Dawn of the dead? World War Z? Shawn of the dead? Different takes on the same genre. Whats yours? IMO those other two don't belong beside Dawn of the Dead.
Whats the greatest Zombie film of all time?
- Thread starter Noel Evans
- Start date
Zombeavers http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2784512/
DPStewart
Veteran
Absolute king of the hill:
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.
The only one besides 28 Days Later that actually scared me at all - and it scared the crap outta me. Set the stage. Created the genre. Excellent real conflicts and tragedy.
Second in command:
28 DAYS LATER.
I am bored silly by bad green and red zombie paint, and Shawn of The Dead was the only comedic one that was actually funny. [Although Woody Harrelson in Zombieland was worth the price of admission! But it doesn't hold up without him.]
Honorable Mention:
Walking Dead - First Season. ONLY the first season because that was the only one that was really about zombies and what it would be like to deal with them. The later seasons were almost exclusively just about human conflict - and while perfectly good - was not any story telling that we haven't seen in a bunch of other genres like gang and gangster stories and other 'struggle for power' stories.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.
The only one besides 28 Days Later that actually scared me at all - and it scared the crap outta me. Set the stage. Created the genre. Excellent real conflicts and tragedy.
Second in command:
28 DAYS LATER.
I am bored silly by bad green and red zombie paint, and Shawn of The Dead was the only comedic one that was actually funny. [Although Woody Harrelson in Zombieland was worth the price of admission! But it doesn't hold up without him.]
Honorable Mention:
Walking Dead - First Season. ONLY the first season because that was the only one that was really about zombies and what it would be like to deal with them. The later seasons were almost exclusively just about human conflict - and while perfectly good - was not any story telling that we haven't seen in a bunch of other genres like gang and gangster stories and other 'struggle for power' stories.
For me it was Peter Jackson's Braindead (1992). Pure comedic fun.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103873/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8LIug1cP04
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103873/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8LIug1cP04
David W. Richardson
Chapelgrove Films
"Bloodthirsty", which I wrote. Anybody want to buy the script? 
rob norton
Veteran
Agreed about wwz. For me it was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I doubt Brad Pitt even watched it. Not an ounce of blood and a slap to the face the way they set it up for a sequel, clearly planning to milk a series for all its worth.
If anyone hasn't seen braindead/dead alive, do yourselves a favour and find a copy ASAP. Then find a time machine and get a VCR.
Darren Levine
Veteran
wallstreet
Barry_Green
Moderator
DPStewart
Veteran
Ha! Right?
ZazaCast
Major Contributor
robmneilson
Veteran
Night of the Living Dead & Dawn of the Dead I think have to be tops just based on the huge genre that they created.
But my personal favorite RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (though ignore all sequels).
But my personal favorite RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (though ignore all sequels).
Watched the 2004 Dawn of the Dead last night. It was ok. Some cool zombies. The large ladies who came in off the truck ...
They still have never improved up on the original Romeros: #1 Night of the Living Dead and #2 Dawn of the Living Dead.
When the Walking Dead came out, there was a lot of buzz, so I finally checked it out. Friends could not understand why I HATED it. The reason was extremely simple - they did NOTHING to bring anything fresh to the genre. OK, the creators called it a "tribute" to the originals, which I suppose is the explanation for the total ripoff of all the effects, but for all that, the crime is still there: nothing new.
Those two Romeros established the genre: the way the creatures moved, what killed them, what drove them, how they spread and multiplied, the moral choices for people trapped - the whole shebang. That's it. DONE. Since then you've had countless followups, but what new did they bring to the table? They still rest on the original invention and premise. Which, you know, would be fine, if they did something particularly better with those elements. But I don't see it. The Romeros had incredible drama and tension - and that has not been exceeded. So, to me, it's an easy answer. Funnily enough even when people try a new tone, like f.ex. a comedic take on zombies, even that's been done by Romero in Day of the Dead where he introduced comedic elements (though it's a notably weaker film compared to the first two).
I'm waiting for someone to do something new and notable with this genre. Hasn't been done yet. "28 days later" is something slightly different, as those are not zombies, so I don't really count it.
When the Walking Dead came out, there was a lot of buzz, so I finally checked it out. Friends could not understand why I HATED it. The reason was extremely simple - they did NOTHING to bring anything fresh to the genre. OK, the creators called it a "tribute" to the originals, which I suppose is the explanation for the total ripoff of all the effects, but for all that, the crime is still there: nothing new.
Those two Romeros established the genre: the way the creatures moved, what killed them, what drove them, how they spread and multiplied, the moral choices for people trapped - the whole shebang. That's it. DONE. Since then you've had countless followups, but what new did they bring to the table? They still rest on the original invention and premise. Which, you know, would be fine, if they did something particularly better with those elements. But I don't see it. The Romeros had incredible drama and tension - and that has not been exceeded. So, to me, it's an easy answer. Funnily enough even when people try a new tone, like f.ex. a comedic take on zombies, even that's been done by Romero in Day of the Dead where he introduced comedic elements (though it's a notably weaker film compared to the first two).
I'm waiting for someone to do something new and notable with this genre. Hasn't been done yet. "28 days later" is something slightly different, as those are not zombies, so I don't really count it.
Elton
Veteran
28 Days Later is not a zombie film according to Danny Boyle. "It is a tale of the infected."
Semantics aside, it is the scariest of them all.
Personally, I'm very partial to weird Italian zombie films. 'Dellamorte Dellamore' ('Cemetery Man' in the U.S.) is a favorite guilty pleasure. Dream logic weirdness and really funny.
Semantics aside, it is the scariest of them all.
Personally, I'm very partial to weird Italian zombie films. 'Dellamorte Dellamore' ('Cemetery Man' in the U.S.) is a favorite guilty pleasure. Dream logic weirdness and really funny.
tmnt
King of Australia
I really liked number 3!
dmitrizigany
Veteran
+1 for Zombieland. I'm not the biggest fan of the genre but watch them mostly for the post apocalyptic vibe as there's too few post-apocalyptic movies without zombies being made!