Paste's 50 Best Zombie Movies of All Time

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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?