Zombies have been a thing in cinema for nearly a century now, and since then, we have seen countless films that employ the flesh-eating monsters to tell various kinds of stories. In this sub-genre, we have seen many high and low budget films from the incredibly popular World War Z to the brilliant 28 Days Later, and while these films are every bit worthy of the praise they get, there are some films that get nearly no praise, as the masses still haven’t heard about them. To rectify that, we have compiled a list of the best and most entertaining zombie films that you might not have heard of.
One Cut of the Dead (AMC+ & Rent on Prime Video)
One Cut of the Dead is a Japanese independent zombie comedy film written and directed by Shin’ichirō Ueda. The 2017 film revolves around a film crew shooting a low-budget zombie flick at an abandoned World War II Japanese facility as they are attacked by real zombies. One Cut of the Dead stars Takayuki Hamatsu, Yuzuki Akiyama, Kazuaki Nagaya, Harumi Syuhama, Manabu Hosoi, Hiroshi Ichihara, Shuntaro Yamazaki, and Shinichiro Osawa.
ParaNorman (Rent on Prime Video)
ParaNorman is a stop-motion animated comedy horror film co-directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler from a screenplay by Butler. The 2012 film is set in a Massachusetts town, and it follows Norman Babcock, a young boy with the ability to see and talk to ghosts, who becomes the key person to ending a centuries-old witch’s curse on his town. ParaNorman’s voice cast includes Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Leslie Mann.
Little Monsters (Hulu)
Little Monsters is a zombie comedy film written and directed by Abe Forsythe. The 2019 film revolves around a group of chaperones on a kindergarten class field trip with young children as they must work together to save the kids from flesh-eating monsters. Little Monsters stars Lupita Nyong’o, Alexander England, Josh Gad, Kat Stewart, Diesel La Torraca, Ava Caryofyllis, and Charlie Whitley.
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (Paramount+ & Rent on Prime Video)
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is a zombie comedy film directed by Christopher Landon, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Emi Mochizuki and Carrie Evans. The 2015 film revolves around a group of high school sophomores as they suddenly find themselves in the middle of a zombie attack and soon team up with a stripper to survive the flesh-hungry creatures. Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse stars Tye Sheridan, Logan Miller, Joey Morgan, Sarah Dumont, David Koechner, Halston Sage, Cloris Leachman, and Niki Koss.
Pontypool (AMC+)
Pontypool is a Canadian psychological horror thriller film directed by Bruce McDonald from a screenplay by Tony Burgess. Based on Burgess’ 1995 novel Pontypool Changes Everything, the 2008 film is set in a small Ontario town, and it follows a radio host who discovers that there is a possible zombie outbreak in his town. Pontypool stars Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle, Georgina Reilly, and Hrant Alianak.
Warm Bodies (Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Plex & Rent on Prime Video)
Warm Bodies is a zombie romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Jonathan Levine. Based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Isaac Marion, the 2013 film is set after a zombie apocalypse where humans have carved out a city that’s thriving. It follows R, a sentient young zombie who saves Julie, a human girl, and soon they develop feelings for each other, but their love is challenged when other people find out. Warm Bodies stars Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Rob Corddry, Dave Franco, Lio Tipton, Cory Hardrict, and John Malkovich.
The Dead Don’t Die (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video)
The Dead Don’t Die is an absurdist zombie dark comedy film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. The 2019 film is set in a small rural town, and it follows police chief Cliff Robertson and his officers as they become crucial to fighting against a sudden zombie uprising in their town. The Dead Don’t Die stars Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Caleb Landry Jones, Rosie Perez, Iggy Pop, Sara Driver, and RZA.