The zombie movie is a genre unlike any other in the film. It can be a complete exploitation vehicle or can serve as a metaphor for the time audiences are living in. When MovieWeb interviewed the Godfather of zombie movies George A. Romero, he was asked if he wanted to make any more Dead films. To paraphrase, he said that he did, but he wanted to have the films "mean something." One could argue that you could do this in any genre, but there is something about the zombie genre that lends itself to metaphors.

Update May 27, 2023: Just because it's summer doesn't mean it isn't a great time to check out some zombie movies, and this article has been updated with even more great zombie films.

So what makes a great zombie movie? There is no hard and fast rule. Zombies as a creature are very malleable and can be made to fit a variety of genres. Obviously, horror is the primary genre audiences think of, but they have also been used in comedy and even romance. They provide social commentary and allow filmmakers and audiences alike to confront the fine line between what it means to be alive truly. The genre is rich and vast, filled with incredible films from multiple decades. With that said, here are our picks for the best zombie movies of all time.

21 Honorary Mention: Army of the Dead (2021)

Army of the Dead from Zack Snyder
Netflix

An honorary mention on this list is Army of the Dead. The 2021 zombie flick from Zack Snyder had a lot of buzz around it before it was released, and many fans of the subgenre were excited. With a star like Dave Bautista leading the film and an epic concept like an isolated Las Vegas that has been overrun by zombies, it seemed like this was about to become a cult classic. Unfortunately, that's not quite what happened.

The film faced a mediocre reception from many, although it did garner a loyal following. With a setting like Las Vegas, the film could have played with the sets and colors, making a film that was visually unique. Instead, it mostly is just dusty brown and dull, and the average frame from the film looks like it could have been pulled from any given action film. The quality of the film isn't quite up to par with the rest of the films on this list, so it isn't a formal addition. However, the potential of this film, the promise of the premise, and the exciting opening are worth noting for any zombie film fan.

20 Juan of the Dead (2011)

Juan-of-the-Dead
La Zafona Producciones

Juan of the Dead is a film by Alejandro Brugues that resembles Shaun of the Dead in tone. However, it is less middle-class suburbia and more impoverished street gang. Juan of the Dead utilizes political underpinnings reminiscent of many of its predecessors. The film follows Juan and his best friend Lazaro, two slackers who capitalize on the zombie apocalypse. The pair starts a small business that will clean up the zombified remains of loved ones for a nominal fee, of course. The film is equal parts horror, comedy, and thought-provoking.

19 Bio Zombie (1998)

Bio-Zombie
Brilliant Idea Group

On the face of it, Bio-Zombie might play as a redux of the themes in Dawn of the Dead. A Hong Kong shopping center is experiencing business as usual until zombies appear and take it over. From this moment on, Wilson Yip's film becomes a frantic game of cat and mouse as the remaining shoppers and employees fight for survival.

This is a film that most casual zombie fans probably don't talk about too much. However, those in the know truly understand just how important this overseas import is. Sure, it is from the 1990s, but its heart is in the 1980s, and even more importantly, one can tell the filmmaker and writers love the movies that inspired it.

18 Slither (2006)

Slither Poster

Slither sees a small town infected by aliens. Shortly after this, the town becomes a zombie haven that must be stopped. Slither is a different kind of zombie movie featuring an eclectic cast that includes Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, and Michael Rooker.

Yes, we've seen this story a million times before. However, director James Gunn seems to be reveling in what it means to be a flesh-eating monster. This film is filled with blood, gore, and humor. While there doesn't appear to be a big message like the films of George A. Romero, this movie is a good time because it is so well executed.

17 ParaNorman (2012)

A scene from ParaNorman
Focus Features

While ParaNorman may stand out from the rest of the films on this list, both because it was made with stop-motion animation and is appropriate for younger audiences, it deserves a spot on this list nonetheless. Norman, voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee, is a young boy with the extraordinary ability to see the dead. While this never made him the most popular kid in school or in his family, his gift causes even more problems when he learns that he must read from a sacred book to keep a witch's curse from raising the dead. Things don't quite go according to plan, but at least everyone else can see the zombies, too.

Related: ParaNorman: Why This Spooky Stop-Motion Film Needs More Love

The ending of the film delivers a gut-wrenching twist and, similar to many other zombie movies, delivers an important message about how accepting others can be difficult, but it's important to avoid the zombie apocalypse. Or maybe it is just important to be kind so we don't cause harm to each other, but either way, it's a good moral to the story.

16 The Beyond (1983)

Lucio Fulci's The Beyond
Medusa Film

Lucio Fulci's The Beyond is another artfully done horror affair. The story follows a woman who inherits a home (a classic horror movie trope) and comes to learn that it sits on an entrance to hell. On its own, this story probably doesn't pop off the screen, but one doesn't necessarily enjoy a Lucio Fulci movie for the story.

This film is visually stunning. There is gore and grotesque goings-on that are entirely on another planet. However, this movie always remains tasteful. Lucio Fulci can straddle those worlds that make this film stand out. It was released in 1981, and while it looks dated because it is an older film, there is nothing "old" about The Beyond.

15 Night of the Creeps (1986)

Night of the Creeps
TriStar Pictures 

How could a zombie movie by the creator of The Monster Squad not be good? Night of the Creeps focuses on these small creatures who invade human beings through their mouth and then turn them into zombies. Keeping with the great 1980s tradition of young people solving their problems, it takes a few teenagers to realize that something needs to be done.

With horror movie stalwart Tom Atkins involved in the proceedings, Night of the Creeps still makes for a great late-night viewing experience. While maybe not as well known as some of the more popular zombie-fare, Night of the Creeps holds up because it is a zombie film that honestly believes in itself.

14 Pet Sematary (1989)

pet sematary
Paramount Pictures

Not a zombie flick per se, this film, based on a novel by Stephen King, is many things at once. The Creeds move to a new home in Maine. Everything is good in this quiet setting until the Creeds' young child is killed. This is when the parents find out about a Pet Sematary behind their home. They learn that they can bury their child there, and he will come back. Well, he does, and, as you can guess, he isn't the boy he once was.

Making the killer an adorable little boy completely throws off our expectations of what a killer is capable of. While some Stephen King adaptations are hit or miss, Pet Sematary hits as a zombie film because it is replete with thrills, chills, gore, and a killer that can disarm you with their smile. The movie spawned a sequel Pet Sematary 2, a 2019 reboot, and a prequel to the 2019 film starring Samantha Mathis and Henry Thomas.

13 The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

Zombie from The Serpent and the Rainbow
Universal Pictures

Is there a zombie movie, or any movie for that matter, with a cooler title? Directed by horror maestro Wes Craven, The Serpent and the Rainbow looks at how voodoo might play a role in the reanimation of human beings. Shot on location in Haiti, this film was a slow burn of the highest order. However, like The Believers and other horror movies of that time, this film is scary simply because of its subject matter, focusing mainly on voodoo. With the image of Bill Pullman on its one-sheet, this movie was very good at tapping into our true fears of life, death, and beyond.

12 Planet Terror (2007)

Planet Terror

Planet Terror isn't just a movie recalling the great grindhouse films of the 1970s and 1980s. This is a great movie simply because of its careless abandon. The story is simple; the government makes a mistake with a biological weapon, which leads to lives lost and the outbreak of zombies. The zombie outbreak spreads, and a group of oddballs is thrown together to stop it.

Related: Planet Terror is the best half of Grindhouse (Not Death Proof)

Filled with blood, guts, and gore, this movie may have been overpriced in its creation, but look at the remains we're left with. Everything about this film is over the top for the sake of being over the top. Planet Terror was released as a double feature alongside Death Proof as part of Grindhouse. Grindhouse bombed at the box office, but that shouldn't hurt Planet Terror's standing as a classic.

11 Warm Bodies (2013)

Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer in Warm Bodies
Summit Entertainment

With so many zombie movies out there, how can you put a fresh spin on it? By mashing it up with another over-used story, Romeo and Juliet. In Warm Bodies, Nicholas Hoult plays R, a young man who doesn't remember anything about his life before suddenly becoming a zombie, forever wandering an airport with another undead. His world, and the whole world, are changed forever when he runs into Julie, played by Teresa Palmer. The few humans who are still alive reside in a walled-up city, but every once in a while, they venture outside for supplies, and that is where Julie and R fall in love.

While this is a story of star-crossed lovers that, somehow, has a happier ending than the original Romeo and Juliet, that doesn't mean that it doesn't have plenty of horror and suspense that someone would expect from a zombie movie. There are plenty of scenes where R must protect Julie from the other zombies and these bizarre ruthless creatures the zombies are destined to become once they lose their sense of self entirely. While most zombie films feature a bleak ending, Warm Bodies ends with a lot of hope and a bit of humor.

10 Zombieland (2009)

Zombieland-1
Sony Pictures Releasing

Zombieland puts comedy first and gore second, but neither is any more or less important in Ruben Fleischer's thrill ride. With characters that have names like Columbus, Wichita, and Tallahassee (so named because this is where in the US they hail from), one thing is clear in Zombieland; survival is the name of the game. Part road trip, part coming-of-age story, all fun. Zombieland is what one might imagine Planes, Trains, & Automobiles would've been if there were flesh-eating monsters, guns, chainsaws, Twinkies, and Bill Murray involved.

While not deconstructing the genre, Zombieland fully embraces the genre in a fun, comical way. In 2009 it felt like everybody had seen Zombieland as it became a surprise box office hit. The long-awaited sequel, Zombieland 2: Double Tap, was released in 2019.

9 28 Days Later (2003)

28-Days-Later
Fox Searchlight Pictures

Harkening back to the statement-driven films of Night of the Living Dead and Dawn Of The Dead, 28 Days Later is a gore-fest, horror movie and cautionary tale. After animal activists invade a laboratory, they inadvertently release a virus that creates a zombie outbreak. However, these zombies are different, and the way they act is more rage-based than the other kinds of flesh-eaters we are used to seeing. Danny Boyle has proven himself to be a master genre jumper. He has deftly crafted a tale that calls out humanity in all its guises.

28 Days Later was a game changer when it opened in theaters, as it redefined the genre with its fast zombies. It spawned a sequel, 28 Weeks Later, and audiences are still holding out hope for the long-awaited sequel 28 Months Later.

8 Braindead/Dead Alive (1992)

braindead deada alive timothy balme blood zombies
ORO Films

Titled Braindead in the rest of the world but released as Dead Alive in the United States, this horror zombie film comes from filmmaker Peter Jackson. The story follows a boy whose mom becomes infected by a monkey. She dies but, alas, returns and starts making meals out of almost anything living. One could say it is the brutal over the top gore that people love. However, it is also likely that by tapping into the bond between mother and son, Peter Jackson has ultimately made a scary movie about universal truths.

7 Day Of The Dead (1985)

George A. Romero's Day of the Dead
United Film Distribution Company

Underscoring this 1980s masterpiece is the sense of futility that this film gives off. It is almost as if George A. Romero is standing on a building screaming, begging for audiences to embrace something different. In Day of the Dead, scientists have now been relegated to an underground safe house where, again, zombies are trying to kill them. This movie is a slow burn as far as action goes, but once things get going, the beasts have been unleashed, and nobody, no matter where they go, is safe.

6 Re-Animator (1985)

Re-Animator
Empire International Pictures

Re-Animator is a true cult classic. Stuart Gordon's tale of medical students experimenting on and ultimately reanimating dead people might not even seem like a zombie movie in the classical sense of the term. Yet given a zombie is a reanimated corpse, it certainly fits the literal definition. Re-Animator features plenty of scares, thrills, and over-the-top gore, making it a must-watch for any horror fan.

5 The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

Tarman in Return of the Living Dead
Orion Pictures

Director Dan O'Bannon's mid-80s film was more fun than the other Dead films, but that doesn't mean it is less effective. The great conceit of zombie films is that even amidst these treacherous situations, there is plenty of room for humor and contemplation. The story is simple. A gaseous substance is released into the air, and suddenly the dead return to wreak havoc. This would be enough, but these zombies have a punk rock angle.

Now, maybe this was a subtle way of saying that marginalized sub-cultures would soon take over pop culture (as it happened!), or perhaps it was a way of cashing in on one of punk rock's nadir moments. Whatever the case, it is very hard to sit through The Return of the Living Dead and not be entertained.

4 Zombie (1979)

zombie-1979-movie
Variety Film

Zombie clearly has the name that earns it a spot on this list. This seminal zombie film has it all. First off, it has the legendary Lucio Fulci as its director, who was previously mentioned on this list earlier for Beyond. He was a man who reveled in the work he did within the horror genre, including films like City of the Living Dead and White Fang.

Secondly, you have people in a tropical paradise that are experiencing a nightmare. The ability to contrast pristine settings with flesh-eating creatures from the undead is part and parcel of what makes these films effective. Lastly, the designs in Zombie are so iconic and classic that all one would need to do is show someone a picture, and they would instantly get what this is

3 Shaun of the Dead (2004)

The cast of Shaun of the Dead
StudioCanal

Released in 2004, Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead was truly a revelation. This was a film that turned the genre inside out. Yet, it wasn't deconstructing the zombie films that had come before it (like Scream did with the horror genre); it was celebrating them in a way that everybody was "in on the joke" because there was no joke to be had.

As with all great zombie films, Shaun of the Dead centers around the typical zombie outbreak. However, rather than just fighting for survival, our main characters, played by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, have to reconcile relationships in the process. It is a movie that has plenty of gore and comedy but also remembers to tell an incredibly human story.

2 Dawn Of The Dead (1978) and (2004)

Dawn of the Dead 2004 Fast Zombies 1200 x 630
Universal Pictures

Set in a mall, Dawn Of The Dead is George A. Romero's critique of American capitalism and consumerism. With the zombie problem now at epidemic proportions, people are forced to hole up in a mall as they seek refuge and fight off these human flesh eaters. Dawn of the Dead is one of the most influential zombie movies of all time and also one of the greatest sequels ever made.

In a rare move, the 2004 remake directed by Zack Snyder is surprisingly as good as the original. Remaking a classic is a difficult task, but Snyder's strong visual style and a sharp script from James Gunn make this remake worthy to be spoken of in the same breath as the original.