The Best Zombie Movies Of The 21st Century

Ever since George A. Romero's trailblazing feature "Night of the Living Dead" hit theater screens in the 1968, zombie movies have become a regular fixture of the horror genre all around the world. Their persistent presence in cinema can be chalked up to how easy it is to plop these creatures into so many different formats. Not only can zombies inhabit a wide variety of genres (sci-fi, comedy, action), but they can also represent many different real-world struggles. This helps to make these undead entities eternally relevant in cinema. Plus, the undeniably gnarly visual appearance of zombies also makes them just flat-out fun to watch in films. 

If you're especially fond of zombies, you've had no shortage of options for great zombie films in the 21st century, as the pop culture landscape has been soaked in stories involving the undead. These range from light-hearted comedic takes on the genre to pulse-pounding stories guaranteed to keep you up at night. The very best zombie movies of the 21st century aren't just great films on their own terms, they're also reflections of why this strain of horror storytelling proves so enduringly enjoyable. 

For his second feature-length directorial effort (everybody forgets about "A Fistful of Fingers"), Edgar Wright partnered up with familiar creative companions Simon Pegg and Nick Frost for a genre they had relatively little experience with — zombie cinema. Making a comedic take on the monsters at the center of "Night of the Living Dead" wasn't exactly a novel concept, but "Shaun of the Dead" breathed new life into the proceedings through a variety of means.

Chief among these was Wright's energetic direction, which was intact from the very start of his career. The rapid-fire pace that informed the movie's funniest scenes (like the "grab a pint" montage) was a bolt from the blue for comedy filmmaking in this era, and it also lent the movie a unique atmosphere compared to other zombie-based comedies. Similarly, the commitment to a believable friendship between Pegg and Frost's characters stood out in a genre whose weakest entries tended to reduce human beings to merely disposable cannon fodder. There was also the fact that it was also simply hysterical, a movie where every line gets more and more humorous the more you sit on it. 

Through these and other virtues, "Shaun of the Dead" proved to be the kind of comedy classic that scores a number of impressive achievements at once. Not only did "Shaun" kick off the "Cornetto Trilogy," it also established Wright as a filmmaker of note and set a new standard for zombie comedies. Not too shabby for a man who was basically brand new to directing motion pictures.

In the late 2000s, nearly a decade after "The Blair Witch Project" brought found-footage into the mainstream, the genre saw a major resurgence. All kinds of horror films were using this format, from the low-budget supernatural thriller "Paranormal Activity" to the kaiju feature "Cloverfield." This trend wasn't limited just to America, though, as Spain delivered a unique spin on the zombie genre through the incredibly freaky "REC."

The film details a reporter who accompanies a group of firemen to an emergency at an apartment building where a zombie outbreak has begun. The chilling tale received acclaim for its fantastic use of the found-footage format. Rather than just using this filming style to justify constantly shaky camerawork, directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza used the found footage style to immerse audiences in a world of frightening uncertainty. The brazenly chilling imagery found throughout the movie also made sure that "REC" couldn't be mistaken for any other zombie flick. 

These qualities and so much more helped to make "REC" so acclaimed that it not only became a box office success, it also spawned an American remake in the form of the 2008 motion picture "Quarantine." However, that title ended up impressing far fewer critics than the first Spanish film. More than a decade later, it's the original "REC" that's still keeping moviegoers up at night with its bold approach to found-footage filmmaking.

Looking for a zombie movie to watch with the whole family? The options are scarce, but "ParaNorman" proves they're out there. The second film from Laika, "ParaNorman" is the story of Norman, a kid who can see ghosts. Weirder still, his town ends up getting invaded by Puritan zombies. The project isn't as intense as a Tobe Hooper movie, but it shouldn't surprise anyone familiar with other Laika titles like "Coraline" that "ParaNorman" refuses to sanitize its frights just because it's a PG-rated kids movie. The zombies here are actually menacing, not just machines to deliver pop culture references.

But the presence of zombies and ghosts in "ParaNorman" isn't just used to deliver a kid-friendly horror movie. The third act eventually reveals that these supernatural beings, as well as the ostracized Norman and his unusual abilities, are here to provide some insightful commentary on what society deems "monstrous." All of this is told through Laika's reliably impressive stop-motion animation, which lends a tactile quality to everything from a zombie's dangling jaw to askew nail polish. Through all these features, "ParaNorman" ends up being a movie that's equal parts chilling and thoughtful. Such a mixture has led to this being one of the more critically acclaimed animated movies of the last decade. This insightful take on the zombie genre is bound to impress viewers of all ages, but it could also be a great "gateway film" for young viewers with no experience in the world of zombie cinema.

"One Cut of the Dead" is a movie that earns the term "ingenious." Its structure is reliant on the element of surprise, but even without spoiling its big game, its easy to say that director Shin'ichirō Ueda shows real imagination in making something that works as a zombie movie and a commentary on show business.

The horror movie part of the equation involves a film crew who, during a break in shooting a zombie flick, are attacked by an actual group of zombies. It's an event chronicled in an extended one-take, hence the title. Like the best uses of this visual format, the film's refusal to cut away actually enhances the story and atmosphere rather than lapsing into something distracting. Specifically, starting the story with just the crew members chilling out before abruptly shifting to a grisly zombie invasion — without any cuts to provide a sense of transition — makes the sudden presence of the undead appropriately jarring. 

Ueda does impressive work handling this tonal shift from a casual hangout vibe to all hell breaking loose. But the pulse-pounding POV of the film crew isn't all this film offers. Later on, Ueda provides viewers a whole new perspective of this carnage that gives surprising layers of meaning to seemingly throwaway moments from earlier in the movie. At once a rollercoaster ride and an exercise in unearthing depth in unexpected places, the sense of creativity in "One Cut of the Dead" is very much alive!

"Zombies on a train" may sound like a premise conjured up as some kind of circa. 2006 attempt to cash in on "Snakes on a Plane," but that's the central conceit behind "Train to Busan," one of the greatest zombie movies ... of the 21st century or otherwise. Writer Park Joo-suk and director Yeon Sang-ho trap a whole bunch of characters, including a fractured father and daughter, into the cramped confines of a train that suddenly becomes packed with zombies. This turns out to be an ideal location for staging intensely suspenseful set pieces.

"Train to Busan" will give any zombie lover their fill of the undead chowing down on human flesh, but what really makes this script special is how it never sacrifices the humanity of its living protagonists. The characters in "Train to Busan" aren't just meat, they're people you can relate to. This is especially true of Ma Dong-seok's Yoon Sang-hwa, a charismatic tough guy with a heart of gold. Though Dong-seok is the highlight of the cast, there's really no shortage of memorable performances here that lend such impressive specificity to the various train passengers. With such engaging figures to ground the story, "Train to Busan" gets the audience to cry rather than cheer when humans get mowed down by zombies. Who knew the combination to creating a flawless zombie movie was simply merging these creatures with trains?