Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Sunday night’s fifth season premiere of The Walking Dead, “No Sanctuary,” was the highest-rated episode in the history of the show. Over 17 million people tuned-in last night, a number that’s sure to grow once DVR viewings get factored in. America’s appetite for zombies is an unquenchable as a zombie’s appetite for brains, apparently.
To that end, the latest installment in our month-long Scream and Stream series is focused on zombies. Yeah, we’re talking Walkers. Biters. Geeks. Infected. The Undead. Zekes. No matter what the characters in the following TV shows and movies call them, they’re pretty terrifying (except when they’re not). Either way, here is Your Essential Guide To Streaming All Things Zombie.
'28 Days Later'
For our money, Danny Boyle’s 2002 film is the most revolutionary film in the entire genre. Why? Two words: FAST ZOMBIES. Purists from the Romero School may beg to differ, but when the Infected start chasing Cillian Murphy down the streets of London at breakneck speed, our collective heart rates accelerated just as quickly. [Where to stream 28 Days Later]
'The Walking Dead'
Quite possibly the biggest downer of a show in the history of television, the show is surging and is now becoming one of the most popular programs of the post-cable explosion era. So, what does this mean? Namely, that you can mix in stories that involve cannibalism, suicide, infant mortality, rape, murder, mutilation, and genocide so long as you dress things up with a few bad ass zombie kills. Not that we’re complaining… [Where to stream The Walking Dead]
'Dawn Of The Dead' (2004)
All propers to George Romero, of course, but Zach Snyder’s 2004 remake of Dawn Of The Dead was a high intensity improvement on the original. Sure, there was significantly more subtext about consumerism in Romero’s original, but what Snyder lacked in this regard he more than made up for in balls-to-the-wall kickassness (yeah, we made that word up). Take the scene above, for instance, and tell us we’re wrong. [Where to stream Dawn Of The Dead]
'Shaun Of The Dead'
The great zombie boom of the early to mid Aughts wouldn’t be known as such if not for Shaun Of The Dead, the very first (and self-proclaimed) rom zom com. The film not only introduced the world at large to the great cinematic friendship between Simon Pegg and Nick Frost—was all but unknown anywhere outside of England when this film first started gaining acclaim—but director Edgar Wright also infused his picture with a healthy balance between gore and belly laughs. [Where to stream Shaun Of The Dead]
'World War Z'
One of the most-beloved books of the new millenium turned into one of the most troubled movie productions of the new millenium. The film’s original ending was scrapped entirely after receiving super low scores from test audiences, but the end product that hit theaters was quite a delight. We’re still not sure that Brad Pitt was the right guy to lead this franchise, but he does lend his movie star charm to this film’s mega-intense globe-hopping affairs (see the BONKERS “Escape from Israel” scene above). [Where to stream World War Z]
'Zombieland'
Zombieland is memorable for its blend of savvy, self-aware humor and some legit R-rated gore. Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson star in this movie which spends a lot of time breaking down the “rules” of surviving a zombiepocalypse. In the clip above, we learn the first four rules that will help you stay alive. Service-y! [Where to stream Zombieland]
'Rec'
There are a few films on this list that can easily cause you to lose a few hours worth of sleep, but the Spanish languge found footage freakfest [REC] is the kind of movie that will force you to go to sleep with the lights on, if you can even get to sleep at all. The premise here is simple: A reality show crew follows a couple of firefighters into a Barcelona apartment building that receives a distress call. From there, SHIT GETS REAL. We’re talkin’ REAL REAL. This film was remade in English a few years later under the name Quarantine; it’s not quite as good as the original, but if you don’t like mixing scares and subtitles, it might just do the trick for you. [Where to stream REC]
'Dead Snow'
Zombies and Nazis. Much like chocolate and peanut butter, they’re two great tastes that taste great together. [Where to stream Dead Snow]
'Warm Bodies'
Because even zombies need some love and affection every now and then, y’all. [Where to stream Warm Bodies]
'Day Of The Dead'
You didn’t think we’d make an Essential Zombie List and then not put any George Romero on it, did you? OF COURSE WE WOULDN’T. Since we already recommended you watch the 2004 remake of Dawn Of The Dead over the original, you should totally check out Day Of The Dead (if you haven’t already). Romero once described it as a “tragedy about how a lack of human communication causes chaos and collapse even in this small little pie slice of society,” but even the most casual observer would recognize that it’s really about Romero’s mistrust and complete lack of faith in Reagan’s military strategy. If you like your zombie movies to be the kind that foster serious discussion about the military industrial complex, then this is the movie for you. [Where to stream Day Of The Dead]
