9 Must-See Zombie Movies from the Last 10 Years

Directed by Colm McCarthy (Sherlock) and based on the novel by M.R. Carey, The Girl with All the Gifts is a dystopian sci-fi zombie flick and one of the first zombie movies to use the fungus approach to the outbreak. Part 28 Days Later and part Children of Men, the story follows Melanie, an infected girl who shows intelligence, kindness, and affection after bonding with her teacher. This begins with the two leading a group across London to learn more about the infected.

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The film stars Sennia Nanua, who does a wonderful job as Melanie, and she’s surrounded by a cast of fantastic character actors, including Gemma Arterton (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters), Glenn Close, and Paddy Considine (House of the Dragon). The Girl with All the Gifts did well with critics, scoring an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. While no film sequel has been announced, if you like the movie, M.R. Carey did write a sequel novel titled The Boy on the Bridge.

Anna and the Apocalypse doesn’t have the most unique of zombie storylines, but it is one of the only good holiday-themed zombie flicks out there, and it’s an incredibly underrated musical. Filmed in Scotland, the movie has Broadway-level talent and songs and ‘80s Romero-level gore. Its Christmas theme only adds to the fun, with sharpened candy cane weapons and zombified snowman mascots.

Anna and the Apocalypse is directed by John McPhail, and while most of the cast are unknowns, Ella Hunt, who plays the lead of Anna, went on to star in Kevin Costner’s newest duology, Horizon: An American Saga. The songs are incredibly catchy, and chances are, you’ll want to listen to them immediately after watching and add them to your Christmas playlists, which you can do here.

Easily the most gruesome and overly bleak film on this list, The Sadness is a terrifying Taiwanese zombie thriller that follows Jim and Kat, a couple who get separated and try to cross the city of Taipei during an outbreak of extremely violent and sadistic infected in order to get back to one another. The film is written and directed by Canadian filmmaker Rob Jabbaz and was highly inspired by Garth Ennis’ (The Boys) post-apocalyptic horror comic, Crossed.

The Sadness comes with a huge trigger warning, as it’s quite possibly the most vulgar zombie film ever made. It goes above and beyond in its gore and gross-outs, and it’s filled with sexual assaults, as the infected are more of a hyped-up version of 28 Days Later’s “rage zombies.” It’s the kind of film that’s a must-see for the awe of it, but likely one you only need to see once. The Sadness is not for the faint of heart, both in story and in visuals.

#Alive is one of the more unique zombie films out there, in the sense that all of it takes place in the confines of an apartment in Seoul, Korea. The story follows Oh Joon-woo (Yoo Ah-in), a video game streamer who becomes isolated in his apartment during a city-wide zombie outbreak. There, he must survive the hordes of zombies hellbent on feasting on the complex’s inhabitants while trying not to starve to death, die of thirst, or call too much attention to himself.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, #Alive shot to the top of the global rankings for Korean movies on Netflix in 35 different countries and was one of South Korea’s biggest box office hits during 2020. The film not only separates itself in the genre with its themes of isolation, but it does so by staying fast-paced and intense without going overboard on bleakness or gore.

The zombie genre has a knack for producing some of the greatest horror comedies of all time, including Shaun of the Dead and Return of the Living Dead. 2019’s Little Monsters (not to be confused with the 1989 Howie Mandel vehicle) captures that perfect blend of terror and laughs. Directed by Australian filmmaker Abe Forsythe, the film stars Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o (US, A Quiet Place: Day One), Alexander England (Alien Covenant), and Frozen’s Josh Gad, in an oddly antagonistic role.

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With a 100% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, Little Monsters is blood-soaked, hilarious, and showcases Nyong’o perfectly in a genre that she’s had so much success in. The music is great, the jokes don’t get old, and the film is still able to keep all the intensity of a thrilling zombie flick. This is one of those underrated movies you can watch repeatedly, and it belongs up there with the horror-comedy classics.

Speaking of underrated, war-horror isn’t a subgenre that pops up with much success, but Overlord is the shining example of how it can be done right. Director Julius Avery undoubtedly found more financial success with The Pope’s Exorcist, but this collaboration with writers Billy Ray (Captain Phillips, The Hunger Games) and Mark L. Smith (The Revenant, Twisters) is by far his best. Throw in young powerhouse actors like Jovan Adepo (3-Body Problem) and Wyatt Russell (Thunderbolts), and you have an action-horror flick that will keep your blood pumping.

The story follows a group of American soldiers the night before D-Day, who are shot down and regroup in a nearby village. In this alternate WWII reality, the group uncovers Nazi experiments and a serum that turns prisoners and soldiers into violent, undead monsters. The gore is plentiful, the explosions are big, and who doesn’t love seeing Nazi monsters get their heads blown off? You’re guaranteed to have a lot of fun with this one.

The most popular release on this list, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland waited more than 20 years to release their follow-up to the grainy 2002 fan favorite, 28 Days Later. The first film was credited as being the biggest mainstream film to feature fast zombies (but not the first), and its use of a “rage virus” has inspired many films since its release. 28 Years Later is the franchise’s best film (88% on RT), according to critics, but fans of the series seem to be a little more split on it.

28 Days Later focuses a little more on an isolated group, rather than the vast countryside that the previous films explored, as the rage virus has been controlled in Europe, but not the small islands where the film takes place. The newest sequel seems to dive in a little more emotionally than the others, and fantastic performances from Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson seal its quality.

The only film on this list to hit 100% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, One Cut of the Dead is one of the most distinctive films in the subgenre. The film is a delightful mixture of found footage, zombie attack, and comical ruse. Halfway through the film, you’ll be both wondering what you just watched, and asking yourself what could possibly be next. The answer: a second half that is destined to keep a smile on your face.

With incredible direction and genius editing from Japanese filmmaker Shin’ichirô Ueda, One Cut of the Dead easily makes the list for top 10 zombie films ever made. It simply thinks outside the box; something that the subgenre has desperately needed over the last couple of decades. Its rewatchability is strong, and it’s one of those films that, with each subsequent viewing, you catch a little more.

Another memorable Korean movie, Train to Busan may be the most well-rounded zombie film ever made. The film goes deep into its characters, with particularly in-depth performances from Gong Yoo (Squid Game), Kim Su-an, and Ma Dong-seok (Eternals). Yeon Sang-ho brings a high-octane train ride through Korea, where at every stop, speedy, bloodthirsty, contortionist infected try to enter the train and snack on a group of survivors.

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Where Train to Busan really differs from other films in the subgenre is with its back-to-back emotional punches, including an ending that won’t leave you dry-eyed. Rarely do zombie movies focus on the heartbreaking aspects of zombie outbreaks and watching those close to you turn, and this film does an incredible job of bringing those feelings to the forefront of its characters, while still showing something scary and tense. Even horror master Stephen King called Train to Busan one of the best films of the 21^st century.

Since its release, a franchise has been born, with an animated prequel, Seoul Station, a sequel titled Peninsula, and a (sort of) American remake coming from Timo Tjahjanto, titled The Last Train to New York.

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