Scariest zombie movies to watch this Halloween
DexertoBraiins… braaaaiiiinnns… use your brains to read our list of the best (and scariest) zombie movies ever made.
If you like horror movies, you undoubtedly love zombies. There’s just something brilliantly beguiling about these reanimated cannibalistic cadavers that makes them the perfect horror movie villain.
Don’t take my word for it, though; take a look at all the recent films we’ve got starring the walking dead. Indeed, it feels like there’s a literal horde of zombie movies banging at every film fan’s door, wailing and moaning for your attention.
So, which of these man-munching monster movies is actually worth your time? Well, that’s a tough question to answer, but to celebrate Terror-Tober, our team of ghoulish experts have locked themselves away in a secure bunker and worked out a definitive list of the best zombie movies.
25. World War Z (2013)
Paramount PicturesDirector: Marc Forster
Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale, Matthew Fox
What it’s about: Gerry Lane, a UN investigator, must travel the globe in the hopes of finding a cure for a strange virus that’s causing the infected to turn into zombies.
Why we like it: Adapting Max Brooks’ beloved novel for the big screen was always going to be a difficult task, and inevitably, Forster’s take on World War Z turned out to be divisive. Yet, while it exorcised some of the book’s more memorable passages, it’s still a shockingly entertaining zombie movie, helped in large part by Pitt’s charismatic performance, plenty of thrills, and some pulse-pounding action scenes.
Words by Tom Percival
24. Death Becomes Her (1992)
Universal PicturesDirector: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis
What it’s about: Two women discover a magical potion that grants them eternal life. However, their newfound immortality comes with hilarious and grotesque consequences as their bodies begin to break down while they struggle to maintain their rivalry in increasingly surreal ways.
What we think: It might not be for everyone, but if you’re in the business of campy, OTT horror comedy, Death Becomes Her could be for you. Alongside its witty dialogue and satirical take on vanity, the film benefits from its leads, Streep, Hawn, and Willis, and there’s even more silliness to enjoy when it comes to the visual effects. We didn’t need an absurd recreation of the Exorcist head spin, but boy, are we glad they went there.
Words by Daisy Phillipson
23. Contagion (2011)
Warner Bros.Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, Bryan Cranston, Gwyneth Paltrow
What it’s about: A businesswoman returns from Hong Kong feeling a bit unwell, unaware she’s patient zero of the deadliest outbreak since the Black Plague. The virus infects millions across the US, with government officials trying to maintain order and create a cure.
Why we like it: “In order to get scared, all you have to do is to come in contact with a rumor, or the television, the internet,” or in this case, Steven Soderbergh’s arrestingly meticulous account of a pandemic that hits a little too close to home after the early 2020s. Zombie movies dwell in the ruins of the world – Contagion dares to show how easily it’d fall apart. “Nothing spreads like fear.”
Words by Cameron Frew
22. Pontypool (2008)
Maple PicturesDirector: Bruce McDonald
Cast: Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle, Georgina Reilly
What it’s about: As a snowstorm sweeps through the small town of Pontypool, the local radio station hears reports of riots and residents eating each other. But this isn’t your typical zombie apocalypse, and infection can take hold with just a word.
Why we like it: Language is the fabric of humanity, the stitching that binds polar opposite nations together. However, while words have long carried the capacity to induce madness, Pontypool takes it one step further, with its virus’ rage spreading through love, compassion, and the compulsion to understand what’s going on. It’s terrifying.
Words by Cameron Frew
21. The Night Eats the World (2018)
WTFilms Director: Dominique Rocher
Cast: Anders Danielsen Lie, Golshifteh Farahani, Denis Lavant
What it’s about: After waking up in a Paris apartment following a party, Sam discovers the city has been overrun by zombies. Isolated and alone, he must navigate a silent, desolate world where his survival depends not only on avoiding the undead but also on maintaining his sanity.
What we think: What happens when you wake up the night after a party, only to find a zombie apocalypse has ravaged everything and everyone around you? This is the predicament facing Sam, who becomes the focus of this captivating movie that is as much of a character study as it is genre flick.
Danielsen Lie gives an impeccable performance as the survivor, leading the narrative as it dwells on the psychological effects of isolation. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll come out with a newfound sense of gratitude for human interaction.
Words by Daisy Phillipson
20. Dead Alive (Braindead) (1992)
Trimark PicturesDirector: Peter Jackson
Cast: Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver, Elizabeth Moody
What it’s about: Young romance takes a turn when the boyfriend, Lionel, finds out his clingy mother is patient zero for a radical zombie outbreak.
Why we like it: Squelchy, icky, and gloriously grotesque, Dead Alive is Peter Jackson’s masterpiece outside Middle-earth. The cutesy meetcute makes an ideal throughline among the chaos and bloody revelry. In life as in love, it’s all fun and games until the lawnmower comes out. Glorious.
Words by Anthony Mcglynn
19. I am Legend (2007)
Warner Bros.Director: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan
What it’s about: Three years after a failed cancer cure decimates mankind, Robert Neville roams New York City alone with his dog. During the day, they try to figure out how to save the world. At night, they hide from the Darkseekers.
Why we like it: Its head-scratcher of an ending aside, I Am Legend is a thrilling, frightening, and heart-aching film that proves one thing: Will Smith is (or was) one of the most charismatic movie stars of the past 30 years. He makes it look effortless, conveying the tragic, demented solitude of being the Last Man on Earth. After all this time, I still need to forward-wind past that scene with Sam.
Words by Cameron Frew
18. ParaNorman (2012)
Universal PicturesDirectors: Sam Fell, Chris Butler
Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jodelle Ferland, Bernard Hill, Anna Kendrick, John Goodman
What it’s about: Norman Babcock is an ordinary 11-year-old boy (well, actually he’s not that normal, the film’s not called ParaNormal now, is it?) with a very special gift. Norman can talk to the dead, which makes him a target for bullies at school. But things change for Norman when he’s given a special mission to stop a witch from destroying his town.
Why we like it: Stop-motion is the most gorgeous form of animation, and its slightly uncanny nature lends itself wonderfully to tales of the macabre like ParaNorman. Outside of its beautiful aesthetic, however, ParaNorman works because it’s got a thoughtful story, likable characters, and a devilish charm about it.
Words by Tom Percival
17. Handling the Undead (2024)
Nordisk FilmDirector: Thea Hvistendahl
Cast: Renate Reinsve, Bjørn Sundquist, Anders Danielsen Lie
What it’s about: Based on the novel of the same name, Handling the Undead explores the emotional and societal challenges faced by families in Oslo as they grapple with the resurrection of their loved ones.
What we think: Don’t expect a high-octane zombie flick here. Instead, Handling the Undead is a thoughtful, philosophical exploration of loss, grief, and the human condition. Its unique, somber approach gives the film an emotional bite, making it less about horror and more about the consequences of confronting death.
Words by Daisy Phillipson
16. Planet Terror (2007)
Dimension FilmsDirector: Robert Rodriguez
Cast: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Michael Biehn
What it’s about: When an insane army lieutenant deliberately leaks a mutagenic gas he sets off a chain reaction that turns Earth into Planet Terror.
Why we like it: Gnarly and gross, Planet Terror is a love letter to the monster movies of yesteryear that’s as subtle as a blow to the head. While there’s a grisly satisfaction in the spectacle of watching the mutated sickos slowly melt (one scene in particular is particularly cathartic), the real star of Planet Terror is McGowan, who gives a kick-ass performance in a movie full of unforgivable moments.
Words by Tom Percival
15. Alive (2020)
NetflixDirector: Il Cho
Cast: Yoo Ah-in, Park Shin-hye, Lee Hyun-wook
What it’s about: In the midst of a zombie apocalypse, a young gamer is trapped in his apartment and cut off from the world in his quest for survival.
What we think: Firstly, the zombie design in Alive is epic, bringing together the speed of 28 Days Later with the terror of the Train to Busan ghouls. Then there’s the contemporary take on the genre, demonstrating how an undead attack might look in the tech era while exploring themes on loneliness and isolation. It was the perfect antidote to our post-pandemic world, one that still holds up today.
Words by Daisy Phillipson
14. The Sadness (2021)
Raven Banner EntertainmentDirector: Rob Jabbaz
Cast: Berant Zhu, Regina, Tzu-Chiang Wang
What it’s about: The term ‘rage virus’ takes on new meaning when a rabid infection turns people into mindless, sociopathic nihilists across Taiwan.
Why we like it: Just when you think you’ve seen the worst, The Sadness finds a way to get even worse. Rob Jabbaz’s feature debut delivers violence in just about every form you can imagine, thoroughly exploring the possibilities a rage-inducing plague offers. It’s a blitzkrieg you can’t look away from, even if everything tells you you should.
Words by Anthony McGlynn
13. 28 Weeks Later (2007)
28th Century StudiosDirector: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Cast: Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Harold Perrineau, Imogen Poots, and Idris Elba.
What it’s about: It’s been 28 weeks since the Rage virus rampaged through Britain. The country is one giant quarantine, shut off from the rest of the world, and NATO’s forces have taken control. When a safe zone becomes infected again, all hell breaks loose.
Why we like it: 28 DaysLater is one of the greatest horror movies of all time. Its sequel is underrated, though, daring to peek into a semi-functioning society in the wake of a zombie-like apocalypse while upping the thrills and, boldly, ditching its predecessor’s sense of hope. It also has the greatest opening to a zombie movie ever.
Words by Cameron Frew
12. The Girl With All The Gifts (2016)
Warner Bros. Director: Colm McCarthy
Cast: Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine, Glenn Close, Sennia Nanua
What it’s about: Set in the not-so-distant future, when a fungal infection has turned the bulk of humanity into mindless creatures known as hungry, one young girl is our only hope for survival.
Why we like it: A fresh and thoughtful take on the zombie formula, The Girl With All The Gifts balances classic zombie thrills with a thorny moral conundrum. Like I Am Legend, it forces the viewer to ask themselves who’s the real monster: those struggling to survive or those willing to throw away their morals to give their already doomed species a second chance.
Words by Tom Percival
11. The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Orion PicturesDirector: Dan O’Bannon
Cast: Clu Gulager, James Karen, Thom Mathews, Don Calfa
What it’s about: A loose (and highly unofficial) follow-up of sorts to Night of the Living Dead, Return follows a group of warehouse workers as they battle a horde of undead ghouls reanimated by a mysterious toxic gas.
Why we like it: While Romero’s zombie films are a thoughtful meditation on humanity, society, and the dehumanizing nature of capitalism, the Living Dead movies are their anarchic, punk cousin – more interested in having fun than making an important point. This irreverent shocker delights in the ghoulish and ghastly, telling jokes darker than Dracula’s blackest cloak at midnight.
A personal favorite has always been the zombie that gets a hold of a police radio and orders the officer on dispatch to “send more cops,” effectively turning 999 into a zombie take-out service. It’s not all laughs, though, there are some genuine thrills to be had, and I promise you once you’ve been the Tarman, you’ll never forget him.
Words by Tom Percival
10. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Continental DistributingDirector: George A. Romero
Cast: Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman
What it’s about: A group of strangers barricade themselves in a farmhouse to escape a sudden outbreak of the undead. As tensions rise, they must fight not only the growing horde of zombies but also the deep-seated fears and prejudices that emerge from within the group.
What we think: “They’re coming to get you, Barbara…” This iconic piece of foreshadowing is just one of many lines in this landmark in horror cinema. Night of the Living Dead set the foundation for modern zombie films and for good reason.
Alongside its raw, gritty style, its groundbreaking social commentary skewering racism in the US elevates it beyond just a horror movie, making it a timelines classic that continues to resonate with audiences decades after its release.
Words by Daisy Phillipson
9. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Universal PicturesDirector: Zack Snyder
Cast: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer, Ty Burrell
What it’s about: A nurse wakes up to find her next-door neighbor’s little girl standing in her bedroom. Minutes later, after escaping her flesh-eating wrath, she stumbles outside and discovers that a zombie apocalypse has begun. Alongside a few other survivors, she takes refuge in a shopping mall.
Why we like it: Does it have the gallows wit of George A. Romero’s classic? No. Is it more entertaining? Absolutely. This is scarier and more vicious, with tactile, knuckle-whitening action and an all-timer downbeat ending. Twenty years later, it’s still the best film of Snyder’s career.
Words by Cameron Frew
8. One Cut of the Dead (2017)
Asmik AceDirector: Shin’ichirō Ueda
Cast: Takayuki Hamatsu, Yuzuki Akiyama, Kazuaki Nagaya, Harumi Shuhama
What it’s about: A low-budget film crew making a zombie movie find themselves fighting off real zombies during production.
What we think: It’s hilarious, gory, and a meta masterclass. Keeping things fresh in the zombie genre is no mean feat, but Ueda manages it with One Cut of the Dead, and on a budget of $20,000 to boot. What begins as a chaotic zombie attack soon unfolds into a layered, witty story about the magic and madness of filmmaking itself. Stick with it, as it switches gears in the second act.
Words by Daisy Phillipson
7. REC (2007)
FilmaxDirector: Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza
Cast: Manuela Velasco, Pablo Rosso, Ferrán Teraza, David Vert
What it’s about: During a quiet night shift, a reporter receives a tip about an old woman trapped in her apartment. Alongside her cameraman and two firefighters, they head over there to save her – but something far more horrifying awaits them.
Why we like it: Handheld camera movies are tried, tested, and tired. But in their relentless post-Blair Witch output, dynamite emerged in REC, a blistering dose of zombie-fuelled adrenaline, anchored on the tangible gasps, tears, and screams of our ill-fated Spanish news reporter. Its nail-dragging final shot sits with the greats.
Words by Cameron Frew
6. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
United Film DistributionDirector: George A Romero
Cast: Gaylen Ross, Ken Foree, David Emge
What it’s about: Society is falling apart as the undead continue to rise and consume human flesh. A disparate group seek refuge in an abandoned shopping mall, but they may have only constructed their own grave.
Why we like it: After redefining the zombie film with Night of the Living Dead, Romero depicts our downfall on a grand scale. Military and police forces are helpless as flesh-eaters swarm cities, forcing survivors out.
Among them, a news reporter, TV producer, and a pair of SWAT officers manage to set up camp in a mall. Their peace is short-lived, as Romero indulges in his goriest, most darkly comedic, desolate, yet radically hopeful picture.
Words by Anthony McGlynn
5. Zombieland (2009)
Sony PicturesDirector: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin
What it’s about: Following the outbreak of a mutant strain of mad cow disease that causes zombiism (is that a word?) in those infected, a group of survivors band together in the hopes of avoiding the roving groups of the undead.
Why we like it: Cos it’s funny! Oh, you need more than that, ok. Zombieland is a fun deconstruction of the zombie formula that had become slightly ubiquitous following the release of 28 Days Later. As a result, it’s full of fun, meta gags about the tropes and cliches that have plagued the genre for years that any horror fan will get a kick out of. It also features one of the best cameos in the history of horror, which I don’t want to spoil here.
Words by Tom Percival
4. Day of the Dead (1985)
United Film Distribution CompanyDirector: George A Romero
Cast: Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joe Pilato
What it’s about: Years after the living dead took over the planet, several humans are forced to co-exist in an increasingly tense bunker, all the while zombies inch closer and closer.
Why we like it: All hope is gone in Romero’s trilogy-closer, focusing on the last vestiges of mankind, relegated underground after flesh-eating undead start walking the Earth. The horror titan is at his darkest and most nihilistic, pitting scientists dead set on finding a cure against the bullish soldiers assigned to protect them.
Romero’s script and visuals are rife with claustrophobia, accentuated by Tom Savini’s gruesome effects work. They give a dedicated cast plenty to chew on, including the brilliant Lori Cardille and Joe Pilato. It’s the end of the world as we know it, and we might never feel fine again.
Words by Anthony McGlynn
3. 28 Days Later (2002)
Fox Searchlight PicturesDirector: Danny Boyle
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston
What it’s about: 28 days after a highly contagious virus – which causes those infected to succumb to an uncontrollable rage – is released from a lab, a man named Jim awakens from his coma to find London abandoned… but poor Jim’s not as alone as he thinks.
Why we like it: In the early 2000s, the zombie genre was pretty much dead. Boyle’s film then served as the catalyst for zombie movies rising from the grave to terrorize the living (cinemagoers) once again.
Aside from reversing the rotten reputation of the grisliest genre, though, 28 Days Later is a really gnarly film, featuring some of the scariest zombies ever put to celluloid, impressive visuals courtesy of some creative camera work, and early morning starts (how else do you think Boyle managed to film an “empty” London), plus a star-making lead performance courtesy of a pre-Peaky Blinders Murphy.
Words by Tom Percival
2. Train to Busan (2016)
Next Entertainment WorldDirector: Yeon Sang-ho
Cast: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok
What it’s about: As a deadly zombie plague spreads across Korea, an unfortunate group of survivors find themselves trapped on a train with a horde of ravenous revenants.
Why we like it: Boasting an incredibly novel concept, likable characters, and a literal carriage full of cannibalistic corpses, there’s a lot to like about Train To Busan. Yet, with all that in mind, what really makes Train to Busan so effective is the relationship between Seok-woo and his young daughter, which grounds the movie’s bombastic scares in something more digestible.
Words by Tom Percival
1. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
United International Pictures Director: Edgar Wright
Cast: Simpson Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davies, Dylan Moran
What it’s about: When zombies rise from their graves to feast on the flesh of the living, Shaun and his mates try to get to the only place in London they know will be safe: the pub.
Why we like it: Funnier than a trip to your local with your best mates and just as messy, Shaun of the Dead balances great one-liners with all the dread of The Walking Dead. It sounds like a weird combo, but I bet they said the same thing about cheese and onion crisps when they were first released, and people can’t get enough of them now.
In all seriousness, though, while there’s a zaniness to Shaun that can’t be overlooked, there’s also a withering satirical edge to this film, and it’s got just as much to say about society, and the way so many of us shamble through life, as George A. Romero’s finest work.
Words by Tom Percival
Not got your fill of the undead? Then Check out our list of the best zombie games ever made or our guide to the scariest horror TV shows ever made. That’s not all though, we’ve also got a list of most violent horror movies ever made as well as a Netflix horror movie ranking that’ll knock your socks off.