7 Great Zombie Films Too Watch Instead of Resident Evil Afterlife

Resident Evil Afterlife 3D has just hit theatres and Luke who writes for our site has completed his review of the film and needless to say he panned it giving it a 3 out of 10 rating ( Resident Evil Afterlife Review) . So this leaves me in a tough place since I intended on going to see it tonight but by the sounds of it I am further ahead burning my money. So rather then burning my money I figured I would look back at some potential classics that you and I can enjoy instead of wasting our money on the visually impressive but dull Resident Evil Afterlife. So in no particular order here are seven zombie movies to watch instead of Resident Evil Afterlife.

Dawn of the Dead 1978: George A Romero’s Dawn of the Dead is one of the greatest zombie films ever made and was one of the first zombie films I ever watched. Not only is George Romero the reason for my life of zombie films he is also for me the father of the genre. Many have made zombie films before him and after but nobody can touch what George Romero’s films offered. A social commentary, amazing visual fx and a kick ass zombie experience. Dawn of the Dead is about a group of survivors who head to a local mall to wait out the end of the world and must battle the elements, zombies and the world itself to survive. A lengthy look at survival in a world over run by zombies with a great cast of characters and some great political messages.

Resident Evil: As much as the new Resident Evil movie might suck the original movie is one of my favourite zombie films and is a film I have seen well over 30 times. I picked it up in the discount bin for about $5 on DVD from Rogers Video and it is easily the best buy I have made in awhile. I was never a player of the games so I wasn’t sure what to expect but the film delivers. It tells the story of Alice who wakes up naked in the shower in a mansion and soon discovers she is living on top of a mansion controlled by the Umbrella Corporation and a virus has been unleashed beneath her in a secret research facility. With great casting, outstanding visual FX and a great script Resident Evil the movie delivers! Little side note George Romero originally wrote the script for the film which was rejected by the studio which resulted in Paul WS Anderson taking on the project.

Shaun of the Dead: When it comes to Zombie comedies nothing tops Shaun of the Dead ( although Zombieland comes close ). Shaun of the Dead resonates with me because its about two slackers caught up in the end of the world and their efforts to survive. Simon Pegg & Nick Frost play the two English slackers to a tee and it is packed full of hilarious dialogue, fantastic characters and once again has one of the most polished scripts in a zombie film. Directed by Edgar Wright its not just funny, its emotional and heartfelt and is another film I have seen no less than 30 times.  

Night of the Living Dead 1990: George Romero’s original Night of the Living Dead is a fantastic movie but frankly although it was the first and scared the hell out of a whole generation of horror fans the remake for me is the superior film. The sequel is a color remake of the original black and white 60’s film but George Romero takes on the role of Producer and his FX man a legend in the industry Tom Savini sits in the directors chair delivering a truly fantastic experience. Night of the Living Dead tells the story of a woman who is mourning at a local cemetery and finds herself under attack by the undead. Fleeing to a local farmhouse she meets up with other fleeing survivors and they attempt to band together to survive the undead attack until help comes. True to any George Romero zombie film not all the dangers lurk outside the farmhouse as they must also struggle with their own demons and the demons of their fellow survivors.

Stink of Flesh: This one is a bit risqué but it still makes the list. Stink of Flesh is directed by Scott Pillips and is the definition of no budget zombie filmmaking. The special FX are ludicrous the script is borderline idiotic and the acting would make most b-movies look Oscar worthy but hidden within the chaos is a real gem. Stink of Flesh is about a lone man named Matool who roams the zombie wastelands and encounters survivors on his way from a creepy old man saving children with creepy intentions and a swinger couple with a dark secret in their closets. Stink of Flesh is low budget filmmaking at its best but admittedly is the one film on this list you may very well despise. If you love George Romero and can appreciate low budget filmmaking you will love Stink of Flesh. If your more into the likes of Resident Evil or the more mainstream Zach Snyder Dawn of the Dead remake you will want to pass on this recommendation.

Dawn of the Dead (2004): It is not often you will find me dumping a remake on a list of best anything but every now and then a director comes along and takes a classic movie and makes it not better, but different and in this case.. awesome. Zach Snyder took the original film and added his own twists while keeping the core true to George Romero’s classic and manages to create an intense, gorey and creepy film that pays tribute to the original while still being a unique film experience. With an all star cast including Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Ken Foree and David Early its a film that packs the intelligence of the original and brings a brand new intensity and urgency. Although true to the original it offers many new elements and feels like a new film!

Zombieland: Last but not least on my list is Zombieland. Zombieland is the first good zombie movie to get pumped out by the Hollywood machine in a very long time. Starring Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Jesse Eisenberg it tells the story of three people with very different lives who come together through a series of coincidences and must work to survive each other and the end of the world. Packed full of hilarious rules to surviving the zombie apocalypse and with incredibly witty writing Zombieland is the pinnacle of zombie movies. Funny, dark, witty, intelligent and just a rock n roll festival of zombie awesomeness Zombieland is a kick ass movie that every zombie fan can love.