Top 10 Zombie Films Of All Time

We began with its remake, and I think concluding with the marvellous original makes a nice book-end to the list, don't you?

George A. Romero's films would be set in a horror environment; however, he preferred to take a more satirical, almost comical view of events in the zombie apocalypse. Dawn of the Dead is the absolute textbook definition of a so-called "cosy catastrophe", where our protagonists are able to live a reasonably comfortable lifestyle in spite of the devastating events that the globe is succumbing to. Here, they seek refuge in a shopping mall, something far less common in the 1970s. After clearing the place of the undead, the remainder of the film follows their "kid in a candy shop" attitude to their fortress, before their morale ultimately begin to falter under the weight of their situation.

Romero's trademark tropes are abundant. The wide variety of well-dressed, well-acted zombies are visually striking. Their performances range from comical, to terrifying, to surprisingly sublime.

A particularly striking image, perhaps one of the most poignant of any film on this list, involves one zombie seated on the ground, peering through the window at a living human. Rather than going to attack, or pounding the window, it simply stares open-mouthed at the character, in contemplation. That is the kind of moment you wouldn't find in most zombie fiction today.

Relaunching the zombie genre for a whole new generation, this terrific film from renowned director Danny Boyle has turned out to be the most misunderstood film of the decade. Arguably, referring to it as a "zombie horror" is incorrect in its entirety: the creatures in the film are not the undead, but are in fact humans that are infected with a devastating virus that locks them into a permanent state of murderous rage; and while one could be forgiven for calling the film a horror, it is in fact a focus on human drama, as the protagonists struggle to understand and deal with their predicament.

Having said that, the film does deliver a few genuinely terrifying moments, and the geysers of gore are frequent enough to keep the horror fans happy. The early scenes are the most memorable, as we see the deserted city of London explored by a formerly comatose Cillian Murphy, ignorant to the devastation that the virus has caused.

Stealing the show is actor Naomi Harris, with her brilliant portrayal of Selena. Accompanied by the haunting soundtrack and breath-taking cinematography, 28 Days Later really is the most artistic film on this list.

Romero's original Dead trilogy concluded in 1985 with yet another satirical horror masterpiece. Society has now been decimated by the walking dead, and the last know living members of the human race are hiding in an underground bunker, filled with scientists, engineers and several hot-headed, egotistical soldiers trying to find a solution to the undead problem.

What defines Romero's work is how he can imbue rotting corpses with such strong character. The costumes and behaviour of the zombies are both creepy and darkly comic, and we get to meet possibly the most memorable character from any zombie film in the guise of Bub the zombie. Bub serves as an experiment in teaching the zombies to behave like rational people. But ultimately, Bub develops an opinion and an agenda of his own. By the end of the film, he even understands the concept of sarcasm.

With stomach-turning gore effects from Tom Savini and a very young Greg Nicotero (who went on to become an extraordinary FX makeup designer and executive producer of hit AMC series The Walking Dead), Day of the Dead is a cut far above the average zombie flick of today.

This marks George A. Romero's first appearance on this list, but any zombie fan can probably figure out that it won't be his last.

Night of the Living Dead owns its reputation as one of the most important horror films ever made. Most modern horror films go intensely overboard on both the gore and the pace, while forgetting to include any actual drama for characters to face. Romero proved with this film, almost fifty years ago, that he knows how to scare an audience, and really make them think.

It is the first black and white film I remember watching. I remember thinking I was so cultured, watching an old black and white from the sixties. But once it started, I also remember beginning to sink into boredom as those unstable credits vibrated over grey pictures of a forest and a graveyard, while tinny sounding music droned over the top. I was regretting my decision to watch. Then, within minutes, a lanky old man in a suit lunges towards our hero and heroine. The hero gets his head knocked into a gravestone, while the heroine flees, closely followed by the lanky old man, who is picking up rocks and smashing her car windows. I was now paying attention.

I recently read a review of the film written by Roger Ebert, who saw the film back in ’68, before a formal age rating system had come into place. Ebert hauntingly recalls the children, rambunctious and excited when the film began, slowly calming and being reduced to silence by the film’s conclusion:

"There was a little girl across the aisle from me, maybe nine years old, who was sitting very still in her seat and crying."

Even as an adult viewing the film today, I can say that Night is a tough film to watch, depressing and occasionally still terrifying.

It already earned itself a spot as my second favourite found-footage film of all time, and it earns itself another spot right here. Different from any other zombie film on the list, [REC] and its first sequel [REC]2 use the shaky-cam style heightens the sense of realism and therefore makes it even more terrifying. Its final twist is one that few would see coming, and it places the focus on character development, alongside sheer terror.

Written and created by satirist Charlie Brooker, this magnificent five-episode miniseries aired on the British channel E4 back in 2008. He broke a number of boundaries in creating this series - but most importantly, he had written the only zombie television series to date, either in the UK or the US. Although the plot contains more gaping wounds than Davina McCall after a zombie's had a go at her, what it lacks in integrity it makes up for in sheer suspense and terror. The premise is laughable - a zombie outbreak is bringing Britain to its knees, and the only ones unaware of this are contestants locked safely inside the house of the latest series of Big Brother - but this little gem turns out to be an extremely frightening experience.

Big Brother host McCall steals the show playing a bloodthirsty zombie; and Jaime Winstone and the rest of the cast put in fantastic performances all round. While making a few jabs at the state of British television and celebrity culture - the world is coming to an end, yet Big Brother is still on - the series also manages to deliver truly terrifying scenes and a great sense of nihilism throughout.

Will Smith delivers one of the finest performances of his career as the lonely Robert Neville. Following Smith, New York City becomes the real star of this show, as we see the capital of consumerism abandoned and reduced to ruins ravaged by animals and monsters alike. The film gracefully explores the themes of isolation, loss and determination, and Neville's dog Sam is the most emotionally poignant companion since Wilson in Cast Away.

Not without its flaws, the film falters somewhat in its third act, with the introduction of two human survivors who spoil the tense silence that comes before it. The film's other main flaw is the monsters themselves, who are rather badly digitally produced and simply aren't very frightening. But come the final moments, Robert's story comes to a heart-rending peak, beautifully played by Smith.

In spite of its shortcomings, I Am Legend is a taut and touching piece.

Unusual for an American goofball horror comedy, Zombieland is hilarious, gory, scary and touching in all the right places. Essentially a parody of the zombie genre, the odd but loveable Jesse Eisenberg dictates his step-by-step guide and rules to surviving a zombie outbreak.

The cast put in a solid effort, particularly Eisenberg; and its visual effects and cinematography are disarmingly effective. Join that with its amazing production design and a spot-on celebrity cameo, you've got yourself a cracking film.

One of the renowned "video nasties” in the morality crisis of the 1980s, the full version of this ultra-violent gore-fest spent little time in the daylight until the BBFC granted it an 18 certificate, uncut, in 2001. Unlike some of the more reserved, artistic films higher up on this list, The Evil Dead is a simple exercise in creative gore. Anything that can be splattered or severed, is splattered and severed.

Having said that, it's a hell of a lot of fun, and probably the best film of the franchise, as Evil Dead's subtler tongue-in-cheek attitude is more effective than the outright comedy root it eventually took. Some super nasty highlights include severed limbs that vomit, stop-motion melting humans, and a woman being raped by a tree. Yum.

A remake of the 1978 George A. Romero classic, it contains little character development, ignores the social commentary provided by the original and instead focuses on creating an action flick. Nonetheless, in this respect, it works.

Set during an outbreak of super-fast flesh-eating zombies, it follows a ragtag band of survivors who seek refuge in a shopping mall. It's scary, gory and fun; and its opening sequence is one of the best and most tense opening sequences of all time.