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Having just survived our own apocalypse of sorts, now seems like a great time to see if we really have what it takes to make it in a world gone bad. And we’re not just talking about having to make some extra cash with new casinos Canada, like those found at Casino Pilot, whilst we were in lockdown.
From full on zombie attacks to dealing with your loved ones turning, some epic zombie films have graced the screens over the years. Here’s our pick, not of the best of the best, but more the best of the rest as movies with a little bit more of a twist to the genre are more up our alley.
World War Z
Whilst it may have gotten a lot of stick over the fact that it’s the most expensive reshoot of a storyline, ever, the hoard style of zombies is so frighteningly portrayed in this film, we just couldn’t leave it out.
Brad Pitt is an ex-UN worker who has plenty of experience with some tough situations and finds himself smack bang in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. In order to save his family, he has to help the government save the world and is whisked away from one corner of the globe to the next, piecing together the zombie trail and solving life’s biggest concerns; like how to kill all the zombies.
But, as mentioned, depicting hundreds of thousands of zombies, forming a tower of blood thirsty bodies that frantically scramble over each other in some wave of flesh-eating madness, is cinematography magic at its best. Sure, Mr. Pitt brought some needed calibre to the film, but it’s a great flick in its own right.
Zombieland
Not since Evil Dead back in the 80’s has zombies and slapstick humour been so well intertwined for our entertainment. With Zombieland, you get a movie where zombies have become just another part of life, like awkward social etiquette and making new friends, with the hero being a young nerd with a penchant for making life rules and IBS.
Four survivors from varying backgrounds meet up to form a “family” of sorts, driven together by the need to survive and social interaction. Zombies are killed in very interesting and new ways, there’s plenty of funnys and some well needed gore to wrap it all together.
The random cast of Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin, with the greatest cameo from the king of comedy, Bill Murray, may not make sense on paper but is pure genius on the screen. If you like your zombie with a good side of great humour, this is for you.
Braindead
Before Peter Jackson put New Zealand on the map as Middle Earth, he made some great b-grade movies, and Braindead is the pick of the bunch. If you’ve ever wondered what to do if your mum gets bitten by an infected monkey, causing a huge zombie outbreak in your small, country town, this is the answer.
Whilst the underlying tones of a strict upbringing, loss of a father and new love may go un-noticed, the beheadings, eatings and oh-my-word-all-that-blood do not. But you can still convince your girlfriend it is a romantic comedy of sorts if that’s what it takes.
With the majority of the budget spent on fake blood, Jackson depicts a world where its possibly the survivors who become more blood thirsty than the actual zombies, coming up with some crazy ways to dispatch their threats. From a lawnmower to a blender, this movie never did too well back in the day, but it’s well-deserved cult status label as one of the goriest movies ever made means it’s happily on our list.
Warm Bodies
It must have been quite the sell when producers asked for a small fortune to make a Romeo and Juliet inspired zombie movie, but that’s Hollywood for you. What sets this film apart is that it’s from the zombies perspective, zombie “R” to be exact.
Whilst yes, R is a zombie and follows his instinct of eating people to survive, he also enjoys friendship and wonders what he is doing with his life. Conflicted, he feels he’s just not “living” up to his potential.
All this changes when he meets Julie, who is trying to kill him (he’s a zombie after all), and it’s love at first sight. Not only does he not feel the urge to consume her, his love for her creates a new feeling inside him, that works to slowly but surely eradicate the zombie from the man.
You’re not going to get this confused with Leo and Claire (thankfully) but the portrayal of R as a wannabe human with conflicting emotions of love, lust and lunch make this worth watching. Oh, and it’s got John Malkovich, so it can’t be bad.
Maggie
When you first hear that Arnie Schwarzenegger is finally in a zombie movie, the pictures you get in your head may not be exactly how this plot unfolds. But the story of a father dealing with an infected daughter who is gradually becoming more and more zombie each day is again, something not off the stock-standard, zombie shelf.
Far from the horror genre, this incredibly emotional and sombre film has the Terminator struggling to come to terms with the fact that his daughter will turn within the coming months and the knock-on effects that come with that. He must wrestle with his fatherly desires of protection and his social obligation to not allow a zombie to destroy the world.
Abigail Breslin as Maggie is casting magic, but Schwarzenegger’s performance will really have you on the edge of your seat. Not a funny bone in sight, but drama at it’s best.
Featured Image Credit: Digital Spy