Enjoy these top-tier zombie movies this Halloween season
It’s almost time for Halloween, which means that horror pictures are all the rage. One popular subgenre is the “Zombie” movie. I know a great deal about the subject and even authored a book on it nearly a decade ago. So, here is a very brief history of these pictures, along with plenty of recommendations.
The film definition of “zombie” has changed a great deal over the years and it’s not as simple as it might initially seem. In fact, the creature has changed over the years and continues to evolve. Its origins can be traced back to Haitian folklore, when zombies were mindless, soulless, slow-moving corpses raised from the dead by “voodoo” to do the bidding of a master or sorcerer.
After the 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead, the term came to describe a walking corpse devoid of intelligence that was not under any person’s control. It would also feast on the living. Thanks to movies like 28 Days Later in 2002, they suddenly became fast-moving, living humans infected with a virus. Still, this zombie infection is incurable, transforming them into the same mindless, soulless creatures seen in undead films of decades past.
As mentioned, the zombie itself doesn’t have a big personality, which has allowed filmmakers to alter characteristics and use them as metaphors for societal issues. While there’s nothing wrong with making a scary movie just for the fun of it, the genre’s best movies use the undead to tackle greater issues.
If you’re looking for a place to start, the very first title is White Zombie (1932). Set in Haiti, Bela Lugosi (from the original Dracula) plays a voodoo master named Murder(!) who is asked by a local to use his powers and special drugs to turn a beautiful woman into a zombie. The film was a hit and is notable for being one of the most successful independent features ever produced. While the performances are exaggerated, the movie uses camera angles, including Dutch tilts, dissolves and close-ups in new and imaginative ways.
I Walked with a Zombie (1943) is a powerful thriller set on a Caribbean island plantation. A nurse arrives to help a woman who is in a stupor. This atmospheric picture is beautifully shot and manages to insert a few allusions to the horrible treatment of locals and make a subtle jab or two toward colonialism.
As times changed in the 1950s and the country became more fearful of atom bombs, the Cold War and aliens, zombies began appearing in science-fiction and horror. Oddly enough, the most memorable feature was the notorious low-budget independent Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959).
Considered one of the worst films ever made, it features aliens attempting an invasion of Earth by resurrecting the dead, almost like voodoo masters. The dialogue is laughable and everything about the movie is low-rent, but director Ed Wood has a distinct style (or anti-style) that is entertaining to watch. And there is a memorable scene of a zombie rising from the grave and stumbling slowly (while trying not to knock over homemade tombstones). It even co-stars Bela Lugosi (from White Zombie) in his final role.
More than a decade later, independent filmmaker George A. Romero reinvented the zombie genre with Night of the Living Dead (1968), a film featuring the dead rising and brutally attacking locals. The differences here is that they are not being controlled by anyone and crave human flesh. The original is a chilling, tense masterpiece with cutting social commentary. The living characters are their own worst enemies, fighting among themselves and adding to their problems. Another incredible fact about this little zombie picture is that it is one of the first movies to feature a black protagonist.
Throughout his career, Romero would return to the genre, always incorporating political and sociological themes. Dawn of the Dead (1978) is a brilliant follow-up that may even be better than the previous entry. The plot is grander in scope and involves a group of survivors locking themselves into a mall. They soon become complacent consumers. Images of the plaza filled with zombies are what many first think of in regards to this subgenre.
Day of the Dead (1985) was a grim but extremely effective chapter, with a final group of scientists and soldiers locked in an underground mine/military base. Instead of trying to rebuild society, the two camps squabble bitterly. It turns violent and soon zombies overrun the base.
Romero would continue in a similar vein with Land of the Dead (2005), depicting a new, walled-in society. When the leaders move into a high-rise and impose a class system, they forget about those struggling on the streets below. After one of the leader’s spurned employees threatens to open the gates and let the zombies in if his demands aren’t met, things devolve into chaos. The undead also begin to show signs of learning, becoming even more of a threat. It’s another strong entry.
Diary of the Dead (2008) shows the pitfalls of a society dependent on social media, and the underrated Survival of the Dead (2009) details two families living relatively safely on an island. They have the zombie problem under control, but partisanship and their personal vendettas lead to the fall of their paradise.
On a lighter note, Romero’s excellent anthology Creepshow (1982) contains two fun segments featuring the undead out for revenge. They are called Father’s Day and Something to Tide You Over (1982). He even produced a decent remake of his original classic Night of the Living Dead (1990) that was directed by the man who created many of his make-up effects, Tom Savini.
Going back to the 1980s, there were other solid zombie pictures. If you haven’t seen it, Dead & Buried (1981) picks and chooses elements from earlier zombie incarnations. It’s about a town filled with strange, homicidal individuals who may not only be under the control of a sinister local, but might not even be alive. The creepy picture, written by Alien scribe Dan O’Bannon, features jarring moments and a memorable final twist.
One curious bit of trivia about the subgenre is that when Romero parted ways with his co-writer and producer John A. Russo after Night of the Living Dead, Russo was allowed to make his own series of pictures using the “Living Dead” moniker. One effort worked spectacularly well.
The Return of the Living Dead (1985) was written and directed by Dan O’Bannon, noted above. It’s a horror picture and biting satire about a canister of noxious gas developed by the U.S. government. Hidden in a medical supply warehouse, employees accidentally open it, resulting in a zombie outbreak. These monsters devoured brains and were faster than the Romero undead. The movie is also notable for its depiction of the right-wing military and government, who are more interested in covering up their tracks than helping citizens.
Other notable titles from the ‘80s included Re-
Animator (1985) and The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988), the latter of which marked a return to Haitian lore. Very loosely based on a non-fiction book, the story involves a doctor traveling to the country to investigate drugs used in zombification, hoping to adapt them for medical use. Directed by Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street) the movie has some truly horrifying hallucination sequences and features a character being drugged and buried alive. It only falters in the final five minutes when supernatural elements are inserted into the story.
Once again, zombie pictures and horror in general began to falter in the 90s, so these films took on a more humorous slant. One of the goriest horror/comedies ever made is the New Zealand effort Dead/Alive (1992) aka Braindead, which features a young man dealing with an overbearing mother. When she turns into a flesh-eating zombie and infects his hometown, the lead must stand up for himself and sever ties.
It’s grotesque, but also one of the funniest and most visually inventive low-budget films of its era. The movie’s writer/director, Peter Jackson, would go on to win Oscars for his adaptations of the Lord of the Rings books.
Everything would change once again with the release of the British feature 28 Days Later (2002). Placing fears about plague and viruses at the forefront of the story, director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, and the Academy Award-winner Slumdog Millionaire) turned zombies into still-living but infected maniacs who lose all touch with their previous selves. It begins with a man waking up from a coma in a hospital and trying to adapt to a decimated, empty county. There are haunting images of empty downtown London and the film adds a critique of the ineffectiveness of the military.
The makers also produced an underrated sequel, 28 Weeks Later (2007), which is set after the UK government has reestablished control. It deals with a survivor who left his wife to die during the outbreak. When she appears alive in a hospital, he’s forced to come to terms with guilt over his decision, its impact on his family and the possibility of another reemergence of the virus.
Of course, there were still laughs to be had during this era. Shaun of the Dead (2004) is a brilliant comedy featuring Romero-esque zombies. The plot focuses on a young man who is also forced to take control and responsibility for his life when zombies appear in England.
Zombieland (2009) was another title with a great sense of humor and talented cast, poking fun at zombie tropes. The hero is an introverted young man using a series of self-devised rules for surviving the zombie apocalypse.
And internationally, the Spanish Rec series combined the fast-moving infected and first-person video footage to great effect. Initially presented as a series detailing a series of demonic possessions in an apartment complex, Rec (2007) followed a news reporter quarantined in the building and struggling to survive.
The sequel, Rec 2 (2009), picks up with a military team entering the complex. It is revealed that this is an infection and that the team must discover “patient zero,” who happens to be host to a nasty wormlike organism responsible for the outbreak. Follow-ups to these films aren’t as strong, but the first two movies are chilling, action-packed and deliver critiques of the Catholic Church and military.
In recent years, Warm Bodies (2013) tried to add something new to the formula… romance. A young dead man narrates this tale, explaining that while his movements have been impacted by a zombie infection and that he craves flesh, his thoughts are still human and coherent. Lonely for company, he bonds with a living woman. Alas, she is the daughter of a Colonel wanting to wipe out all zombies. The movie is funny, sweet and unique in its presentation of the innermost thoughts of a walking corpse.
If you enjoy international films, the South Korean effort Train to Busan (2016) is a winner. It borrows elements from other virus-inspired zombie pictures and adds disaster movie elements. Thankfully, the movie places its emphasis on the relationship between an estranged father and his little daughter. The dad must protect his child in closed quarters on a high-speed train with others from various backgrounds after a zombie infection spreads. This title is fast-paced yet chilling and leaves an impression.
Of course, there are many other notable titles, including the anthology Tales from the Crypt (specifically, the “Poetic Justice” segment) (1972), Deathdream (1974), Night of the Creeps (1986), Death Becomes Her (1992), Cemetery Man (1994) aka Dellamorte Dellamore, Fido (2006), World War Z (2013) and many others. They all deliver chills and enough unique elements to be worth your while.
Yes, there are all kinds of zombie pictures including many different versions of the undead. And they all count, as these creatures have slowly evolved from the original Haitian origins to represent basic fears of various eras. Recent undead fare has been waning a bit, but just as it has in the past, a new take on the monster will eventually appear and revive things once again.
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By Glenn Kay
For the Sun
