Blu-ray.com and Anchor Bay Films are offering three Blu-ray.com members the opportunity to win a copy of director George Mendeluk's The Terror Experiment, starring Jason London, C. Thomas Howell and Judd Nelson. The zombie-survival thriller arrives on Blu-ray on April 10th.
To enter, simply add a comment to this news post that lists your favorite zombie movies of all time. Be sure to add a solid argument as to why your top pick deserves top honors. (There are no right or wrong answers.)
The contest is open to all Blu-ray.com members (membership is completely free, click here to join). Entrants will never be asked or required to post any personal information whatsoever on Blu-ray.com, and will only ever be identified by their Blu-ray.com username. Winners will be asked to provide full name and a valid mailing address via PM, but their personal information will not be shared or retained in any way. Maintaining our membership's privacy is of the utmost importance. The contest will close on Friday, April 13th at approximately 11:59pm EST, and three randomly selected winners will be contacted soon thereafter via Blu-ray.com PM. Prizes that are not claimed within seven days will be awarded to other entrants.
Note: other open contests and giveaways can be found in the giveaway thread located in the forum.
1. Night of the Living Dead (1968) - This film spawned hundreds of other undead flesh eating zombie movies. The zombie genre hasn't been the same since.
2. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
3. [REC] (2007)
Night of the Living Dead - This is the original zombie movie, and without it, the genre would not exist. As harrowing and brutal now as it was then, in both story and onscreen carnage, and complete with characters that can be endlessly analyzed and broken down. Not even Romero himself could ever top this first outing.
I recently watched THE HORDE. It was an excellent French zombie film that was action-packed and well-told. While this isn't my favourite zombie film of all time, I definitely recommend fans of the genre to check it out. As far as my favourites go, there's so many. I LOVED Zack Snyder's remake of DAWN OF THE DEAD. It was non-stop suspense for two hours with some of the best cinematography I've ever seen in a horror film. Then there's the duo of zombie/comedy hybrids, ZOMBIELAND and SHAUN OF THE DEAD. Both were consistantly hilarious while still staying true to the zombie genre by including scares and gore galore. The [.REC] series, as well as its American remake QUARANTINE (and even its sequel, QUARANTINE 2: TERMINAL), were very eerie with their use of "lost footage". To end things off, I have to say that one of my favourite zombie films is the very underrated film FIDO. This low-budget flick about a kid and his pet zombie was funny and creepy, but also very heart-warming. If any zombie flick were to be honoured with a high-calibre award from a prestigious award show, it'd be FIDO.
1) Night of the Living Dead (1968)
2) Dawn of the Dead (1978)
3) Day of the Dead (1985)
Night of the Living Dead not only defined the genre as we know it today, but it's release in 1968 caused a bit of an uproar due to the images of ghouls devouring human flesh. It was released unrated before the birth of the MPAA later that year and I firmly believe that it's content and the public's reaction was partially responsible for the voluntary system finally being implimented and sticking. Previous ratings systems came and went, but the MPAA has stuck around..... for better or worse.
And lest we forget, it set the precident for Zombie films being used as alegory for social issues like Cold War paranoia and the fight for civil rights and is also one of the most important "midnight movies" when that particular movement was in its heyday.
Night of the Living Dead literally spawned an entire genre of movies that followed, attempting to capture what it did but often missing its emphasis on character and story over gore and shock... though attention to detail was present in Romero movies for the gore as well.
28 Days Later took this same idea in a slightly different direction with living zombies rather than undead reanimated, but the key ideas of character and people being their own worst enemies, not the monsters, are ever present.
Dawn of the Dead (remake) - Dawn of the Dead essentially brought the zombie genre back from extinction and gave it a fresh new outlook.
Shaun of the Dead - No one thought it possible to make a COMEDIC zombie movie. Not only did this movie pull it off, it became one of the best zombie films of all time.
The Walking Dead - Although not necessarily a "movie," it pulled a "Dawn of the Dead" and refreshed the genre for a new generation.
Shaun of the Dead - Because not only is it one of the best zombie movies ever made, but it's also one of the funniest comedies ever as well. And it introduced Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost to a broad American audience.
Invisible Invaders - Saw this on a late-late-show when I was a kid. Aliens take over corpses to forge an army of the dead. It is real low-budget, - but wow! did it pack a wallop back then. I am always amazed that Invisible Invaders isn't acknowledged as a real forebear of the original Night of the Living Dead.
Night of the Living Dead (1968) - Saw this at a drive-in in Pennsylvania not far from where the feature was shot. It was a hot summer night, and we had the windows of the car shut tight. I revisit this classic at least once a year.
Kudos to devilnamedBuena for including Passion of the Christ.
Night of the Living Dead (Remake) - Bringing the classic for modern viewers.
Dawn of the Dead (Remake) - The first morning alone is so intense, it doesn't matter if the rest of the movie sucks (which it doesn't)
The Walking Dead - Though not a movie, you can't mention zombies without thinking of this show
Shaun of the Dead - Wow. If this had hardcore sex, this movie would be perfect.
Shaun of the Dead - loved the fresh comedic take yet their retention of the zombie horror element to still make you jump from time to time
I Am Legend (I can't remember if they were more zombie or vampire)
The Midnight Hour (my personal favorite, but even though it has zombies, I wouldn't call it a zombie movie)
28 Days Later
28 Weeks Later
Dawn of the Dead
Zombieland
The Walking Dead (movie defined: A sequence of photographs projected onto a screen with sufficient rapidity as to create the illusion of continuity.)
I'm sure there are several I'm forgetting, possibly some more deserving than the above.
Night of the Living Dead - First zombie movie I saw and still my favorite
Dawn of the Dead - I like it almost as much as Night of the Living Dead.
The Beyond - One of my favorite horror films.
Dawn Of the Dead (1978)
While "Night of the Living Dead" is the one that started it all, it is very VERY good and really should be my top pick, the social commentary is a lot stronger in Dawn and that - for me - makes it the better film.
Other great Zombie/Walking Dead movies in no particular order:
Dawn Of the Dead (2004), Shaun of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead (1968), Zombieland, Day of the Dead (1985, NOT the horrible 2008 version!), Resident Evil (first 3), 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, Død Snø, Diary of the Dead and many more
The Return of the Living Dead (1984) because it's still enjoyable today as an cult horror movie and a black comedy. This movie has some of the best looking undead/zombies.
Mine are any of the George Romero "Dead" movies. They were the origionals and have besides the usual, they have great charachters. I think the best is Dawn.
Night of the Living Dead - The first time that I saw it was at a theater celebrating the movie during an anniversary year. The original crew and part of the cast were there as we watched it in the original black and white on the big screen. Despite its age, it was a lot of fun and got me interested in zombie movies.
Shaun of the Dead - Simon and Nick did not act seriously and were silly which makes it fun. They point out the stupidity of slow moving zombies. They said that there would be no movie if they decided to run for it since the zombies would not keep up so they had to have themselves be trapped somewhere.
Resident Evil - Bringing futuristic technology to a zombie movie and adding the sci-fi flavor gives this movie high replay value. The original is superior as it contains more of the horror and survival themes to it and is not filled with explosions and action scenes.
Dead Alive - From the insanse mind of Peter Jackson. That zombie baby scene will win over almost everybody as well as the priest in this commedy/horror mix.
Shaun Of The Dead - The purest essence of what a zombie film is meant to be about while providing the perfect balance of comic relief through the use of very relatable modern everyman characters.
Night Of The Living Dead - The one that started it all!
Dawn Of The Dead (remake) - First excellent modern execution of visual effects in a zombie film.
Dead & Breakfast - Hilarious independent "sorta spoof" on the genre
Night of the Living Dead (original)
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Night of the Living Dead (remake)
Dawn of the Dead (remake) hahaha
Shaun of the Dead
Zombieland
Return of the Living Dead
Shaun of the Dead is the greatest zombie movie ever made because it is the most realistic. If a zombie apocalypse happened you probably wouldn't have a cop or soldier with you. It would be you and your dumbass friend and you'd come up with some deadbeat plan that only made thing worse. That's EXACTLY how it would go down.
Night of the Living Dead ('68) - Because it started it all.
Dawn of the Dead ('78) - Tom Savini's makeup and the comments on consumerism.
28 Days Later - A new take on classic lore.
Land of the Dead - An underrated take on class wars.
Zombi 2 - Zombie Vs. Shark - Classic!
Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead (Romero)- Pretty much created the whole genre - scary, occasionally funny and a great social commentary.
Braindead - Funniest gore/zombie-film ever put to film, by the genius Peter Jackson.
Dead Alive - Peter Jackson can do no wrong, well except for King Kong. Over the top Gore combined with Comedy and Horror
Dawn of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead
Zombieland
Return of the Living Dead
Planet Terror: Tarantino made Zombie killing cool again.
Resident Evil took the genre to a diferent level with a Sex Factor.
Shaun of the Dead made it a funny Sport.
Night of the Living Dead - This is were it all began and nothing will top it.
Dawn of the Dead - Classic
28 weeks later - Great movie, well put together
Shaun of the Dead. The comedic duo or Simon Pegg and Nick Frost never disappoint, and this is their masterpiece. Zombieland is a very close second, but without Shaun of the Dead, I don't think it could have received funding.
Night of the Living Dead , simply put....George Romero coined it with this classic and all have used it as the base of their story..when something changes how a genre is made you dub it the master and this film is the master of Zombie films, PERIOD!
Dawn of the Dead (original) I probably love it the most because of it's overall look and feel.
Zombi (Zombie 2) Shark vs Zombie FTW!
Night of the Living Dead (original)
Day of the Dead (original)
28 Days Later
3. THE VIDEO DEAD (1987) - Okay, yes, this is a bad film, yes it has many flaws and yes; it probably won't make anyone else's top 10, let alone their top 3 - however, there is something wildly unique and ambitious about this little film that keeps me coming back for more. The distinctive plot and original concepts were and still are a breath of fresh air - even if the air does have a bit of a funky after taste to it - this film works the way any bad film should work. Complete with over the top bad acting, piss poor dialog, cheesy effects and a rocking score that sadly hasn't been released to the public on any format, this one truly embodies the overall feel of a great "bad" film that becomes a wild, entertaining ride with a band of gruesome zombies that turn a suburban neighborhood upside down. A must own for the zombie aficionado.
2. THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (1985) - This one is a lot easier to explain. It's THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD folks! I mean right there, enough has been said to justify putting this classic on any zombie fan's list so I'm not sure what else I can add as to why this makes the #2 spot - but I'll give it a shot. A true classic in almost every sense of the word, spot on acting, a smart and wild script, fantastic soundtrack, hordes of brain eating zombies, and a very original twist on an otherwise repetitive genre. As much as I love zombie films, one cannot argue that a majority of zombie films - and in their defense, other films in the genre as well - have a tendency to repeat the same story over and over again. Here we do have the similar themes and situations, but these characters were nothing like anything we had seen in a film of this sort, not to mention the zombies were drastically changed from, the up until that point, the shambling flesh-eaters we all know and love to these unstoppable, fast moving, ravenous, brain-eating nightmares that would send any zombie fan running in the opposite direction of their rotted grip. While yes I am aware THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD was not the first film to feature running zombies, I believe GARDEN OF THE DEAD is the film that upholds that title, it was the first film to do it with such class and flair. So with that being said, it deserves points for bringing an otherwise, pardon the pun, dead concept back to life for a new generation. A definite classic and a must own.
1. DAY OF THE DEAD (1985) - Ah, the desolate streets, the vast caverns, the gloomy atmosphere and unending sense of dread - yes folks, George Romero's criminally underrated zombie opus DAY OF THE DEAD ranks at my #1 spot for my all time favorite zombie flick. The master of the sub genre brings his best foot forward here and spares no punches in his effort to shock and horrify his audience. We have hundreds of grotesque zombies, a tense script with brilliant acting by a stellar cast, a dark and moody atmosphere complete with one of the goriest finales to ever grace the silver screen. Yes sir DAY OF THE DEAD is truly Romero's unsung classic and one that hopefully someday will be recognized for the genius piece of work that it is.
Night of the Living Dead (top honors because it's the film that started it all, and with a low budget, and paved the way for George Romero)
Dawn of the Dead
Zombieland
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
28 Days Later
28 Weeks Later
Dawn of the Dead (2004) - Love the action and fast passed action in it
28 Days Later - the camera movement was awesome and made you feel like you were there
Night Of The Living Dead.... the classic that defined the genre
Plan Nine from Outer Space... great fun and cheesy effects... like legends color version too
30 Days of Night... a well done modern tale
Dawn of the Dead (original) - My top pick because it was the perfect blend of gore-or, satire and serious, and that hasn't been matched until The Walking Dead series began airing.
Fido
28 Weeks Later
The original Dawn of the Dead and the remake of Dawn of the Dead.
I saw the original on opening night and got in for free with the donation of a can of meat. I was slightly underage (16) and it was iffy if they were going to let my friend and I in but they did. I had never seen anything like that in a theater before that, including the original that I saw at a midnight screening a couple years earlier with my dad. The gore was unprecedented and the whole mall thing was hilarious.
I saw the first 10 minutes or so of the remake on a special preview on some cable channel and I thought it was as exiting of a film opening sequence as I had ever seen. I loved the movie in the theater and have seen it a few times on DVD. The original came out in a multi disk set several years ago that I bought the week it came out and it was one of the first blu rays I purchased.
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
It captures everything that we want to see in a zombie movie! Deserted mall, blood and gore, and subtle political and social messages. It is fun yet satisfying and really a great film not only for zombie films but for film in general. One of my all time favorite movies!
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
This is by far the best horror comedy I have ever right next to The Evil Dead franchise. Brilliantly funny and awesome!
Shaun of the Dead - Funny and very intelligent
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
28 Weeks Later
[Rec]
Planet Terror
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The Return of the Living Dead
-Dead Set (why is so underrated series)
-zombie 2 (argento rules)
-all romero zombies (night of the living dead, dawn of the dead, day of the dead, land of the dead, diary of the dead, survival of the dead)
-28 days later (fast zombie rules)
-the horde (french zombie movie)
-shaun of the dead
Night of the Living Dead Top honors for the Film that started the Zombie Genre
28 Days Later- Excellent Direction for this Series by "Trainspotting" Director Danny Boyle with Awesome Use of Outdoor Locations which gives this series an isolating feel. You truly feel like you're alone here.
28 Weeks Later- see above
Night of the Living Dead (Romero) Classic. Needs no further comment
Dawn of the Dead (2004) Best remake ever, and updated zombie genre to new heights. Great everything, from cast, plot, effects, and directing.
Shaun of the Dead. Simon Pegg .... and done.
Zombie (1979) Lucio Fulci. Groundbreaking zombie film, Fulci is a master. Still have memories of the nightmares it gave me ....
1. Night of the Living Dead (1968) = Still scary after all these years.
2. Night of the Creeps - Aliens + Zombies + college students = Unbelievable scary fun! That zombie coming under the floor inside a house it one of the creepiest thing on cinema. One of the most underrated zombie (or alien attack, depending on your point of view) films of all times.
3. Return of the Living Dead Part 2 = First over the top zombie comedy and it managed to have gore and scares too. Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead are not that original.
4. Dawn of the Dead (1978) = It starts with a bang, then it builds up slowly to the mother of all zombiefests. And don't forget the social commentary, and cannot go to a shopping mall and not be reminded about this movie.
P.S. - Calling Jesus Christ a zombie in his week is uncalled for. This is not Reddit.
Resident Evil franchise = Milla + T Virus
Shaun of the Dead = different perspective, horror + comedy
28 Days/Weeks Later = zombies can run
The Walking Dead = Awesome cast and plot
Shaun of the Dead, i dont know it still cracks me up, its a good movie and better than other zombie flicks in my opinion. i also love Zombieland, zombies and comedy is just a great combination. zombies are just silly so it works better in comedy but i still love most zombie movies and The Walking Dead of course but my favorite 2 zombie movies are definitely Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland.
