It’s always fun to imagine how one might survive a givenzombie movie, with some of them presenting particularly hopeless survival scenarios that few are likely to survive. A big part of the appeal of thebest zombie moviesis the fantasy of existing in a wild and chaotic zombie apocalypse, with movies likeZombielanddirectly evoking the macabre fun of this idea. However, for every zombie scenario that would be a cakewalk to survive, there are many more that present unsurmountable levels of danger.
A big part of what makes a given zombie movie more deadly than its peers is the actual nature of the zombies within it, withall types of different zombieshaving been created in increasingly insidious stories. The method of transmission, physical environment, and level of infection are also crucial factors to consider as well, with the undead themselves sometimes being only one small part of the ambient dangers existing in a post-collapse society. Depending on the circumstances,some zombie movies seem all but impossible for the average layperson to survive.
1028 Days Later
Is A Hellish World To Exist In
The most obvious zombie movie universe many might point to as being particularly dangerous technically doesn’t feature actual “zombies” at all. The infected of the28 Days Laterfranchise have succumbed to a rapidly spreading “Rage Virus”, affecting the behavior of its victims to an inhuman degree. While every carrier is technically a living person,they stop at nothing to violently tear apart other humans, passing on the disease via the transmission of bodily fluids.
The film was one of the first to popularize the idea of “fast” zombies, which always carry with them a higher rate of death for hapless survivors.
The28 Days Laterinfected might have the durability and longevity of normal humans, unlike walking corpses, but are significantly hostile in their speed and ferocious stamina. The film was one of the first to popularize the idea of “fast” zombies, which always carry with them a higher rate of death for hapless survivors. Therecently-released28 Years Laterfurther emphasizes just how hard it is to survive in a post-outbreak Britain in the movie universe, with hostile military forces and “normal” humans being present threats as well.
Just becauseReturn of the Living Deadis more of a black comedy that a straight-laced horror film doesn’t mean that it’s any kinder with its chances of survival. In fact, the zombies ofReturn of the Living Deadare some of the most terrifying every created for film, despite how endearingly goofy they can look rendered with budget special effects. The film supposes that the undead are created by a mysterious toxic gas, reanimating any corpses it comes into contact with as veritable monsters.
The zombies ofReturn of the Living Deadare incredibly durable, laughing at being shot in the headand able to operate their body parts independently even when completely dismembered. The only way to assuredly kill them is to incinerate them completely, and only one small whiff of the toxic gas is all it takes to be turned into one. Most alarmingly of all, the zombies ofReturn of the Living Deadare intelligent, able to use tools, talk, and even set traps, making them by far the most impossible undead force to escape.
A remake of theGeorge A. Romero classicof the same name, 2004’sDawn of the Deadshowcases just how much more deadly zombies get with a little bit of increased speed. Being essentially identical to the standard slow shamblers of Romero’s work beyond their improved ability to chase survivors, the zombies of this film gather en masse to trap a terrified group of human survivors in a mall. Just outside are hordes of the nightmarish undead, turning the shopping depot into a pressure cooker of tension and paranoia.
As if avoiding being eaten by the zombies isn’t bad enough, navigating the delicatehuman politics of the small group trapped within the mall is what makesDawn of the Deadparticularly difficult to survive. Even escape to an island is no guarantee of survival, as the grisly final sequence implies the film to have no survivors by the time credits roll. Between the dense urban environment and the fact that only one small scratch is all it takes to be turned,Dawn of the Deadmakes natural selection into an outright dismissal.
Combining the speed of theDawn of the Deadzombies with the intelligence of theReturn of the Living Deadzombies, the flesh-eaters ofArmy of the Deadare a whole new species. The Zack Snyder film takes place in a quarantined Las Vegas, which has been totally walled-off by the government following a devastating zombie outbreak. A gang of criminals breaks into the quarantine zone in order to extract a valuable score left behind.
Technically,Army of the Deadwould be very easy to survive by simply opting not to take part in such a dangerous heist.Once inside Vegas, however, one’s chances of survival drop to near zero, as the intelligent zombies capable of leadership and complex society present a more alarming threat than imaginable. That’s not even to mention the terrifying zombified tiger stalking the city streets, representing certain death to anyone unlucky enough to encounter it.
World War Zhas something of an uneven reputation among zombie fanatics, with some critics and fans decrying its divergence from the book of the same name, while others insist it is an underrated classic. Whatever the estimation of it as a good movie, there’s no denying that it presents one of the most hopeless situations for a zombie apocalypse ever conceived. Individually, these zombies might not be anything special, operating as the average undead with a weakness to head shots, albeit faster than usual.
What makesWorld War Ztruly such a desperate survival scenario is the sheer scale of the outbreak, with a gargantuan chunk of the global population being turned. This results inliteral tidal waves of bodies that pile up against human compounds, scaling literal buildings with the sheer quantity of bodies the infection has at its disposal. This undoubtedly makes the monsters ofWorld War Zsome of themost powerful zombies in fiction.
I Am Legendfeatures another particularly unique brand of zombies that might be misinterpreted as easier to deal with due to having a key weakness. More like vampires, the Hemocytes, a.k.a. Darkseekers, are named after their affinity for shadow, seemingly being harmed by direct sunlight and only coming out at night. These mutant infected were borne out of a botched cure for cancer, leaving Will Smith’s Dr. Robert Neville as seemingly the last sole survivor of New York City.
Being the only survivor of an apocalyptic event is maddening enough without having to also figure out a means of survival in the face of these terrifying nocturnal creatures.The Darkseekers have human levels of intelligence, meaning that they aren’t easily fooled, trapped, or managedlike the average movie zombie. Between the isolation and the terrifying intellect of the film’s monsters, the premise ofI Am Legendis far deadlier than its protagonist’s ability to walk around freely in the daytime might imply.
While an entireTrain to Busanseries of movieshave since been developed, the compelling scenario presented by the first film is still the most striking and deadly. The Korean zombie flick presents a relatively standard infection, with fast, ferocious zombies overtaking the peninsula alarmingly quickly.The protagonists have to survive being stuck in the claustrophobic confines of the titular train linewhile legions of zombies hungrily await them in the next car over.
Train to Busanholds a 95% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
The sort of sprinting, rabid zombies presented inTrain to Busanare scary enough on their own. Pepper in the difficulty of coordinating hostile strangers and the terror of the train’s close confines, and it’s easy to see why few characters live to see to the film’s eponymous destination.Train to Busanis one ride few viewers can realistically hope to survive in one piece.
Unlike most of George A. Romero’s zombie movies,Land of the Deadfocuses more on the dangers of eking out an existence in a volatile post-society world alongside other humans rather than the zombies themselves. The story takes place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which has a become a sort of safe zone led by a tyrannical despot. It’s all those living under his rule can do to curry favor and improve their squalid conditions.
That being said,when the zombies do arrive, they arrive in full force, led by the unusually intelligent zombie leader “Big Daddy”. Though Big Daddy and his horde don’t kill everyone in Pittsburgh, they leave few survivors, and one would be lucky to be one of them. That’s only supposing that surviving in such a brutal regime prior to that point could be secured, by no means a guarantee.
No matter how divorced they may be from the beloved Capcom games of the same name,the bizarreResident Evilmoviespresent some of the most dangerous incarnations of zombies ever conceived. In this universe, the infected hordes are the result of the mysterious T-Virus, a lab-grown bioweapon capable of not only raising undead armies, but mutating life into horrific monsters. Right from the first film,the franchise proves itself as perhaps the most hopeless zombie universeto attempt to survive.
Right from the first film, the franchise proves itself as perhaps the most hopeless zombie universe to attempt to survive.
If someone plopped into the firstResident Evilmovie could survive the hostile A.I. keeping everyone locked inside or the standard rank-and-file zombies, they’d still have to contend with the terrifying Lickers, special mutant variants that look like a flayed version of Tom Hardy’s Venom. Between dodging laser defense grids and the slow backstabbing of fellow amnesia-ridden infiltrators, nothing about the scenario ofResident Evilis straightforward to survive. It’s no wonder the entirety of Raccoon City is in ruins by the end of the film.
Even the most violent zombie movies offer some degree of fun escapism, but that can’t be said for the little-known Taiwanese filmThe Sadness.Inspired by theCrossedcomics by Garth Ennis ofThe Boysfame, the film imagines a zombie plague that doesn’t merely infect its victims into becoming mindless, bloodthirsty killers. Instead,the “Avlin virus” ofThe Sadnesscauses its victims to become depraved sadists, acting out the most vile atrocities imaginable by human nature upon infection.
The psychological toll of attempting to survive the plot ofThe Sadnesswould be too much for any sane person to bear. Even if the infected are just normal humans in terms of strength, the cruelty to their actions and speed at which their infection spreads (with victims succumbing to the virus after mere moments of contact with an infected person’s bodily fluid) presents an utterly hopeless scenario. Fewzombie moviesdare to be as cruel to anyone stuck in them asThe Sadnessis.
