie diminished the first one in my eyes
-Mark
I googled “top zombie movies” and came across your list and totally loved it. I’ve seen parts of lots of zombies, but the first one i actually sat and watched start to finish was Dawn of the Dead-2004. I loved it, and wanted to watch every zombie movie. And i totally agree with you. When I watched the original Dawn of the Dead I was so disappointed, and its not a bad movie it’s just liked you said it just hasn’t stood up to the test of time. The face paint is laughable. And Shaun of the Dead is one of my absolute favorites it would be my #2.
Glad I could help, Samantha.! I wish you plenty of happy brain-munching action!
-Mark
Hey man, Great list, I saw mentioned above that you were left with a bad taste in your mouth from Resident Evil 2. I can understand that, but the 3rd was a little better. not as good as #1 of course but still pretty good I think. Either way, great list! And if you haven’t already seen it, check out this short, I found it a while ago and it’s good! I love it!
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-3655465801474364288&hl=en&fs=true
Later!
~Rick
Hi Rick - Ha! Yes! I’d forgotten about ‘Zombie Movie’! I’d seen it a couple of years ago. Great stuff! Apparently, the director is a comic book artist, but I’d love to see him make a full-length film.
Thanks,
Mark