by RJ Spears
I know this will cause some debate, but I’m going the record and naming my Top 5 Zombies films of all time.
#1 – Dawn of the Dead (1978) – This is the grandparent of all zombie films in my opinion. Without this movie, I doubt I would be writing zombie fiction today. That aside and despite its dated special effects, this movie stands the test of time because Romero wanted to place a layer of social commentary in the film that I think is still relevant today. You add a good script with strong performances and you have a zombie classic.
#2 – 28 Days Later – This is a tough one for me since it barely edges out #3, but Danny Boyle’s movie is similar to Romero’s Dawn in that it has great depth to its story. The world he builds in the movie is completely convincing and the fast-moving zombies are horrifying. Plus, all the actors bring their A-game. The final conflict in the movie is edge-of-your-seat stuff.
#3 – Shaun of the Dead – Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright turn the genre on its head for great laughs. Pegg, who co-wrote the script, co-stars with Nick Frost as two down and out, slacker-types and they nail those characters. There are too many jokes to count and all of them work. That said, it’s not an all-out comedy and I think putting in real human moments is what makes the comedy soar.
#4 – Zombieland – Yes, another comedy. This one mostly doesn’t take itself very seriously, but that doesn’t mean it’s not effective as an adventure flick, either. Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson make great book-end characters for the movie. Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin are also great. Add in a cameo by Bill Murray and the cast and movie are complete.
#5 – Dawn of the Dead (2004) – This is hard to admit, but this movie would have ranked higher, but I’ve never liked the down of an ending. Zack Snyder did a fantastic job of updating the original and the open sequence is jaw-dropping. Let’s face it, fast zombies are absolutely terrifying. The characters come across as real people and their plight is gripping. Snyder did a great job with the action sequences, but that ending left me feeling defeated and depleted. Still, it is a movie worth watching.
R.J. Spears lives in Columbus, Ohio. His stories have appeared online at A Twist of Noir, Shotgun Honey, Near to the Knuckle, Flashes in the Dark, and the Horror Zine. His stories have also appeared in the print anthologies The Kennedy Curse, Hardboiled, Feast or Famine, and All That Remains. His two zombie series are: The Books of the Dead and the Forget the Zombies series.
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