And then on the other side of the coin there's the deliriously ravenous and high functioning hordes that retain some of their pre-zombie brain functions and are sprinting around full throttle all the time and sometimes even appear to have abnormally agile almost parkour capabilities and ninja like reflexes that make them virtually impossible to get away from. These are clearly the more terrifying types of zombies when it comes to horror.
In some zombie movies the undead are only interested in gobbling up brains and are driven primarily by the need to feed on grey matter. And then in other movies zombies are happy to eat any living thing including animals that may cross their paths and then again in other films they really only seem to want to spread infection and are mostly uninterested in eating anything much at all.
Some zombie films depict infections spreading extremely fast and full zombie action can occur in a matter of moments and then sometimes it can take days for the effects of a zombie bite or scratch to kick in, giving characters a chance to be fully fleshed out before they start chowing down on everyone else. The pace and source of infection reliably always varies greatly from one zombie movie to another.
And if we want to talk about inconsistencies, the way that zombies are eradicated is vastly different in every movie as well. Some zombies can be so die hard that they give Bruce Willis a run for his money and they seem basically impossible to destroy even if you chop them into tiny pieces. And then other zombies seem to be able to be depleted by just encouraging them to topple idiotically off cliffs like lemmings. Some need to be decapitated, some need their hearts removed and some need to be starved to death in order to kill them. Oh, and let's not forget that some of them just need a 'double tap.' There really is no one magic formula when it comes to killing zombies.
And honestly, these types of inconsistencies do not bother me in the least, in fact I kind of like that the genre gets changed up because it would be pretty bat shit boring of they were all the same anyway. And when it comes to zombie horror movies, although they can be hit and miss, there are some absolutely brilliant offerings around that no serious horror fan should miss.
Here is my list of the best zombie films that I have scored 3 chilli peppers or higher that are definitely worthy of a watch (for full reviews check out the horror tab under genres).
- 28 Days Later - 2002 (4.5 Chilli Peppers)
- Zombieland - 2009 (4 Chilli Peppers)
- Shaun of the Dead - 2004 (4 Chilli Peppers)
- Cargo - 2017 (3.5 Chilli Peppers)
- The Girl with All the Gifts - 2016 (3.5 Chilli Peppers)
- Wyrmwood - 2015 (3.5 Chilli Peppers)
- The Return of the Living Dead - 1985 (3.5 Chilli Peppers)
- Dawn of the Dead - 2004 (3.5 Chilli Peppers)
- Train to Busan - 2016 (3.5 Chilli Peppers)
- Zombieland: Double Tap - 2019 (3.5 Chilli Peppers)
- World War Z - 2013 (3.5 Chilli Peppers)
- REC - 2007 (3.5 Chilli Peppers)
- Warm Bodies - 2013 (3 Chilli Peppers) - find me on the romance list!
- Here Alone - 2016 (3 Chilli Peppers)
- The Serpent and The Rainbow - 1988 (3 Chilli Peppers)
- The Horde - 2009 (3 Chilli Peppers)
- The Night Eats The World - 2018 (3 Chilli Peppers)
- #Alive - 2020 (3 Chilli Peppers)
Release Date: 2020
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 98 mins
A Korean zombie-horror film directed by Cho ll-hyung and based on the 2019 script Alone by Matt Taylor who co-adapted the script with Cho. This is a modern zombie film that younger audiences will really respond to. It's got lots of tech, a handsome youthful protagonist and enough pace and energy to keep interest levels high.
When an aggressive zombie virus breaks out across Korea, a cluster of high-rise flats becomes a haven for the infected and a huge problem for lone surviver and gamer Joon-Woo as he struggles against the rising odds.
For a modern day zombie film this ticks quite a lot of boxes and although it isn't exactly delivering anything new as far as zombie hoards go, there is definitely an element of youthful fun and a unique spin to a very over-worked and often underwhelming trope.
FINAL SAY: I must stay alive.
3 Chilli Peppers