Top 5 Zombie Films

Well I saved the best for last. Out of all the movie monsters that populate the horror landscape, you just can’t outrun a good zombie film. They aint much to look at, the conversation tends to lag and an occasional limb may drop off but hey at least they’re not fussy eaters. They know what they like and that just so happens to be you.

If anyone hasn’t read it I highly recommend the Max Brooks series of books on the subject which include the ‘Zombie Survival Guide’ as well as ‘World War Z.’ The survival guide in particular initially looks like toilet time reading but its so well written and informative that once you’re about fifty pages in or so, the idea of keeping a fully stacked pantry and keeping an eye on the news for any kind of bizzare attack may not seem as far-fetched as you initially thought.

There’s also the great debate involved in this genre which has puzzled our greatest philosophers and scientists the world over, broken apart families, and sparked more than its fair share of wars: Fast or slow zombies? It’s a tricky issue that can ostracize some of your closet friends but for me personally I’m more frightened of the fast ones.

I do love the laggard, unrelenting crawl of a slow one and the fact that no matter how far you run they’re going to get ya. However with a fast one, as soon as they spot you, game over buddy you’re well and truly fucked. Saying that though better films have been made concerning the slow ones.

Make sure you’ve got all the windows and doors boarded shut and you’ve got enough supplies to last the night…here’s my list of the top 5…

5. Pontypool

Most people won’t have even heard of this but if you enjoy a brainy feast as much as a zombie then this film is the one for you. Besides an opening drive through an ice-capped chilly Ontario landscape on the way to the small town of ‘Pontypool’ the entire film is set within the confines of a radio station.

The screenwriter Tony Burgess (which is adapted from his own novel) is clearly a fan of the old philosophy that what the audience imagines will be far scarier than anything that a film-maker can chuck on the screen. This also allows for them to capitalise on the small budget they had to work with.

Stephen McHattie is perfectly cast as the seasoned rootin tootin DJ Grant Mazzy who’s quick wit and ability to turn a phrase making him a fascinating screen presence. When he starts to take calls about zombie attacks his increasingly tongue-tied reactions work as an excellent contrast to his persona upon first introduction.

Imagining a car being marauded and buried under a pile of bodies is far more unsettling than actually seeing it. Take that ‘World War Z!’

Don’t worry though as zombies do eventually make an appearance but finally seeing the hordes almost works as a reprieve after what your imagination has concocted in the opening hour.

4. Shaun of the Dead

The seed for this film was actually planted a few years previous on the exemplary series ‘Spaced’ (one of the finest British series of all time) which was also directed by Edgar Wright and starred Simon Pegg. In the episode Peggs’s character Tim becomes so engrossed in the video game ‘Resident Evil 2’ that it actually starts to seep into his own reality.

This was Wrights first foray onto the big screen so expectations were high but he managed to deliver a comic masterpiece that manages to spoof the zombie genre while also making an effective one in its own right.

It’s got his typical fast pace, snappy editing and a colourful cartoony style which is a niche that was previously thought to have been copywrited by the American market. Wright has an optimistic, jovial sense behind the camera and was the perfect antidote to the grey indie fare that the UK film industry can be guilty of.

Like ‘Spaced’ and all his subsequent films at the heart of the chaos it’s really about characters stuck in arrested development who finally have to grow up. He illustrates how important it is to have strong male comraderie to help along the way. Plenty of zombies too.

3. 28 Days Later

If anyone wants to argue with you that fast zombies aren’t as scary as their slow counterparts just quote the name of this film at them.

My favourite British director working today Danny Boyle had dabbled with elements of horror before but here he jumps in with both feet which produces some horrifyingly visceral results.

I suppose that technically it’s not a zombie film since no corpses come back to life to feed on flesh of the living, it’s an infection that is spread through the blood….but it’s close enough so on the list it goes.

The opening of the film in which Cilian Murphy’s character awakens from a coma in a hospital bed to discover a completely deserted London is definitely my favourite scene. It doesn’t make any sense…surely downtown London would be crawling with the infected…but those haunting images which had to be captured in the early hours of the morning are just so damn eerie.

Boyle’s decision to use a largely unknown cast, it was Murphy’s breakthrough role, was a brilliant decision as the characters feel like relatable everyday people rather than a Hollywood star-studded vehicle.

Things may go a bit overboard in the final third when they reach the army encampment. I feel it would have been a better story had they remained a small group all the way through, but its a small complaint in what is one of, if not the scariest film ever made.

2. Dawn of the Dead

“When there’s no more room in hell, the dead shall walk the earth”

Yeah you know the zombie kingpin George A. Romero had to be on here somewhere and out of that classic trilogy (which also includes ‘Night’ and ‘Day of the dead’) this is a clear favourite of mine.

It’s got more up its sleeve than just being a mere zombie film with Romero making a critique on America’s obsessive consumerism culture. A horde of zombies attempting to enter a shopping complex is not to far removed from what normally occurs with their human counterparts as they mindlessly shuffle through on a Saturday afternoon.

It’s got such a strong story that not even Hollywood hack Zack Snyder was able to fuck it up making a fairly effective 2004 update of the story though the subtler points Romero was making seemed to whizz over his head.

It’s part two of the trilogy but each film in this saga is able to stand alone with no characters makin the crossover between films. A large reason for this could be the fact that most of them don’t make it to the end credits.

This is a far more ambitious undertaking than its predecessor though which shows the virus spreading across the country rather than just being relegated to a small town. The look of the zombies is also improved with some effective splattertastic effects.

It was a box office smash upon its original release and is still one of the most critically revered horror films ever made. To steal a quote from the late Roger Ebert ‘It doesn’t have to be in good taste to be considered high art.’

1. Braindead

This is the same guy who made the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy? Really?!

Yes back in the early 90’s Peter Jackson was New Zealand’s answer to Sam Raimi. They both made twisted genre flicks on a minuscule budget loaded with pitch-black humour and bursting at the seams with creativity and style. The Sumatran rat monkey was a stroke of genius hailing from the Skull Island which is also the home of ‘King Kong’ (Jacksons favourite film.)

I still remember being a student who was just on the verge of going to bed when I happened to notice that ‘Braindead’ was being given a late night showing. I figured I’d give it a few minutes while I brushed my teeth and it took me about 90 seconds that I wasn’t going to sleep for the next hour and a half.

There’s too many brilliant scenes to count…I was laughing to the point of tears when a man is forced to fight off an evil baby in a crowded park. There’s the exploding pimple landing in the soup and the scene with the lawn mower is arguably the goriest ever put on film.

The film has a considerable legacy with Simon Pegg stating that this was a direct influence on ‘Shaun of the Dead’ and the Sumatran rat monkey even making an appearance in the children’s animation ‘Hotel Transylvania.’

One of my favourite films of all time featuring the most creative zombie kills you’re ever likely to come across.