Most Underrated Zombie Movies

I think it’s more than fair to say that the major zombie craze that took over the world has just about died out by now. Although zombies, just like any other film trend, were subject to some absolute brutalization in the hands of filmmakers who didn’t seem to know what they were doing, the classic horror monster proved to be a terrifying creature in the hands of those who understood its powers. Throughout the mid 2000s and the early years of the 2010s, we were treated to hundreds of zombie movies. Understandably, it’s hard to separate the wheat from the chaff.

These are the movies that were criminally overlooked by the public. As a result, they definitely deserve another look from any zombie aficionado. These are our favorite underrated zombie movies of all time.

When it comes to the typical childlike wonder that is associated with the likes of Steven Spielberg in his landmark film E. T., I wonder if anyone thought that the same style would be associated with a gory zombie apocalypse. Regardless, A Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse takes full advantage of its unique perspective—the zombie apocalypse from the eyes of kids. This phenomenon results in a film that may surprise you with its earnest, original approach to the zombie apocalypse while still loading up to the gills with raunchy humor and big gross out moments.

Danny Boyle is one of the greatest directors on the planet—it’s just an objective fact. Many would point to Trainspotting as his masterpiece, but I have to point towards 28 Days Later for doing the impossible and making zombies scary again. These zombies don’t shamble along—they sprint at you with a blood lust that has to be seen to be believed. The despair-ridden Britain that he depicts is so realistic that you could see every event play out exactly as he portrays it. He single-handedly revived the zombie genre, and the work in 28 Weeks Later is an amazing follow up to his tour-de-force original. Unfortunately, the film has fallen out of the cultural consciousness. However, it remains one of the best modern zombie movies of our time.

Many critics of the zombie genre will say that the premise is inherently limited due to the similar ways in which a zombie apocalypse can come about. Dead Snow does not have that issue in the slightest. In fact, I’d go as far to say that it has actively invalidated such criticism. Dead Snow takes familiar horror tropes but infuses them with a healthy dose of Nazi Zombies. That’s right—Nazi zombies. It’s one of those ridiculous kind of plot ideas that seems stupid at first, but the longer you watch the film, the more you can’t help but feel charmed by the self-awareness and earnestness behind much of the proceedings.

Dead Snow wasn’t the first zombie film to be innovative with its original premise, and it certainly won’t be the last featured on this list. Fido is another such film that tries to take the zombie apocalypse in a new direction. The story follows a family that has a 6' zombie named Fido as a pet. However, when Fido accidentally eats the neighbor’s dog, the family has to go to the ends of the earth to protect its special friend. Heart-warming despite its goofy premise, Fido proves that you can teach an old dog new tricks.

I remember when I first heard about Black Sheep (about ten years ago). To be honest, I’m just as bemused now that this film got greenlit as I was then. I would have loved to be in the screenwriter's head when he or she thought, “Let’s make a zombie movie, but the zombies aren’t humans. They're just really pissed off sheep!” It’s a premise that everyone, including myself, scoffed at upon initial release, but the actual film is far closer to a Shaun of the Dead vibe than a pastiche B movie. Where it lacks filmmaking technical quality, its original script and funny one-liners make it a movie worth watching with a few friends—and a few more beers.

Ah, if only we were back at the start of this list when everything was full of whimsy and happiness. REC doesn’t take the lighthearted approach to zombie movies. Instead, it goes full-horror, and depending on your disposition, it may put you out of commission for weeks with its shock-a-minute script. Feeding off the ideas of horror predecessors such as The Blair Witch Project, REC uses a found footage style in order to make the film not just far more believable, but also far more engaging. I genuinely believe that the final ten minutes in REC have scarred me for life.

You may have heard of Shaun of the Dead, or Dawn of the Dead, but I’m pretty sure that many of you have never heard of Juan of the Dead. This film has went largely overlooked and was criticized, based on face value, that it was a mere rip-off of what came before. But Juan of the Dead, despite its quirkiness and heavy-handed political messaging, remains one of the best romps you can get out of zombie movies. When it comes to this genre, you can’t ask for much more than that. Not to mention this was one of the first films produced entirely in Cuba.

Grindhouse is a pretty difficult genre to describe to someone who hasn’t had the pleasure of watching a film from it. Robert Rodriguez is a veteran of the sub-genre, and in this outing he decided to infuse the style of cinema with one of our most intense loves: zombies. Planet Terror follows an eclectic cast of freaks and fools, one of which has a prosthesis that is also a gun (yup, you read that right) as they fight zombies and each other. Planet Terror is one of those movies during which it’s almost impossible not to have a good time.

Yet another entry on the list that takes the zombie apocalypse but puts a unique spin on it—Warm Bodies features gore AND romance. In this film that polarized both general audiences and critics alike, we follow a zombie as he falls in love with a human. The very premise promises a lot of questions. Although many people loathed the very idea of it, I genuinely thought that the film had a charming attitude and an almost child-like innocence—interesting seeing as it is a rated PG-13 zombie movie. The film constantly juggles the macabre and the adorable in a strange dichotomy that needs to be seen to be believed. If nothing else, there are some really fun action set pieces, too.

We’d be amiss if we didn’t include a single George Romero film on this list. The man who directed The Night of the Living Dead practically created the zombie genre from the ground up, and developed much of the framework for the rest of the films I’ve already talked about. Land of the Dead, which came out in 2005, is perhaps his most overlooked film. He managed to develop the idea past the point of cliché and into a genuinely introspective examination of how humankind would actually deal with a zombie apocalypse. Subtle political commentary mixed with some kickass zombie slaughtering equals a good time at the cinema.

I have to admit, when I saw the trailer to this one I was more than a little skeptical. What I initially thought was going to be a generic zombie film really grabbed my interest when I learned that the main dramatic role in the film is played by none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger. That’s right—the Terminator himself. It’s not often you get to see Schwarzenegger in a role that isn’t comedic or macho, so my attitude towards Maggie went from completely indifferent to incredibly interested. I was therefore very happy coming out of the cinema. Schwarzenegger nails the paternal role in the story, wherein he has to protect his daughter as she slowly succumbs to a disease that is conquering the planet. If you’re in the mood for some great drama, give Maggie a watch.

To say much of the plot of Slither would likely ruin the mystery that surrounds it, so instead I’m going to point you towards its credentials. This movie has them in spades! Slither is actually directed by James Gunn, the very same man who brought us Guardians of the Galaxy—perhaps the best received Marvel flick of our time. He’s helped along the way by the ever-popular Nathan Fillion from Firefly and Castle, and Michael Rooker from the likes of The Walking Dead. Watch this film, but you might not ever get into a bath again.