The 10 Best Zombie Movies Of The Past Decade (And Where You Can Watch Them)

Taking the ubiquity of zombie tropes and applying them to a Gen-Z high school drama, Unhuman is a creative riff on the genre that speaks to the experimentation taken in zombie movies over the last decade. The film sets up the standard high school horror tropes, with a mix of teenage archetypes filling out the cast of unlikely allies in the face of zombie hordes. 

However, there’s more to the undead than initially appears, with the film’s big twist adding a clever layer of social commentary. Bolstered by a memorable lead performance from Brianne Tju, Unhuman is a clever fusion of teenage angst and chaotic horror that finds itself at the unlikely cross-section of The Walking Dead and Euphoria (2019). If you want something different, you’ll find it here. 

The second film adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name, Pet Sematary is an unsettling movie that takes a dark book into an even grimmer direction. Whereas the original Pet Sematary (1989) was largely faithful to the source material, the 2019 remake makes a major deviation from the other two versions that’s impossible to discuss without spoiling the surprise.

It takes the supernatural burial land concept and makes it even creepier, leading to a haunting depiction of grief and denial in the face of unspeakable tragedy. Similar in tone to fellow Stephen King adaptations like The Mist (2007) or It (2017), Pet Sematary takes a common horror trope (this time an undead child) and adds a really grim layer of human trauma to make something truly memorable. Fans of King’s work won’t want to miss this. 

Probably the closest audiences will ever get to a Wolfenstein film, Overlord is a gory and pulpy love letter to cheesy war movies and body horror zombie flicks in equal measure. Set during the heydays of World War II, the survivors of a platoon of American soldiers encounter a mad scientist and his monstrous creations behind enemy lines.

Bombastic in every sense of the word, Overlord thrills in its mix of wartime action and grisly creature effects. At the core of the film is an impressive cast that grounds the whole ridiculous enterprise, keeping the action just believable enough to never feel silly. The Heavy Metal-stylized cousin to something like the Indiana Jones franchise, Overlord is an entertaining time for action horror fans who love seeing Nazis get blown up. 

A deceptively dramatic dark comedy, Little Monsters never loses sight of the humans at the center of the zombie apocalypse. Taking place in rural Australia, the movie follows a kindergarten teacher and the uncle of one of her students as they work to protect the children in their care. While the dark comedy elements of the zombie apocalypse are there, thanks to a hilariously mean Josh Gad antagonist, the sweet core between Lupita Nyong’o and Alexander England makes for a surprisingly effective romance.

Following in the vein of other zombie rom-coms like Warm Bodies (2013) and Shaun of the Dead (2004), Little Monsters understands the importance of getting the human core of the stories just right. If you like your horror movies with a little bit of humor and heart, then Little Monsters is the perfect movie to check out on Hulu.

Written and directed by Tina Romero, Queens of the Dead is a deliberate mix of retro zombie aesthetics and modern LGBT themes that pay tribute to both the works of her father, George A. Romero, and drag culture. Set during the first night of a zombie outbreak on Halloween, Queens of the Dead follows the cast and crew of a popular drag show that do their best to survive the apocalypse.

The film has a blast poking fun at a phone and social media-obsessed culture, with a format that leans more into comedy than pure horror. However, the strong character dynamics at the core of the narrative (especially between Katy O’Brian and Jaquel Spivey) give it a compelling core that’s emotional and entertaining. Perfect for anyone who liked the purposefully wacky and quietly subversive elements of Jennifer’s Body (2009) or Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010), Queens of the Dead is a delightfully silly way to get scared for the holiday.

A cutting social satire out of Japan, One Cut of the Dead is a clever approach and one of the more experimental attempts to reinvent the zombie archetype. Split across three sections that increasingly push the medium more and more meta, One Cut of the Dead nominally focuses on the production of an in-universe zombie movie that becomes terrifyingly real. This gives way to a background documentary about the characters in the film, and then a docu-style presentation of the actual production, fictionalizing certain elements of the production and adding layers to the various plot twists and turns in the previous sections.

Inventive in the same way as Adaptation (2002) and Tropic Thunder (2008) are, One Cut of the Dead plays with the medium and the typical presentation of similar stories to explore the desperation of not just characters in horror movies, but also the people who make them. Meta-horror fans, this one is for you.  

A romantic musical set at Christmas time, Anna and the Apocalypse might be the most dramatic genre fusion on this list. It’s also the most charming film in the bunch, a wholeheartedly sweet story that boasts fun songs and winning performances. The movie is darkly hilarious without ever relying on cynical observations. It’s an emotional story about young love and friendship that embraces great, gory comedy with catchy music and likable leads.

This never stops Anna and the Apocalypse from being compelling when it wants to be, though, with a strong balance of tone that never loses sight of the characters. With a sense of charm in line with zombie comedies like Shaun of the Dead and an undeniable entertaining style, Anna and the Apocalypse is a cheesy delight.

One of the modern horror genre’s most compelling monster dramas, Blood Quantum explores thorny political issues with a clever inverse of standard archetypes. In a world where the zombie apocalypse has wreaked havoc on humanity, a First Nations reserve that is immune to the virus struggles with its own survival and humanity as survivors beg for acceptance into their community.

Brutal and unforgiving in its depiction of societal flaws, Blood Quantum takes up the mantle of socially-minded horror movies like Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Candyman (1992) in an interesting way. Directed by Jeff Barnaby (himself a member of the Mi’kmaq people and who sadly passed away in 2022), Blood Quantum is a deeply compelling work that stands tall among the more high-minded commentaries that use zombies to talk about the world at large.

The long-awaited sequel to 28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007), the meditative and deceptively beautiful 28 Years Later is a marvel of modern filmmaking. Set against the backdrop of an overgrown English countryside, 28 Years Later is a survivalist drama about a boy on the journey to becoming a man.

Composed more like a novel than the typically fast-paced zombie horror movie, 28 Years Later knows how to use realistic character drama, unexpected humor, and the unlikely beauties of the world to amazing effect. An epic in miniature, exploring some of the same themes as something like The Walking Dead in a fraction of the time, 28 Years Later is a tremendous film by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland. If you like zombies and haven’t watched this franchise yet, start now. 

One of the best zombie movies ever, Train to Busan is horrifying, thrilling, and unrelentingly human in all the best ways. The South Korean film follows a cast of survivors who are lucky enough to be on a train when the zombie apocalypse breaks out. However, their luck quickly starts to run out as characters are steadily picked off, and the undead number on the train quickly spreads.

Brutal but with personable characters and horrifying but wonderfully staged for optimum cinematic effect, Train to Busan is a prime example of the genre firing on all cylinders. On par with the best entries in the genre as a whole, Train to Busan is one of the most entertaining horror movies of the 21st century and the best zombie movie in years. This is for audiences who want their zombies steeped in action.