Cinema has repeatedly brought new ideas to the world of art. But this man was not enough. He sought to curb and show with the help of a film those particles of the world that he is afraid of, or which he represents in his own fantasies. Thanks to this, a horror genre has appeared in the world of cinema. The fact is that man is the only creature on the planet who consciously wants to be scared.
The history of horror films about zombies (we will consider the best and scariest ones in the article) is not as interesting as animations or dramas. But there are several interesting pitfalls in it that will be able to please moviegoers so well.
It is known that the main feature of any horror movie is fear. Most directors call him in the audience with the help of monsters. At the moment, along with vampires and goblins, zombies occupy a worthy place.
Cinema and Zombies
A zombie is a resurrected human body (most often a curse or a virus) that experiences a single feeling - hunger. For the first time in cinema, the theme of the resurrected dead was taken by George Romero, by the way, he spawned a large subgenre, which is called - films about zombies. He laid the main features of any film project that concerned zombies. Here and not quite smart main characters, and the immortality of the dead, and imaginary rumors about a place where there are no dead, and bites. This list can be listed for quite some time. Until 1981, most of the established rules were not violated by George Romero, which led to the first stagnation in the subgenre. With the advent of Sam Raimi and his long-suffering trilogy The Evil Dead. Raimi showed the unsurpassed Bruce Campbell in the role of Ash, and the film turned into a chamber horror, from which even the most daring people are embarrassed. Sam Raimi violated almost all the rules of Romero, which led to a slight degeneration of the genre.
The film, where the confrontation between the living and the dead reached the most burning point, and it was not clear who won, was able to collect a large box office, and make the director very successful in Hollywood.
Great makeup, quality work of actors, completely new camera tricks created a new level of high-quality film about zombies that can scare the audience.
In 1991, Peter Jackson decides to show the zombies as he sees them. Imagination led to the fact that the Living Carrion enters the world. A brutal, vile, scary film, where the dead were like animals on a chain in people. Peter Jackson took everything from The Evil Dead and doubled. The film has collected many awards, was officially recognized as one of the most cruel and bloody in history.
Unfortunately, after the Living Alive, until 2011, there was nothing innovative in the history of the genre. Yes, Romero still produced gorgeous and scary paintings, such as The Dawn of the Living Dead, but it was all secondary. But then “The Cabin in the Woods” comes out - a project from Drew Goddard that blows up everything that existed before. And in the end, the series The Walking Dead is also rapidly gaining success, which is still the best zombie project in history.
Consider the top scariest horror movies about zombies. Their rating is as follows:
- "Evil Dead";
- "Resident Evil";
- “28 days later”;
- "Shed in a woods";
- "I'm legend";
- "Dawn of the Dead";
- "Resuscitator";
- "Train to Busan."
Consider each movie from the list individually.
The Evil Dead Trilogy (1981)
The first on the list of scary horror films about zombies, this film was not in vain. A small group of people come to an abandoned hut in the woods to relax. But because of their heedlessness, they accidentally release the most ancient evil. It instantly takes possession of the body of the beloved girl Ash, the main character. And now this very evil will not calm down until it destroys all those people who dared to wake him.
Despite the fact that the third film is more like a black comedy, the first two films really scared in their time. Even now, compared to films with computer graphics, the effects of the first film look decent. The film is primarily frightening in that they don’t explain anything to the viewer about ancient evil, but they throw it straight into the thick of things.
Sharp twitches, terrifying laughter - all this in one small room. It is not recommended to watch people who suffer from claustrophobia.
The cast is represented by little-known actors who only appeared in third roles in large projects. The production of the first film had a good effect only on the career of the director. Unfortunately, charismatic actors suffered a series of failures, which provoked their further collapse. It is especially disappointing for the fate of Bruce Campbell, who now and then appears on the sidelines with his friend Sam Raimi.
Saga "Resident Evil" (2002-2017)
This is one of the best zombie horror films. Alice and her innate ability to withstand the powerful T virus caused a long battle. Over the course of several films, the main character and the large scientific corporation Umbrella have been trying to find out the relationship, all this against the background of endless deaths and an influx of gloomy, really terrible zombies.
Each film could be included in this list, as a constant feeling of discomfort and fear makes you squeeze into a chair. Zombies are shown in the best traditions of George Romero. High-quality study of the smallest details by the make-up artists managed to give rise to legendary monsters such as Nemesis. A really vast story of the confrontation between man and crazy scientists who decide to clear the planet of humanity through the zombie apocalypse. Watch without fail only when the light is off.
In fact, the entire saga rests only on Mila Jovovich. The remaining actors are less noticeable.
“28 days later” (2004)
This is a very scary horror movie about zombies. The main character suddenly wakes up in a hospital all alone. Later, he learns that during his coma, and he was in a coma, a virus fell on the world, turning all living things into zombies. And now, in order to be saved, he needs to find other survivors. A powerful military base has settled in Manchester, where there is a safe place. Will the main character get there?
The film is filled with despair, the feeling that there is always someone behind. Any rustle makes you startle. Already from the tenth minute, when the hero wakes up, a sense of fear is felt. Sounds in the distance, repeated shadows in the darkness, etc. make the heart beat faster.
Denny Boyle and Kilian Murphy were able to create a great team that perfectly understood each other. For a rather tiny budget, the director managed to make an incredible story. And Kilian Murphy, after this project, managed to become a celebrity and get front-end roles in more expensive work.
“Cabin in the Forest” (2011)
The top scary horror movie about zombies "Cabin in the Forest" also entered quite deservedly. Several teenagers decide to relax away from the city, but no one thought that their decision for a long time consisted of a global plan to save the world. In a small house in the middle of the forest, they accidentally discover a terrible basement, where there are many strange things. After reading the diary of a sadistic family who had previously lived in these parts, the hunt begins for the guys. The living dead rose from the earth. It was easy to guess that zombies that came to life were the very family that teenagers read about.
The film features a chic script. Despite the fact that it is considered a parody of the entire genre, there are plenty of terrible moments in it. On the one hand, the viewer watches a completely ordinary horror movie, where cliched heroes fall into the hands of the dead and die. However, then the other side of the coin opens, and the viewer sees the "designers" of this anarchy. A real gem among all the zombie movies.
Really talented actors starred in this project. They created charismatic characters that are interesting to watch. Particularly pleased actor Fran Krantz, who embodied Marty on the screen.
The film occupies a worthy place in various ratings and lists.
“I am a legend” (2007)
“I am a legend” is one of the worst horror films about zombies, and it’s also very interesting. When New York turned into a ghost town, the hero tried to stop the Apocalypse. A powerful virus instantly turned people into zombies. As a scientist, he realized that it was necessary to conduct research, experimental subjects were needed. So he spent the last three years. In one hand, a gun and a couple of rounds, and in the second - a syringe for injection.
The film reveals the world of loneliness in full. First of all, the atmosphere frightens with a complete lack of life, with the exception of the main character. Monsters turned out realistic, interesting and scary. Each of them at the right moment makes the viewer jump from surprise. Yes, this is a scrimmer! It is especially intriguing that the director shot two endings. One sad, and the second - well, just gorgeous. If with a sad ending the hero dies fighting with the zombies, then the second makes you horrified in everything that the main character did. Yes, the second ending is frightening not by abrupt popping of monsters in front of the screen, but by the fact that Robert appears before the audience as a mad scientist who has ruined more than one life in order to achieve a non-existent goal.
Will Smith - that says it all. Almost the entire timing of the picture is reserved for one actor. There are no complaints about the game, it can be seen that it is giving all the best for one hundred percent. Thanks to his game, you can feel the tension and fear.
“Dawn of the Dead” (2004)
In the list of the scariest horror films about zombies, this movie masterpiece is well deserved. Dawn of the Dead is a small remake of the original film by George Romero. Thanks to the noir and gloomy vision of the director, the film turned out to be terribly frightening.
Anna accidentally discovers a strange anomaly in one patient. An x-ray showed that the patient develops an unknown disease. In a short time, this mysterious parasitic virus was able to turn civilized people into real monsters, craving only human brains.
The leading roles were little-known actors, but this did not stop creating an eerie atmosphere, suspense and fear. The film deserves to be called one of the best horror films about zombies.
The Resuscitator (1985)
A strange film about what consequences you will have to endure if you violate the laws of nature. One of the scariest horror films about zombies tells the story of a scientist who is sure that a dead body made of several particles can be brought back to life, thus creating a new creature. However, he himself falls into his own trap, because of which he becomes an experimental one.
The film does not have a huge budget, and special effects are outdated. But this does not stop him from scaring to shiver. The film walks on the border of human madness. It seems that an explosion of the psyche is about to happen. The debut work of Stuart Gordon.
The Train to Busan (2016)
Suddenly a terrible virus swept the planet. The last chance to survive is the city of Busan. On its territory they managed to create a military base where it is safe. The main characters instantly organize a transit trip to the city. Almost 450 kilometers of the road will have to endure. However, one infected person gets on the train, which is why there is a further confrontation between the living and the dead.
The highest grossing film in Korea. The film was able to collect a lot of positive criticism, and the audience - to organize the box office. The film is frightening in that it is not reliable to divide people into dead and living. After all, for the sake of their own lives, many are ready to give up their friend for the slaughter nearby. Beautiful film adaptation will make the evening extremely gloomy.
Other films worthy of being on this list include War of the Worlds Z, New Era Z, Infection, Operation Dead Snow, and many others.