The real reason that the zombie genre is acomplished is because of the connotations, social comentaries, and characterics that befall the human "survivor" characters. When made right, the survivors in the zombie media become isolated from the world and have to choose between social upheaval or barbarianism.
I have constructed a list of what I have found to be the best selection of zombie media over the past few decades.
Night of the Living Dead (1969)
George A. Romero's debut feature film introduced audiences to the idea of the dead returning to life to eat the flesh of the living. Even by today's standards this has still got moments of shock and gore. The main meat of the film, which is seen as a social commentary at the time, is the black protagonist. The film eventually becomes a power struggle in the fortification of a country house to repel the zombie attack. It was a budget movie, but it was also a huge sucess across theatres and drive-ins across the United States. There have been re-releases, remakes, and unofficial sequels to the movie. My advice is to find the original, untampered movie for the best and unspoiled experience. The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (1974)
Also known as "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie" in the States. This is an often overlooked little gem of a film. This takes the template Romero had made a few years ealier, and sets it in the English countryside. Add in colour, better established characters and cinematography, and of course more zombies. It features standoffs in a church and a hospital and features the plod being devoured. The film takes a stab at counter culture conflicts with the widley regarded facist police force. So in the case of TLDAMM, pairing a hippie couple with a bent cop in a fight for survival is gonna have interesting consciquences. The English setting and characters only add to the film's charm. And the gore is top-notch too. Dawn of the Dead (1979)
Romero returned to making what he did best. Many consider this the archetype zombie movie. With the US fighting a losing battle against the zombie epidemic, two cops, an anchorwoman and a helicopter pilot decide to escape the madness. They take refuge in a mega-mall. As soon as they clear out the remaining zombies in the mall, it all becomes an unusual paradise that slowly rots them. Its consumer capitalism given an ugly makeover. Right until a gang of bikers invades their newly establised palice. Featuring some of the best scenes in any zombie flick: from helicopter decapitations, domesticating a security office, freeloading mall stores, and a hare-krisna zombie. And its worth noting the soundtrack gets over-used in future zombie parodys.Resident Evil (1996)
Also known as Biohazard in its native Japan. At the time, Capcom were better known for their 2D beat-em-up franchise Street Fighter. Then along came Resident Evil, a game that coined the phrase survival-horror. Featuring a 3D setting and lush artistic direction, Resident Evil pitted members of an elite police force investigating grisly murders. It eventually leeds them to a mansion that becomes a death trap. Littered with zombies, mutant animals, and an even worse conspiracy. The second game of this franchise my personal favorite as the epidemic that preceded the first game takes to the streets, creating all kinds of horror for the player. You soon find that zombies are the least of your troubles! Its a shame the films suck! The original Japanese comercial for Resident Evil 2...directed by none other than Romero :)
The Zombie Survival Guide (2003)
Taking the conventions of the various zombie mediums that had been established earlier, this book serves as a reference guide for a mock scenario of a zombie out break. It covers specific weapons, locations to hold up and fortify, where to and where not to go, etc. It also comes with basic but humerious diagrams included in the book. The author Max Brooks is clearly a fan of the genre. His other contributions include World War Z: a journalistic set of interviews with survivors of a zombie apocalypse. Remember: machetes don't need reoading!The Walking Dead (2003-present)
As graphic novels go, this is pretty much the standard for zombies. Comic writer Robert Kirkman is no stranger to zombies thanks to his take on the MARVEL universe with MARVEL Zombies. Set after the events of a zombie outbreak, ex-cop Rick Grimes sets out to find his wife and child only to find things have turned much more grislier than he imagined. The Walking Dead is everything you'd expect it to be and much more, depicting desperate human beings in a survialist situation.28 Days Later (2003)
Director Danny Boyle is noted for many interesting things with his films. Whether it was shedding light on Mumbai life in Slumdog Millionare or creating a cult film status with Trainspoting. One thing he can be credited for is perhaps re-inventing the zombie genre with 28 Days Later. Not nesescarily a zombie film, the themes of survivalism remain whilst the stakes are raised much higher. The victims of a simian blood disease become fast-running feral humans, infecting all of England. Filmed mostly with digital cameras, its sets the gritty fast paced horror featured in the film. Future films such as Zack Synde's Dawn of the Dead remake use this similar approach to 'modernise' the zombie flick. Its because of 28 Days Later that zombies are no longer stuck to just lumbering towards their prey. Left 4 Dead (2008)
Proving that the zombie apocalypse is still fertile ground for gaming, Left 4 Dead is considered the ideal co-operative experience. This is where up to four players work together to fend off zombie hordes with whatever weapons they can find. Teamwork is essential in this game as you will be fighting hundreds of zombies swarimg at you at once. And then there are the 'special infected' that take more of a beating. Developed by Valve, creators of the Half Life and Counter Strike games, Left 4 Dead has give more leeway to the posibilities of horror gaming. Surprisingly this has been the game I play alot with even the most timid casual gamers. Its reputation has definitly given it a good about of curiousity at the very least. Left 4 Dead 2 is the most recent release, and it adds that all important element to the game: CHAINSAWS!!!Anyone wanting to find the sweetspots of the zombie medium, I would recommend these as good starting points. You wont be dissapointed.
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