Greetings, boils and ghouls! 'Tis the season for me to regale you with another list of horror movie classics. Last year we covered the Top 20 Horror movies of All Time. This year I'm feeling a bit more specialized, so let's dive feet-first into the rotting sub-genre of zombie movies. Zombies have undergone a huge resurgence in the last five years in theaters, on television and in recreational drugs. There is even a zombie-themed nationwide sporting event making this list will be somewhat apropos. As such, more of the movies that have made my list were made in this century than last century, which is very different than the first horror movie list.
So, without further ado, I give you Daniel P. Daniel's Top 20 Zombie Movies of All Time. Enjoy.
20. Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006): OK. Admittedly this musical-comedy horror
exploitation film from Troma Entertainment doesn’t make too many lists, but if
you can somehow muster the fortitude to sit through the whole movie I’m sure it
will make one of yours.
19. Night of the Creeps (1986): Zombies, exploding heads, creepy crawlies, and Tom
Atkins…kinda sounds like a few of our keggers in college. This movie is
classic teen scream fun.
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| Jason is not a zombie, people. Get over it. |
18. Night of the Comet (1984): This movie is mostly about a Valley girl that shops her way through the
apocalypse, but I had such a crush on Catherine Mary Stewart when I was in
middle school this one had to be on the list.
17. Aaah! Zombies!! (2007): Told from the point of view of the
zombies themselves, this horror-comedy is a refreshing addition to the zombie
genre. Although this is a relatively low-budget affair, somehow Matthew
Kohnen manages to avoid the B-movie feel despite mixing soft serve ice cream
with beer.
16. Day of the Dead (1985): George A. Romero’s third in his zombie series. This one plays more
like an extended Twilight Zone episode than Night and Dawn.
15. Dead Alive (1992): The next addition to the list was directed by Peter Jackson before he went on to secure his
mainstream fortune by directing homo-erotic hobbit movies. It is almost universally
recognized as the goriest film ever made. Where else will you find mass
slaughter via lawnmower or priests that kick ass for the lord? I mean,
other than Colorado Springs.
14. Zombie Strippers (2008): Robert Englund. Jenna Jameson. Zombies.
Strippers. What else is there to say? Seriously.
13. Fido (2006): This is a hilarious take on the genre. What could
possibly go wrong when we decide to keep zombies around to perform menial
tasks? My favorite line in the movie comes from hottie Carrie Ann Moss: "Fido, is Timmy in trouble?"
12. The Crazies (2010): This is a remake of the 1973 Romero film with a few modern
twists. It’s a mad, mad world.
11. Land of the Dead (2005): George Romero triumphantly returns to the genre that he
created by remaking one of his own films. Dennis Hopper plays the part of
the bad guy brilliantly, but the zombies are learning.
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| Didn't make the list. |
10. Night of the Living Dead
(1990)/(1968): The 1990 remake follows the 1968 version almost
shot-for-shot. The only thing that the remake has going for it are more
modern special effects and color film. If I was forced to choose between
the two I would go with the original.
9. Dead Snow (2009): This movie had me saying something that I don’t believe anyone
has ever said in the history of human existence - "There sure aren’t enough
Norwegian zombie comedies out there." What do you get when you add a group
of medical students to frozen Nazi zombies? I think you know.
8. Planet Terror (2007): I immediately fell in love with this nonstop action-horror
masterpiece. Originally released as part of Rodriguez and Quentin
Tarantino's ambitious Grindhouse double bill, Planet is a throwback to the
early days of drive-in horror complete with intentionally gritty cinematography
and completely implausible story lines. Brilliant.
7. Zombieland (2009): This is one of those films that broke onto the scene in the
midst of the zombie revival and kicked it into high gear. I could argue
Columbus’ 33 rules to live by have more basis in reality than most
religions…but I won’t.
6. The Return of the Living Dead (1985): Dan O’Bannon’s work shook up the zombie horror genre by
introducing us to fast-moving zombies and giving us the now-ubiquitous zombie
call-to-arms, "Braaaains!" Plus, any movie with James Karen in
it is automatically creepy by default.
5. Re-Animator (1985): First in the Re-Animator series of
sci-fi horror comedies and based on H.P. Lovecraft’s book, “Herbert West –
Reanimator,” this is the movie that truly cemented my addiction to low-budget
horror. I must have watched this 47 times while in high school.
That probably explains a lot now that I think about it.
4. 28 Days Later (2003): Super-fast, rage-infected, blood-puking zombies, need I say more? Danny Boyle’s dystopic view of the future is both
frightening and involving. This nod to Dawn of the Dead quickly
devolves into a gore-fest, but, remember, it’s the animal rights activists’
fault.
3. Shaun of the Dead (2004): When the dead walk a hero rises…from his sofa. This
is the first of the Three Flavors of Cornetto series from director Edgar Wright
in which he manages to somehow combine a British romantic comedy with homages
to the more traditional powerhouses in the genre like George Romero and Sam
Raimi.
2. Evil Dead II (1987): Sam Raimi and
the ultimate horror movie hero, Bruce Campbell, enter the list with this
brilliant horror-comedy sequel. The joy which the cast and crew take in
creating a masterpiece of slapstick gore is obvious. Evil Dead 2 is a
must-see for all connoisseurs of truly demented films.
1. Dawn of the Dead (2004): I chose
Zack Snyder’s take on George Romero's 1978 horror classic for one reason:
Richard Cheese singing “Get Down with the Sickness.” Zombies,
shopping malls, gore (the zombie birth scene is particularly hard to take) and
celebrity assassinations – what more could you ask for?
Honorable mentions: Plan 9 From Outer Space, Waxwork, Pet
Cemetery, Resident Evil, Serpent and the Rainbow, and I Am Legend.
What do you think? Did any of your favorites make the list?
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| Good grief! |
