the giraffe's favorite "zombie" movies

White Zombie

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:28:28 GMT

Highly entertaining due to Bela Lugosi being awesome.

Featured zombie type: Voodoo curse victims (reanimated corpse, yes; flesh-eater, no)

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:31:40 GMT

A classic. If you haven't watched this & are a film buff, find a copy & watch it.

Featured zombie type: While the somnambulist isn't technically a zombie, the fact that he's under someone else's power counts in the same way that the voodoo zombies do in my book.

Versus

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:28:06 GMT

Yakuza, samurai, assassins, and zombies. Throw them all together, and this is what you get. There's a lot going on in this movie, and I wouldn't dare attempt to put it together for you. Go watch it for yourself. I will say that it's a hell of a ride, a lot of fun, and you'll want to watch it at least twice.

Featured zombie type: Re-animated corpses armed with weapons (not flesh-eaters).

Re-Animator

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:29:56 GMT

A nice spin on the Frankenstein tale, full of memorable scenes, hilarious moments, and buckets of blood. Jeffrey Combs is Awesome.

Featured zombie type: Re-animated corpse by injection. Not a flesh-eater.

Pontypool

Thu, 09 May 2013 14:15:02 GMT

An original idea for an infection & the fact that most of the carnage is left to the imagination makes this one well worth watching. You may never listen to radio the same afterward.

Featured zombie type: Virus-infected. Flesh eater yes, but it's unclear if there's any re-animation.

The Crazies

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:29:07 GMT

Romero's excellent exploration of the dangers of "military intelligence". The remake is OK if you've never seen this one, but this one is FAR better despite the few flaws it has.

Featured zombie type: Virus-created. Neither a re-animated corpse nor a flesh-eater, but the infected are clearly not in control of themselves.

The Serpent and the Rainbow

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:28:23 GMT

Voodoo rituals, hallucinations, nightmares...all directed wonderfully by Wes Craven. Some of the effects are very dated & thus come off as cheesy, but when a horror movie ends & you know you won't be sleeping well that night, it's definitely done its job.

Featured zombie type: Voodoo curse victims (see White Zombie above)

Pet Sematary

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:20:38 GMT

Loved the book & loved the movie...well, the last time I saw it anyway. Haven't seen it in a long time now, so a re-watch may alter my rating but Fred Gwynne and the kid that plays Gage are awesome in this. Of all the films in this list this one's probably the least "zombie" but a re-animated corpse is still a re-animated corpse, so I included it.

Featured zombie type: Re-animated corpse possessed by vengeful spirits

Planet Terror

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:27:56 GMT

Possibly the most fun I've had watching any of Robert Rodriguez's films. Over-the-top is an understatement.

Featured zombie type: Virus-created. Neither a re-animated corpse nor (from what I can remember) a flesh-eater.

28 Days Later...

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:27:43 GMT

I love Alex Garland's script, and Danny Boyle expertly brings the horrors to life. It all looks and feels REAL. Also, the blood and gore makes me truly happy.

Featured zombie type: Virus-created. No re-animation, but biting helps spread the infection so flesh-eaters kind of.

Evil Dead II

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:33:25 GMT

Actually this one is tied with #1. Which one I prefer depends on which one I'm watching at the time or which one I watched last (at present I've re-watched The Evil Dead most recently, so I gave it the top spot). This one is a perfect blend of horror & comedy, making it a pure joy to watch from start to finish. Sequels are rarely this Great.

Featured zombie type: Demon-possessed. Re-animation yes (for the most part), but no flesh-eaters since their main goal is killing their victims & stealing their souls.

NOTE: I've excluded Army of Darkness from this list because it simply doesn't qualify as any kind of zombie movie in my book. That probably has mostly to do with the fact it's more of a medieval action-comedy than a horror film, but the fact that death doesn't seem necessary for possession like its predecessors helps disqualify it I think. And no, skeleton armies don't count. :P

Feel free to disagree with me.

The Evil Dead

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:33:24 GMT

As mentioned above, this one is tied with Evil Dead II as I simply can't choose which is definitely better. The more I watch this one the more I appreciate it & it succeeds as a proper horror movie. It's low-budget, sure, but that doesn't mean it's not Great. It is, and for now I'm naming it my favorite "zombie" film of all-time.

Featured zombie type: Demon-possessed. Re-animation yes, but no flesh-eaters since their main goal is killing their victims & stealing their souls.