WHAT??? No Walking Dead until February 2014? What are you gonna do?
Now
that The Walking Dead as gone on its mid-season hiatus, you might be looking for some other zombie related entertainment to get
you through the next couple of months. If you look online you’ll find hundreds
of Top Ten Zombie Movie lists, but there are really only a few that you should
seek out immediately.
Night of the Living
Dead: This
is pretty obvious, but if you go back and watch this again, you can see just
how far the genre has come. There are actually two versions of this movie, and
they are both worth watching. The original, black and white version is where
George Romero gave birth to the modern version of the zombie and the notion
that destroying the brain was the key to stopping them. The other version is
the 1990 version that’s in color. While it may seem sacrilegious to remake a
classic, this one is a pretty nice update of the original.
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| 28 Weeks Later. |
28 Days Later and 28
Weeks Later: Zombie purists sometimes argue that these are not zombie
movies because the creatures are infected humans and not the undead. Whatever.
These movies took the genre in a new direction and helped coin the phrase “fast
zombies”. If you have watched The Walking
Dead and then watch 28 Days
Later, you’ll notice some similarities in Cillian Murphy’s introduction to
the zombie epidemic to that of Rick Grimes. Remember, 28 Days Later came first.
Personally,
I liked the sequel, 28 Weeks Later a
little better than 28 Days Later.
It’s a cool blend of horror and action… and to be honest, sometimes the second
half of 28 Days Later loses
me a bit. Plus of 28 Weeks Later has
Jeremy Renner, Rose Byrne and Imogen Poots in it. That’s a pretty impressive
cast.
The Return of the Living
Dead: While 28 Days Later is often viewed as
the movie that ushered in the era of the fast zombie, The Return of the Living Dead really is where it all started. These
zombies not only run, but they talk too. And they are usually pretty funny when
they do speak. You can also thank them for the now immortal zombie phrase, “Braaaaiiiins!”
 |
| The Return of the Living Dead |
The Return of the Living
Dead
actually makes reference to Night of
the Living Dead, and is loosely related to it. Michael Jackson’s Thriller
video also owes this movie a tip of the cap.
One
of the biggest differences between this movie and most other zombie films is
that these don’t stop after you shoot them in the head. As a matter of fact,
there is not much that actually can stop them, short of chopping them up and
burning them. And that’s not such a good idea either. Watch the movie and you’ll see
why.
The Return of the Living
Dead is an 80’s classic that is funny, scary, unrelenting and a ton of fun.
Dawn of the Dead: This is the King Daddy of Zombie movies. Once again, there
are two versions of this movie, and both are worth watching, but the 1978 original
is one of the most important zombie movies of all time, and hands down my
favorite.
 |
| Let's shoot some zombies. Dawn of the Dead (1978) |
Every
zombie movie, TV show and video game takes its inspiration from this movie.
This was the movie that kicked zombie gore up ten notches. (Make that a hundred
notches.) While Night of the Living
Dead was a black and white film with minimal blood, Dawn of the Dead was a gore fest in
living color. Mostly red.
Before
there were shooter/zombie video games, there were the SWAT guys in Dawn of the Dead.
Then
Zack Snyder, of 300, Watchmen and Man of Steel fame, remade Dawn of the Dead in 2004. While the
original is a far superior movie, the remake was different enough to stand on
its own. It was also faster paced and more suited to a modern audience. This movie cemented the term "fast zombies" as well.
The
first 10 minutes of the new Dawn of the
Dead are phenomenal. It’s one of the best opening sequences of a horror
movie, in my opinion. Sarah Polley does a great job leading the cast in this
film, but it’s Modern Family’s Ty
Burrell who steals the show, playing the polar opposite of his famous role of
the bumbling and lovable Phil Dunphey. Add a couple of cameos from cast members
of the original, and you have a pretty good flick on your hands.
 |
| Dawn of the Dead (2004) |
Note:
The original Day of The Dead is also
worth a look. It completes Romero's initial Dead Trilogy and is probably his last
zombie movie that was a must see.
Shaun of the Dead: This is a love letter
to George Romero and a genuinely funny movie that also has some great horror
elements to it. It takes it just seriously enough, but not too serious. It’s
really the perfect blend. It stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, so you know it’s
going to be good.
Out
of all the movies on this list, this is the most re-watchable movie. I stop on
it whenever it’s on. It’s also one of those real quotable movies. Once you’ve
seen it, I guarantee you’ll find yourself saying “You’ve got red on you.”
Rammbock: Rammbock is a 2010 German zombie movie that was recommended to me
by a friend and I found on Netflix. In a sea of mediocre and crappy zombie
movies, Rammbock floats to the top as
a true gem. It’s a small story of a man trapped in his apartment complex during
a zombie outbreak. There is no fat on this movie. It keeps moving and keeps you
on the entertained the whole time. I highly recommend it.
Rec: You might have seen Quarantine, the American remake of Rec. It’s a “found footage” style movie.
(Rec is short for Record.) While Quarantine
is a good movie and worth watching, you really want to watch the original Rec in Spanish. Rec is not only a great zombie movie, but it’s also one of the best
found footage movies out there. I’m pretty sure you’ll love the last five
minutes of this movie. And the sequel, Rec
2, is also worth seeking out. Rec 3 is also fun, while you are at it, but
the first one is the must see movie.
In
addition to seeing these movies, you might want to take this time to read The
Walking Dead comic books. They are superior to the TV show, and like
the show, the comics are not afraid to kill a regular character. The Governor
in the comics made the list of Top 100 Comic Book Villains of all time and he
is a pure monster compared to the TV version. One word of warning though,
reading the comics will spoil many aspects of the show for you. They change
things up quite a bit on the show, but you’ll have a better idea of where they
are going once you have read the books.
I
plan on rereading the entire comic series during this hiatus. It is always fun
to revisit the books every so often.
I’d
also recommend reading The Rising, City
of the Dead and Dead Sea by Brian
Keane. Keane is a modern master of horror and he has a slightly different take
on zombies. The Rising is one of my
favorite zombie books of all time and a fast read. You’ll be hooked after just
a few pages. Everyone thinks of World War
Z for zombie reading, but I would start with Brian Keane. Much better.
So
there you have it. That should keep you entertained and happy until The Walking Dead returns in February. If
you discover something new from this article, please let me know. Or if I left
out something out that you’d like to share, please post a comment below.
