The Walking Deadrevived the zombie genre, even without referring to its slow, shuffling undead threat as zombies. While there are several differentkinds of zombies inThe Walking Dead, most of them are slow-moving and relatively easy to kill on their own. The zombies (known as walkers) are a much bigger threat when they are found in herds, and the laterseasons ofThe Walking Deadmake use of this to introduce danger back into the series, which had replaced the threat of the zombies with the dangers posed by living people.
Zombies might conjure an image of a slow-moving horror, but many horror movies are now embracing the idea of fast zombies, and using them to scary effect. Along withThe Walking DeadTV series,films that have broken the “rules” of zombie movieshave injected some much-needed creativity back into the genre. That said, just having fast zombies in a movie is not enough, and the zombie genre has needed to get more interesting. Zombie movies that have well-written characters and exciting new takes on the genre, as well as fast zombies can be truly terrifying.
The Sadness
Cast
The Sadness is a Taiwanese horror film that explores a city descending into chaos as a rapidly spreading virus transforms ordinary citizens into violent, bloodthirsty maniacs. Utilizing intense sequences and a gripping narrative, the film delves into the psychological and societal breakdowns that arise in the midst of an uncontrollable epidemic.
Most movies involving zombies are gory to an extent, butThe Sadnessis one of the most brutal zombie movies of all time. The Taiwanese horror movie shows a city falling into chaos as a virus ravages the population. Those affected by the virus become black-eyed, sadistic killers, and while some consider the movieso bleak that it failed to be scary, other reviewers strongly disagree.
The Sadnesshas some scenes that are extremely hard to watch, and part of what makes it so disturbing are the infected people. The “zombies” inThe Sadnessmove quickly and are technically still alive, behaving more like serial killers than the undead. The virus strips them of their inhibitions, leaving just their most violent impulses, and many of the most terrifying scenes inThe Sadnesswould not have been possible if the infected people had moved slowly.
28 Days Later
28 Days Later depicts a post-apocalyptic Britain devastated by a virulent outbreak. Directed by Danny Boyle, it follows a group of London survivors as they navigate the chaos caused by a rapidly spreading virus, transmitted by humans and animals, that transforms the infected into dangerous beings. Released in 2002.
28 Days Laterchanged the zombie movie genre forever, and with an impressively low budget. It is another movie that does not use the word “zombie,” and instead calls its virus-stricken people “The Infected.“The threat in28 Days Lateris its terrifying rage virus, which can be spread through a single drop of blood. Before the movie was released, zombies were generally slow-moving, but28 Days Latergave them horrific speed.
Like the zombies inThe Walking Dead,28 Days Later’s Infected are not intelligent, and are often manageable one at a time because they can be confused when facing several people. That said, a large herd of zombies inThe Walking Deadcan still be redirected or even worked with, as The Whisperers faction learned to do. The Infected in28 Days Laterare able to search for people, and a large herd of them can kill anything in their path through rage.
Dawn of the Dead
A remake of George A. Romero’s classic of the same name, the movie follows a nurse, a policeman, a young married couple, a salesman and other survivors of a worldwide plague that is producing aggressive, flesh-eating zombies, who take refuge in a mega Midwestern shopping mall.
Zack Snyder’s 2004 movie,Dawn of the Deadis a remake of the original 1978 zombie movie classicby the same name and directed by George A. Romero. Both the movie and the director have been controversial, with many reviewers feeling that the original is the superior movie. Still, one of the most surprising fans of Snyder’sDawn of the Deadis a legendary horror writer.Stephen King calledDawn of the Dead"genius perfected” in an essay titled “What’s Scary.”
The zombies in the originalDawn of the Deadwere the typical slow, shambling bodies that are seen inThe Walking Dead. However, Snyder made some major changes to the movie, and one of these is the zombies. The 2004 movie’s zombies are fast and full of rage, similar to the Infected in28 Days Later. This turned the movie from a George A. Romero social satire to a violent action-horror.
Train to Busan
Train to Busan is a South Korean action-horror film released in 2016. Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, it centers on passengers aboard an express train from Seoul to Busan during a sudden zombie outbreak. As the virus spreads, the survivors must navigate the chaotic and dangerous environment to reach safety.
Train to Busanis a South Korean zombie thriller with an impressive 95% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Like many modern zombie movies,the horror is caused by a virus rather than the rising of the dead, andTrain to Busan’s virus is terrifying. It spreads quickly, there is no hope of a cure or immunity, and the infected people can hunt down the uninfected, moving in fast-roaming packs.
Like the originalDawn of the Dead,Train to Busanis also a social commentary, highlighting the different ways people behave in the face of danger
Train to Busanis gory and claustrophobic, as most of the action takes place on a moving train. The movie follows a father and daughter as they try to reach Busan for the mother’s birthday. Like the originalDawn of the Dead,Train to Busanis also a social commentary, highlighting the different ways people behave in the face of danger. The movie has a very high death toll and is one ofthe best Korean horror movies of all time.
[REC]
[REC] is a found-footage-style horror movie released in 2007. The film centers on a TV reporter and cameraman who become trapped inside an apartment building after they follow firefighters investigating an infection within the complex. The film spawned three sequels as well as a remake in 2008 titled Quarantine.
[REC]is an extremely disturbing zombie horror movie in the found-footage genre, which is interesting as found-footage movies rarely feature zombies. The movie follows a TV crew who are following firefighters for a story. When they get called to an apartment, things take a horrifying turn. Something is affecting the residents, who are acting violently and unpredictably. The crew are quarantined within the building, and decide to document their survival.
[REC]is one isthe best jump-scare-filled movies of all time, which may not be surprising, as jump scares are often a staple of the found-footage genre. That said, the movie is far from predictable, and the reason for the zombie outbreak is an unusual one. Most zombie movies show the dead rising or a virus that causes the carnage, but[REC]reveals that the disturbing truth is supernatural in origin, causing the residents to behave like animals.
The zombies inthe Resident Evil movie franchiseevolve over time, and while the first movie focuses more on the slow and shuffling kind of zombie, the mutated dogs are fast, scary, and lethal.Alice first encounters the T-virus-infected dogs in the firstResident Evilmovie, but they make appearances in several of the sequels. TheResident Evilmovies are full of different kinds of zombies, and the T-virus does not stop with dogs.
The third movie in theResident Evilseries introduces deadly zombie crows, which swarm in large fast-moving flocks and attack vehicles. Over time, even the more humanoid zombies can gain speed and different (often disturbing) abilities. This is because, rather than an infection, the zombie outbreak inResident Evilis caused by an experimental viral weapon which causes the infected people and animals to mutate rather than simply become ill.
World War Z
Based on the novel by Max Brooks, World War Z tells the story of a world ravaged by a zombie virus. Former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) braves the apocalypse in search of a cure. He is tasked with finding the point of origin of the virus in order to synthesize a vaccine, reluctantly doing so in exchange for his family’s safety. His search takes him around the world, where he witnesses all the devastation of the apocalypse.
Brad Pitt’sWorld War Zis not just scary for the zombies, but for the scale of the action. Many zombie movies are most effective when they focus on small groups of people, and this is also true for many of the best scenes inThe Walking Dead.World War Ztakes a different and very ambitious approach, showing how the virus spreads across the world. While the movie was a box office hit,aWorld War Zsequel was never made.
TheWorld War Zzombies are fast, agile, and have a pack instinct, allowing them to swarm and overwhelm non-infected people. One of the most frightening scenes inWorld War Zis when the zombies rise up and climb over each other like ants. It is this unstoppable feeling that makes the movie so disturbing, and Brad Pitt gives an excellent performance as an investigator traveling the world to try and stop the virus.
I Am Legend
Loosely based on Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel of the same name, I Am Legend stars Will Smith as Robert Neville, a virologist who believes himself to be the last human on Earth. After a virus turns most of the world’s population into vampiric creatures known as Darkseekers, Neville finds himself immune. Believing himself to be the last man of Earth, Neville stalks through the ruins of New York, hoping to create an antidote that will save humanity.
Most of the zombies in standard zombie horror movies have very little brainpower, butI Am Legendhas a disturbing twist, revealing the zombies have some intelligence and a social structure. The virus affecting the zombies (known as Darkseekers) inI Am Legendwas intended to cure cancer, but it went wrong. Now, they are superhuman, moving like parkour athletes, and they rule the night while Will Smith’s character has to live in daylight hours, believing that he is alone in the world, except for his dog.
I Am Legendshows Will Smith’s character, Neville, through the eyes of the zombies, and to them, he is a monster, and he believes that he is in battle with them. The zombies are creepy for most of the movie, but the most frightening part ofI Am Legendis the isolation that Neville feels.I am Legendis going to have a sequel, and it is believed that this upcoming movie might retcon the original ending, and follow the ending in the original book by Richard Matheson.
Dead Alive
Dead Alive follows the story of a young man, Lionel Cosgrove, as he contends with his overbearing mother who becomes a zombie after being bitten by a rare Sumatran rat-monkey. Set in a suburban neighborhood, Dead Alive offers a unique take on the traditional zombie narrative.
Before his phenomenal and life-changing success with the Lord of the Rings trilogy,Peter Jackson was once best known for directing extremely gory zombie movies.Dead Alive(akaBraindead) is one ofthe goriest zombie movies of all timeand follows a young man named Lionel as his mother turns into a zombie. Lionel is in way over his head as he tries to hide the growing horde of zombies in his basement, and, as expected, everything goes wrong.
Dead Aliveisn’t as chilling as other zombie movies on this list, but it has some terrifying moments…
The zombies inDead Aliveare not quite the same as the ones inThe Walking Dead, though they appear to have a similarly low intellect. These are the more modern fast zombies, which leads to extra trouble for Lionel.Dead Aliveisn’t as chilling as other zombie movies on this list, but it has some terrifying moments and some of the bloodiest scenes in any horror movie ever made.
A scientist and a teacher living in a dystopian future embark on a journey of survival with a special young girl named Melanie.
The premise forThe Girl With All the Giftsis strikingly similar to the video game (and current TV show)The Last of Us, as the zombie condition is caused by a variant of the cordyceps fungus. That said,the zombies inThe Girl With All the Giftslook and behave extremely differently to those inThe Last of Us. Known as “hungries,” most of the zombies are lethal, fast, aggressive flesh-eaters beyond help. However, many are not.
Many of the movie’s zombies are children, because their mothers' pregnancies gave them a degree of immunity from the virus. The children still eat living flesh and are capable of mindless hunger like inThe Walking Dead, but they are generally intelligent and capable of learning. The most terrifying part ofThe Girl With All the Giftsis the fact that the zombie children have to learn that they ate their mothers, but despite this gruesome and bleak twist, the ending shows the main character taking control of her future.
The Walking Dead
The Walking Deadis a massive multimedia franchise that began with a comic book series created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The franchise gained widespread popularity with the launch of the television seriesThe Walking Deadin 2010 on AMC, which chronicles the lives of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, referred to as “walkers.” The success of the original show has led to numerous spin-offs, web series, video games, novels, and other media. The franchise explores themes of survival, human nature, and the breakdown of society in the face of an existential threat, making it one of the most successful and influential horror series of the 21st century.
