Dawn of the Dead
Zombies are primarily meant to be frightening, but our list begins with a comedy. Dawn of the Dead is a creation of British director Edgar Wright, known for films like Ant-Man, Baby Driver, and Last Night in Soho.
The story focuses on two ordinary guys, rather slackers, who suddenly find themselves having to deal with a zombie apocalypse. And it’s a lot of fun.
Dawn of the Dead attacks almost every existing zombie cliché in a playful manner that entertains even those viewers who otherwise actively avoid films with walking corpses.í.
28 Days Later
Staying in Britain for a moment, in 2002 another zombie genre icon was born – 28 Days Later.
Unlike its counterparts, the zombies here are not actual walking dead but are instead 'merely' rabid. This makes them all the more dangerous.
Danny Boyle, the director of this film, was one of the first to really get the undead moving quickly.
In this movie, the infected do not move with a slow, shuffling walk but are capable of breaking speed records. This is partly why 28 Days Later is such a terrifying horror film.
Train to Busan
The zombie genre is not just a Western cinematography affair. Train to Busan is the best possible example of this.
As the name suggests, this South Korean gem mostly takes place on a moving train.
The film tells the story of a father and daughter trying to get through zombie-infested South Korea to Busan, supposedly the only place in the country where civilization still functions.
Specific setting, a large budget, good acting performances, and excellent direction rightly make Train to Busan one of the best zombie films of all time.
Rec
Although Rec is primarily classified under the found-footage sub-genre, it is still a damn good zombie horror. The terror unfolding in a closed apartment building is made much more tangible as we observe everything through the camera of the main character.
However, the film doesn't just rely on cheap scares but also boasts a very oppressive atmosphere. Much of this is, of course, due to the setting in which the film takes place.
Night of the Living Dead
No list of zombie films would be complete without the greatest classic of them all, Night of the Living Dead by legendary genre founder George A. Romero.
The film introduced almost all the clichés we associate today with zombie horror – the slow walk of the undead, a disparate group of survivors, and the need to build a defensive position.
While these might seem overused today, they were not at the time of the film's release. Even today, this black and white movie from 1968 works excellently. It should be noted that there are two films with this title. This one and the 1990 remake by Tom Savini.