By Kate Voss.
It seems everywhere you look these days, zombies are infiltrating the media. The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, and Z Nation are some of the most popular shows on television. Classic films like Night of the Living Dead, White Zombie, and Shaun of the Dead are still viewed on a regular basis. Even comic books and novels have gone the undead route with Marvel Zombies, Night of the Living Deadpool, and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. With all of these zombie films and shows available, it can be hard to find stories that stand above the rest, that take zombies to new and exciting places that they’ve never been before. But the following five films are more than just the average generic representation of the genre.
Fido (2007)
This horror comedy gives viewers a look at an alternative universe where space radiation caused an outbreak of zombies and humanity had to go to war against them to retain their place in this world. Once living humans won the war they found a way to enslave the masses of undead and keep them as servants and pets. Unlike many zombie films that focus more on the horror aspects of the monsters or the sad and desolate lives of the humans trying to survive during the zombie outbreak, Fido (streaming info here) puts a humorous spin on the whole situation and plays itself off for laughs instead of screams.
[REC] (2008)
This Spanish horror film, however, definitely goes for the screams. Members of a television series crew find themselves suddenly part of the story when they become involved with other people infected by a “rabies like” virus that makes them aggressive and murderous toward others. Soon they are quarantined by the health department, trapped with the infected, and fighting for their lives. [REC] is dark, claustrophobic, and gory, and doesn’t shy away from showing just how scary zombies and living human beings can be. The movie has spawned three sequels (most are on Netflix) with each new addition being gorier than the last.
Pontypool (2008)
Based on a popular novel, this zombie film is similar to [REC] in that it doesn’t showcase traditional zombies created by a voodoo curse or some kind of infection that brings people back from the dead as cannibalistic monsters. Instead it features a radio personality and his love interest who find themselves trapped with people who are becoming infected by words. They must fight to stay alive and figure out how to keep themselves from going crazy once they start to become infected. Pontypool (watch it online) is more of a psychological take on the zombie war than other films portray, though still has the elements that make zombies interesting.
Zombieland (2009)
Another horror comedy, Zombieland is also equal parts satire of the genre, adventure story, and romance. It features snarky characters who are as obsessed with staying alive as they are with finding the last Twinkies in existence. They might have to fight hordes of undead to stay alive, but that doesn’t stop them from living it up a bit in abandoned mansions, partying at theme parks, and trying to decide if they can trust each other or even themselves as they make their way in the new world order. Zombieland (on demand through FiOS) is a great example of a fun, exciting, somewhat scary but mostly just entertaining, zombie film – and not to fear, its long-rumored sequel is slated for a 2016 release.
Zombeavers (2014)
Not all zombie movies have to be serious, scary, technically advanced, or a smart kind of funny. Some can just be good old monster movies with nubile young stars, a preposterous plot, and zombies that are at turns ridiculous and frightening. In Zombeavers it falls on animals – beavers to be exact – to carry the monster portion of the story, making this as much a creature feature as a monster flick. Not many zombie films have gone the campy route or tried infected animals, so Zombeavers (on Vudu) stands as unique as can be in that regard.
Not all zombie movies are created equal, and there’s plenty of trash out there alongside the rare chunks of treasure. You might scream, you might cry, you might throw a brick through your television, but you certainly won’t be bored. You might even learn how to prepare in case the zombiepocalypse truly comes to pass.
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