Back in the all or nothing days of model miniatures, and make up effects, zombie movies had a different feel to them. The zombies did not have to be fast, or ferocious to inspire an impending sense of doom. This has been achieved many different ways. From the macabre midnight movies that leave you checking over your shoulder, to the stomach turning gore that can leave you truly disturbed. This list is a monument to these techniques and the legends that mastered them.
Also known as Virus, or Hell of the Living Dead. This movie can at best be described as a cheap ripoff of dawn of the dead. It does pay a certain homage to the great zombie films of it's time. It does have a fun plot line that contains very little story. When the C.I.A. sends an agent to investigate the disappearance of two solders from the chemical division of the U.S. Army, and rumors of zombies, He uncovers much more than is expected. Even though this film is the very least of my favorites, it is still one of my favorites. It might be a little harder to find, but if your a dedicated zombie fan as I am, then it is a must have for your collection.
9.
City of the Living Dead(1980)
Again this movie has gone by other names, and is definitely one of the harder movies to find. If you are familiar with the work of Lucio Fulci
then you know what to expect from this movie. Fulci achieves the feel of the genre, but has far less vision then is shown in the much more popular titles of the time. In this film, The suicidal death of a religious clergyman causes the gates of hell to open, and the dead to rise from their graves. Mankind's only hope is a investigative journalist partnered with a questionable psychic, and their race against the clock to re-close the gates.
8.
Brain Dead(1992)
Known here in the United States as Dead Alive, This has to be one of the goriest films I have ever seen. You may be surprised to learn it's directed by Peter Jackson, and completely uninterested that it stars the significantly less renown Timothy Blame. This Australian cult classic tells the story of one man's struggle to overcome an overbearing mother, without ruining his only chance at true love. That is until Mother is bitten by a newly discovered breed of monkey, and dies, only to return as a zombie. Now in an attempt to prevent being labeled Delores Claiborne, He keeps the facts of his mothers condition from his new love, and the rest of town. Soon the situation becomes far beyond his control, and all hell breaks loose. If you have not yet been able to enjoy this movie, I definitely recommend you take action to prevent further loss.
7.
Zombie(1979)
This movie has a undying cult fan following. I have placed it here at number seven in the list knowing that many zombie fans would consider it strongly for the number one position. I believe it to be a masterpiece, and the best work contributed to the genre by Lucio Fulci. Identified by his iconic trademarks of orange blood, and rough editing Fulci depicts a world where a small search party happen upon an island,they soon realize to be infected by the living dead. The plot thickens when they find a medical scientist fighting to develop a cure. Zombie is probably more for a die hard zombie fan, but is a perfect example of a grind house feature.
6.
Return of the Living Dead 2(1988)
Many readers would argue that the Return of the Living Dead franchise does not belong in a top ten list of zombie movies. I would say this list might not be worth reading without it's mention. This can mostly be attributed to a sometimes less than subtle comic relief. This sequel was directed by Ken Wiederhorn, who had already directed another sequel, Meatballs 2, and went on to direct two episodes of 21 Jump Street (another personal favorite). In this 1988 classic, a group of neighborhood children discover the notoriously missing barrels of Trioxin 2-4-5. This compound has the same strange side affects it had in the first film, the reanimation of dead tissue. After releasing the trioxin, our main character teams up with some babysitting teenagers to survive the terror overtaking their suburban town. Although this title my be a little on the cheesy side, it's widely appreciated by the zombie fan community.
5.
Day of the Dead(1985)
In 1986 Tom Savini was presented the Saturn Award for best make-up by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films for his work on this motion picture. It was written, and directed by none other than master himself, George A. Romero. In this third installment of Romero's living dead series, A dwindling number of military personnel dictate over a decreasingly valued medical staff. They attempt to devise a solution to the horrible plague of the undead surrounding the military bunker they are forced to call home. Soon they come to find the people within the walls pose a much larger threat than the zombie infested world outside the flimsy fencing of the military installment. Day of the Dead is a one of a kind experience, that should be shared by horror, and zombie fans alike! If you have not seen this movie, be a Bud and give it a shot.
4.
Night of the Living Dead(1990)
This 1990 remake of it's 1968 original, was written by George A. Romero, and directed by Tom Savini himself. You will find Night of the Living Dead armed with a celebrity cast which includes the vibrantly beautiful Patricia Tallman, whom appears in many episodes of Star Trek, Army of darkness, and stars in Babylon 5. In the common opinion of the zombie fan community, Tom Savini honors us fans with incredible achievement that is this film. Savini was able to adequately portray the essence of the first film, while managing to bring the film to a modern time, and modern audience. The movie is truly scary, and revered by many as masterful. It is often imitated by many, but never duplicated by any. Do not just watch or rent this movie, but have a copy of this in your collection.
3.
Return of the Living Dead(1985)
We all know zombies want to eat your brains, right? Well, before Return of the Living Dead they didn't. Before this movie depicted zombies as talking, running, brain hungry monsters, the living dead were understood to be slow moving, nonverbal cannibals who were non partial to which part of people they consumed. This movie was written, and directed by none other than award wining Dan O'Bannon. You might recognize him from some of the titles he has worked on like, Total Recall, The Entire Alien Franchise, Heavy Metal, and Dark Star. Return of the Living Dead is a unfolding of events throughout the course of a day and evening. The new hire of a medical supply company is learning the ropes, but manages to release a toxic chemical compound that reanimates dead tissue. Now his friends, a ragtag bunch of misfits, are confronted with a mob of brain hungry corpses. It is accepted that this may be one of the best movies of all time, and not just one of the best zombie movies. "
like this job?"
2.
Dawn of the Dead(1978)
Here we have another movie that could be considered one of the best of all time. It was written and directed by the Master of Macabre himself, George A. Romero. The make-up, and special effects were done by Tom Savini. This feature is the original that the Zack Snyder 2004 remake was loosely based on. Its a dark tale of a world where the epidemic of the undead has spread beyond any hope of salvation. This causes an unexpected group of people to depend heavily on each other for any chance to survive. They hold up in a shopping mall, and make every attempt at survival. That is until they are shown that man kind will always be the greatest threat to itself. Dawn of the Dead is absolutely a must have in your collection. When there is no more room in hell the dead will walk the earth...
1.
Night of the Living Dead(1968)
Originally titled Night of the Flesh Eaters, Night of the Living Dead is probably one of the most well know midnight movies ever. It was written, and directed by a person who some would call the father of all zombies, after all, He did pioneer the genre. We are talking about George A. Romero. Night of the Living Dead was filmed mainly at the farm house shown in the movie, and was done so on a non existent budget. The house had no pluming, or running water, and the nearly volunteer cast would stay for multiple days to complete shooting. Romero, already a recognized television commercial editor at the time, had the film's copyright filed under its original title. The problem with that being there was already a copyrighted film under the title Night of the Flesh Eaters. As if that was not bad enough, The 1968 film was never properly copyrighted, preventing any invested party from reaping any financial benefit. It was not until the 1990 remake of the film that anyone was able to profit from the title. The 1968 motion picture can be found in both, black & white, as well as in a colorized version. In both versions the dead are coming back to life to eat the living. and Johnny didn't know how right he was going to be about them coming to get Barbara.
I am going to leave you with a question. What is your favorite movie from the all or nothing days of smoke and mirrors, and movie magic? Please let me know in the comments.
Thanks for reading-
ZombieWasteland-
.jpg)
In celebration of their 10 year anniversary, The Walking Dead Comic Series has teamed up with Hyundai, to produce this amazing marvel of motorist mayhem. The design of which was decided by the votes of users who downloaded The Walking Dead Chop Shop app for IOS or Android. This app gave users the ability modify different Hyundai models, in preparation of the impending apocalyptic zombie doom, then share their creations with friends, and family. This tactical urban defense vehicle was unveiled on the showroom floor today, here art NY Comic-Con armed with a rooftop turret, razor wired windows, a vast collection of blades affixed to the exterior of the reinforced car body, and it was probably the two front mounted chain saws that were most talked about here in the audience of the unveiling.
You can finally stop pulling out your hair, and relax. The Waking Dead is making a heavily anticipated return to AMC's prime time lineup Sunday October 13th, and here at ZWAS we could not be more excited The series blasts back into action with the surviving cast of previous seasons, and introduces viewers to many new cast members (fresh meat!) in this fourth an possibly final season.
If your going to be in the Ontario, Canada area on October 19, of 2013, then be sure not to miss the Hamilton Zombie Walk and Film festival. This sure to be, culture expanding event will play host to untold masses of living dead fanatics. This annually occurring zombie walk welcomes the wonderful addition of a frightening film festival. Just the thing you needed to fulfill your depraved desire for the dead. I would be caught dead there.
10.Night of the Zombies(1981)
6.Return of the Living Dead 2(1988)
2.Dawn of the Dead(1978)
1. Night of the Living Dead(1968)