Paste's 50 Best Zombie Movies of All Time

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Created by Panunzio.

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Here’s a film truism that everyone can agree upon: George Romero’s 1968 Night of the Living Dead is probably the most influential and important “zombie film” of all time. It codified an entirely new meaning for the term, which is ironic, given that the word “zombie” never actually appears in the movie, where the creatures are typically referred to as “ghouls.” But regardless, NOTLD catapulted the Americanized idea of “zombies” past their Haitian voodoo origins and into the cultural consciousness as dead bodies come back to life or otherwise reanimated, who fed upon the living. Few films in any genre can claim to be so influential. But is it the best zombie movie of all time?

Despite its classic, definitive imagery, and despite everything it contributed to the history of horror cinema, it’s not as if Night of the Living Dead is a flawless film. It can be slow, a bit dated, and is limited by its minimal budget in more ways than one. With the historical record taken into account, it’s a great film. But it’s simply not the “greatest zombie movie of all time,” if we’re being objective.

What, then, even makes for a great zombie film? Are they determined more by great human characterization, or by the utilization of the zombies themselves? What’s more important: A unique setting, or great practical effects? Gore and mayhem, or wry social commentary? Black comedy, or genuinely frightening suspense? Each can make for valid, classic examples of zombie cinema. And please, let’s not debate what is and isn’t “zombies.” We all know that the “infected” of 28 Days Later aren’t Romero-style zombies, but the construction of the film is 100 percent “zombie movie.” Likewise with many other entries on the list—it’s about intent and presentation, not whether the creatures fit within a very specific guidelines.

So without further ado: Here are the 50 greatest zombie movies of all time. The list could easily have been longer, and we trimmed quite a few classics just to get down to 50. Will we reach 100 next year? Who’s to say?

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  1. 13 -

    ...E tu vivrai nel terrore! L'aldilà

    1981 — a.k.a. The Beyond, in 4 top lists Check
  2. 4 -

    28 Days Later...

    2002, in 9 top lists Check
  3. 25 -

    28 Weeks Later

    2007, in 2 top lists Check
  4. 20 +1

    The Battery

    2012, in 0 top lists Check
  5. 17 +1

    Braindead

    1992 — a.k.a. Dead Alive, in 8 top lists Check
  6. 14 -

    Busanhaeng

    2016 — a.k.a. Train to Busan, in 4 top lists Check
  7. 44 -5

    Cooties

    2014, in 0 top lists Check
  8. 1 -

    Dawn of the Dead

    1978, in 15 top lists Check
  9. 16 -

    Dawn of the Dead

    2004, in 1 top list Check
  10. 5 -

    Day of the Dead

    1985, in 4 top lists Check
  11. 23 +1

    Dead & Buried

    1981, in 1 top list Check
  12. 47 -

    The Dead Next Door

    1989, in 0 top lists Check
  13. 41 -

    Deadgirl

    2008, in 1 top list Check
  14. 27 -

    Dellamorte Dellamore

    1994 — a.k.a. Cemetery Man, in 5 top lists Check
  15. 10 -

    Dèmoni

    1985 — a.k.a. Demons, in 2 top lists Check
  16. 38 -

    Død snø

    2009 — a.k.a. Dead Snow, in 1 top list Check
  17. 7 -

    Evil Dead II

    1987, in 9 top lists Check
  18. 26 -

    La horde

    2009 — a.k.a. The Horde, in 1 top list Check
  19. 32 -

    I Walked with a Zombie

    1943, in 10 top lists Check
  20. 37 -

    Incubo sulla città contaminata

    1980 — a.k.a. Nightmare City, in 0 top lists Check
  21. 33 -

    Juan de los Muertos

    2011 — a.k.a. Juan of the Dead, in 2 top lists Check
  22. 21 +1

    Kamera o tomeru na!

    2017 — a.k.a. One Cut of the Dead, in 4 top lists
    Check
  23. 31 -

    Land of the Dead

    2005, in 1 top list Check
  24. 39 new

    Little Monsters

    2019, in 0 top lists
    Check
  25. 30 -

    Night of the Comet

    1984, in 2 top lists Check
  26. 19 +1

    Night of the Creeps

    1986, in 1 top list Check
  27. 8 -

    Night of the Living Dead

    1968, in 20 top lists Check
  28. 24 -7

    Night of the Living Dead

    1990, in 1 top list Check
  29. 35 -

    No profanar el sueño de los muertos

    1974 — a.k.a. Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, in 2 top lists Check
  30. 45 -1

    La noche del terror ciego

    1972 — a.k.a. Tombs of the Blind Dead, in 3 top lists Check
  31. 18 +1

    The Plague of the Zombies

    1966, in 1 top list Check
  32. 29 -

    Planet Terror

    2007, in 1 top list Check
  33. 11 -

    Pontypool

    2008, in 3 top lists Check
  34. 49 -

    Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead

    2006, in 2 top lists Check
  35. 28 -

    Rammbock

    2010, in 0 top lists Check
  36. 3 -

    Re-Animator

    1985, in 7 top lists Check
  37. 12 -

    [Rec]

    2007 — a.k.a. REC, in 2 top lists Check
  38. 2 -

    The Return of the Living Dead

    1985, in 3 top lists Check
  39. 34 -

    The Serpent and the Rainbow

    1988, in 2 top lists Check
  40. 6 -

    Shaun of the Dead

    2004, in 13 top lists Check
  41. 48 -

    Shock Waves

    1977 — a.k.a. Almost Human, in 2 top lists Check
  42. 36 -

    Slither

    2006, in 3 top lists Check
  43. 40 -

    Warm Bodies

    2013, in 1 top list Check
  44. 43 -

    Wasting Away

    2007, in 0 top lists Check
  45. 50 -

    White Zombie

    1932, in 2 top lists Check
  46. 46 -1

    World War Z

    2013, in 3 top lists Check
  47. 22 +1

    Wyrmwood

    2014 — a.k.a. Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead, in 0 top lists Check
  48. 42 -

    Zeder

    1983 — a.k.a. Revenge of the Dead, in 2 top lists Check
  49. 9 -

    Zombi 2

    1979 — a.k.a. Zombie, in 4 top lists Check
  50. 15 -

    Zombieland

    2009, in 2 top lists Check
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Last updated on Sep 15, 2021 by Panunzio; source