Danny Boyle 28 days later helped revolutionize the zombie genre for a new generation and ushered in an era of clever undead tales that turned the genre’s conventions on their head. Although the gritty, realistic world seen in the post-apocalyptic landscapes of 28 days later led to many other dark and serious zombie films throughout the 2000s and beyond, there have also been many hilarious and unique zombie comedies that deconstructed the conventions of this style of cinema. From fast-paced zombie nightmares to self-referential, tongue-in-cheek creatures, the genre has seen a lot of creative releases in recent years.
Many of the best zombie films ever made played with genre conventions and added something new to the style. With zombies often acting as clever metaphors for real-world issues, it’s fascinating how clever writers, directors, and actors have been able to provide a a unique take on well-known stories of post-apocalyptic worlds and survivors seeking refuge. Equal parts horror and humor, the unconventional zombie stories keep the genre fresh and maintain its infectious satirical edge.
10
28 Days Later (2002)
Directed by Danny Boyle
With the widespread popularity of intense franchises like UndeadIt’s easy to underestimate how impactful 28 days later that’s when it was first released in 2002. This post-apocalyptic story helped reinvigorate the zombie genre for the 21st century and led to a major revival that has had ripple effects into modern times. With faster zombies and a gritty, realistic environment, 28 days later moved away from the more comedic styles of the genre and made zombies truly scary again.
28 days later It was unconventional because it took the very plausible circumstances of a highly contagious, aggression-inducing virus and showed how society could crumble and fall apart under the right circumstances. By placing importance on character development over outrageous gore, the agile, ruthless, and aggressive nature of the infected became even more terrifying. Featuring infected humans instead of totally mindless undead, 28 days later it also injected humanity into the genre, which made all the deaths and murders on display even more poignant.
9
The Dead Don’t Die (2019)
Directed by Jim Jarmusch
Author director Jim Jarmusch has always had a completely individualistic style. He was at the forefront of independent cinema during the 1980s and made minimalist films that distorted normal narrative conventions. By looking at America through an unconventional lens, Jarmusch provided his own take on prison films with Below the lawwesterns with Dead Manand even kung fu with Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. In a career that has consistently met audiences’ expectations, it was only natural that Jarmusch would provide viewers with a unique take on zombie films with The dead don’t die.
Featuring a star-studded cast including Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton and Adam Driver, and a mix of musicians including Iggy Pop, Selena Gomez and RZA, The dead don’t die had perhaps the most impressive cast of any zombie film ever made. With an absurd sense of humor, instead of focusing on horror and violence, The dead don’t die was a clever film that drew on the everyday hilarities of human existence. While the zombies in Jarmusch’s world gravitate toward the things they enjoyed in life, many of the undead in this film would rather drink Chardonnay than eat brains.
8
Zombieland (2009)
Directed by Ruben Fleischer
Zombieland told the story of Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) crossing America to find a supposedly zombie-free amusement park. Instead of focusing on horror, survival and blood, Zombieland it focused on comedy first, as the meta-humor and ironic references meant it was completely against seriousness. With a memorable celebrity cameo from a zombified Bill Murray, Zombieland wasn’t afraid to break with genre conventions.
Although many films before Zombieland explored the comedic side of the genre, the star power, strong writing and high production values made this stand out as one of the best zombie comedies ever made. Like a road movie with a sense of style, Zombieland felt like the American equivalent of the British classic Shaun of the Dead and it was one of the few zombie comedies that managed to reach the extraordinarily high standards that the film set. While the sequence Zombieland: Double Tap It didn’t hit as hard, it was still an enjoyable sequel.
7
Idle Hands (1999)
Directed by Rodman Flender
While the 1990s weren’t exactly the golden age of the zombie genre, one thing the period did well was teen movies. A film that brought these two styles together was the cult comedy Idle handswhich, although it was a box office bomb upon release, has built its reputation over the past few decades and has remained an enjoyable time capsule to an outrageous era in cinema. Based on the saying “the Devil makes quick work with idle hands,” Devon Sawa starred as a lazy teenager whose zombified hand was cut off and began acting independently.
This unconventional zombie film featured an incredible punk rock soundtrack from the likes of The Offspring, Blink 182, and The Vandals and leaned heavily on Gen X’s lazier, more aloof tendencies. Idle hands was a satirical comedy that preceded horror movie for a year and showed the public’s appetite for ironic, self-referential humor. Like a horror movie parody that didn’t forget to stay scary, Idle hands it was funny and scary in equal parts.
6
Life After Beth (2014)
Directed by Jeff Baena
Zombie films tend to follow several predetermined conventions, but one film that changed zombie lore was Life after Beth. Directed by Jeff Baena, distributed by A24 and starring Aubrey Plaza Life after Beth I never felt stereotyped as it told the story of Zach (Dane DeHaan) discovering his girlfriend Beth (Plaza) alive and well, despite having already attended her funeral. Beth’s surprised parents allow Zack to continue dating their daughter on the condition that he keeps her out of his sight, as they don’t want anyone to question how she mysteriously rose from the dead.
Unlike most zombie movies, Beth seemed perfectly normal, without any ill effects from her zombification, until things started to go horribly wrong. Before long, Beth became increasingly violent, was prone to mood swings, and eventually turned into a full-blown, bloodthirsty zombie, craving human flesh. Life after Beth stood out in the zombie genre for the way it mixed romantic comedy conventions with horror and, just like Warm bodies from the previous year was an exciting new take on the zombie genre, where zombies act more as allegories for suffering and loss than social or political issues.
5
Pontypool (2008)
Directed by Bruce McDonald
Low-budget Canadian horror Pontypool proved that you don’t need big budgets, big stars or outrageous special effects to create a truly exciting horror film. Like a smart, funny, and truly scary zombie movie, Pontypool told the story of a shock radio DJ named Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) playing a zombie outbreak live. As a deadly virus infected the small Ontario town where he was stationed, terror and suspense slowly built in this woefully underrated hidden gem.
Pontypool was initially produced as a radio play based on the novel Pontypool changes everything by Tony Burgess, and this original focus on audio made the feature film even more effective. In the same way that Orson Welles’ radio version of The War of the Worlds spread terror among your listeners, Pontypool captured the abject horror of a disaster unfolding in real time as the true consequences of the zombie outbreak became apparent. Like an imaginative story with many twists, Pontypool’s Unique structure made it stand out among the zombie genre.
4
Maggie (2015)
Directed by Henry Hobson
Arnold Schwarzenegger ditched his unstoppable action hero persona for a more grounded take on zombie stories with Maggie. As concerned father Wade Vogel, Schwarzenegger showed his dramatic side as society adapted to the effects of a zombie pandemic and Wade struggled to accept the infection of his daughter Maggie (Abigail Breslin), who was bitten and will soon turn into a cannibalistic zombie. Maggie dealt with the psychological difficulties of a father, knowing there was no longer hope for his daughter, but wanting to do everything in his power to ensure she did not suffer.
Instead of seeking revenge and going on a killing spree against hordes of infected zombies, Schwarzenegger quarantines with his daughter and struggles with the morality of sacrificing her before she transforms. As a moving story that had much more to do with mercy and parental concerns than with the gory tenets of the zombie genre, Maggie It was a surprisingly moving turn from Schwarzenegger which had a great emotional impact.
3
The girl with all the gifts (2016)
Directed by Colm McCarthy
The girl with all the gifts combined the grounded and gritty feel of 28 days later with the emotional resonance and survival story of the vaccine The last of us to produce one of the best British horror films of recent times. Mike Carey adapted the screenplay from his novel of the same name to tell the story of a near future where society has been ravaged by a parasitic fungus that is transmitted through bodily fluids. Although the disease causes people to turn into zombified, speeding “hungries,” the last hope for humanity is a small group of infected children who appear to be unaffected.
As a scientist, a teacher and a young girl embark on a journey of survival, The girl with all the gifts Reveals itself as a zombie movie that isn’t really about zombies. Instead of, The girl with all the gifts it was about acceptance and understanding, as the infected girl has the right to live despite society’s fears about her potentially deadly nature. With strong performances, a great premise and a truly unpredictable narrative, The girl with all the gifts was a unique zombie story with great emotional power.
2
Train to Busan (2016)
Directed by Yeon Sang-ho
A modern horror that became an instant classic was Train to Busanthe South Korean zombie story that had a huge emotional impact. With terrifying, fast-moving zombies and a heartwarming story about a workaholic father doing right by his daughter, Train to Busan takes place on a train from Seoul to Busan that has been taken over by zombies in an apocalyptic outbreak of undead creatures. Like the perfect mix of action and horror, Train to Busan kept viewers on edge while maintaining a truly powerful emotional core.
Train to Busan was one of the most memorable zombie films in recent years, as its cast of fully realized characters, intense action sequences, and effective social commentary showed the biting relevance of zombie stories. With an equally engaging animated prequel titled Seoul Station and an independent sequence called Peninsula, Train to Busan it also acted as the starting point for an exciting new franchise. Although an English-language remake titled Last train to New York was announced, it will be very difficult to surpass the emotional power of the original.
1
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Directed by Edgar Wright
Shaun of the Dead was the definitive zombie comedy, as it perfectly combined horror and humor to tell the story of a London salesman called Shaun, trapped in a zombie apocalypse. Intended to survive long enough to make it to the pub, this hilarious release from director Edgar Wright and star Simon Pegg began an incredible trilogy that mocked and satirized the conventions of different styles of cinema. THE Cornetto Trilogy Three Flavors started with zombie satire Shaun of the Deadthen the action police comedy Hot fuzzand finally, silly science fiction The end of the world.
Taking inspiration from the book by George A. Romero Night of the Living Deadthe appeal of Shaun of the Dead was that it was made with pure love for the zombie genre, as it expertly balanced scares with satire. Filled with cultural references to zombie films of the past, Shaun of the Dead it was an example of postmodern cinema done well and acted as a love letter to horror in general. Like a true cult classic that has lost none of its innate power, for those looking for an unconventional approach zombie stories, it’s hard to go wrong with Shaun of the Dead.