Creative Maze

A zombie is a fictional character which is depicted in movies as being a reanimated or undead corpse. Early films featuring them were classified as being a part of the horror genre originally but eventually the creatures became popular devices and garnered their very own sub genre. Zombies in fiction is popular because it includes elements such as plot twists, an apocalypse or break down of society, and, of course, flesh eating corpses. The best 5 zombie movies of all time contain science fiction and comedy.

The film that ultimately started it all, “Night of the Living Dead”, is a black and white thriller that was directed by the legendary George A. Romero in 1968. The film depicts zombies as slow moving and mindless ghouls who emerge from their graves with an unquenchable hunger for human flesh. The plot follows a group of seven Pennsylvanians as they take shelter in a small farmhouse and attempt to survive the night. George A. Romero has been hailed the ‘Grandfather of the Zombie” as a result of the film which essentially defined the zombie genre and spawned a plethora of others.

The director’s second movie in his “Of the Dead” series was called “Dawn of the Dead” and it was made roughly ten years after the original. “Dawn” thought of as a sequel by Romero and his fans but only because it has the same slow walking undead, the location and actors are all different. The story picks up some time after the events of the first film and portrays America as a crazed shell of itself which is overridden with bloodthirsty zombies and without in any actual authority. The movie follows a small band of desperate survivors who steal a news chopper escape city and end up seeking shelter in an abandoned shopping mall.

After blocking off the building’s entrances and making it hospitable, the four refugees make themselves comfortable as society collapses around them and begin to view the mall as both their save haven and prison. After the building’s protective barrier is compromised, the characters fight for their lives as the mall is swarmed with hundreds of blood thirsty zombies. The two remaining members of the group survive and escape off the rooftop in the helicopter but their fates are left ambiguous.

Although not always classified as a true zombie film, 1989′s Pet Sematary is yet another great example. Based on a novel with the same name, Pet Sematary follows a young doctor who moves into a rural area in Maine with his family. From his new neighbor, he learns about a mysterious burial ground in the woods near his home that has the power to bring the dead back to life and uses it to reanimate his daughter’s beloved dead cat in order to ease her pain.

Pet Sematary, for many, is a very difficult film to watch considering it deals with complex and frightening emotions. But its gruesome imagery and plot twists make it a zombie movie that’s definitely worth watching.

“28 Days Later” is a hit film and offers a more updated take on classic zombies. In it, they are agile and fast as opposed to George Romero’s stiff and slow creatures. It is sometimes, like Pet Sematary, excluded from being included in the sub genre as its zombies are not technically dead but infected with a rare, behavior altering virus. The film is, however, a refreshing and powerful take on the undead genre.

The final movie on the list helped prove that zombies and comedy could exist together. “Zombieland” is about four people who are trying to find sanctuary in a post apocalyptic world filled with the murderous undead. It features faster, more ferocious antagonists and manages to weave them into a dark and funny story.

If you’re into zombie movies you may also like to play zombie games. There are many free zombie games available online.