STAFF PICKS: Zombie entertainment to survive an at-home Halloween
While Haitian folklore utilized undead monsters and can trace its roots before the 1700s, zombies are relatively recent monsters in filmmaking.
Sometimes called ghouls, walkers, walking dead, shamblers, flesh-eaters etc, these undead creatures remained popular. In 2011, the Center for Disease Control released a zombie outbreak preparedness guide to teach general emergency precautions.
Whether you prefer a comedy, romance or horror, there is zombie entertainment for everyone to enjoy this Halloween. We asked The Signal staff to name their favorites:
“Train to Busan” (2016)
I love zombie/ undead movies but Train to Busan is probably my favorite one of all the ones I’ve watched. The actors portrayal of their characters was spot on and being able to watch their development made the movie even better. Also the SFX in this movie is amazing. The way they made the zombies/ undead creatures look was very good and added suspense. When people ask me for recommendations of zombie/ undead movies, I always bring this one up.
Stephanie Perez – Managing Editor of Outreach
“Game of Thrones” (2011)
As a general rule, I am not a zombie/ undead kind of person. I just don’t understand the appeal of a brainless being. However, Game of Thrones completely flipped the script on the whole “undead” thing. The Night King (while super underutilized) was extremely clever, thirsted for revenge and knew how to command his troops. Genius.
Emily Wolfe – Editor-in-Chief
“Night of the Living Dead” (1968)
It’s the one that started it all. While this is not the first zombie film, it is without a doubt the most influential. There is so much in this film that laid the foundation for so many of the modern zombie film tropes and it is unlikely the zombie genre would have the popularity (and style) it has today had it not been for this classic by the Master of Zombies George Romero.
Troylon Griffin II – Managing Editor of Content & Operations
“Little Monsters” (2019)
The fact that Lupita Nyong’o is in this should be enough of a reason to watch this horror comedy. It follows a washed up musician, a children’s TV show host and the Kindergarten teacher to put the rest to shame (Nyong’o) trying to survive a zombie outbreak. All while herding around a class field trip. I went in with very high expectations and it still exceeded it. This is perfect for those like me who don’t like to be scared, but do enjoy the spooky-season.
Alyssa Shotwell – Online Editor
“The Dead Don’t Die” (2019)
‘The Dead Don’t Die’ is a 2019 deadpan comedy about Zombies and ghouls overtaking the earth from a star-studded ensemble cast in a small town including Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Selena Gomez, Tilda Swinton, Chloe Sevigny, Danny Glover and more. The movie is full of laughs for fans of Zombie movie tropes, but its commentary on the human condition is what makes it such an interesting (and scary) story!
Miles Shellshear – Executive Editor
“The Rain” (2018)
I stumbled upon the first season shortly after it was released and binged the entire thing in a day. The show follows two young siblings in Scandinavia who begin navigating the world again after living in a bunker for six years because virus-carrying rainfall started turning people in to “zombies”. I like it because it’s a cool combination of the characters trying to survive what basically seems to be the zombie apocalypse, and a little bit of a coming of age story.
Jessica Kunzat – Audience Engagement Editor
“Zombieland” (2009)
It’s a bit of a dark comedy, but it’s very funny and is an easy watch. It’s somewhat of a satire zombie movie, they constantly go over “rules” you should follow so you stay alive, some are simple while others you wouldn’t have thought of. The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously which is why I enjoy it so much. It has a star studded cast but they all do a great job of joking around and keeping the mood light hearted.
Alex Moore – reporter
“Scooby Doo and Zombie Island” (1998)
Even though I don’t like zombies, I love this movie. It is easily one of the best Scooby Doo movies with a really non-traditional mystery. Even in my 20s, I still find the humor in this film to be top quality. Also, ‘It’s Terror Time Again’ is my go-to Halloween song.
Emily Wolfe – Editor-in-Chief
“The Girl with All the Gifts” (2016)
While the film itself stays in the thriller, sci-fiction genre, this is unique in the way it explores the later months into a zombie outbreak when what organizations and governments are left race to find a vaccine. Morality is questioned a lot in zombie and monster movies in general and this one is no different.
Alyssa Shotwell – Online Editor
“Zombieland: Double Tap” (2019)
I normally tend to prefer comedy over horror, so my pick is Zombieland 2. If you liked the first one, the second movie is a home run! The humor was just as outrageous as the first one and they brought back the main cast from the first movie, so I would definitely say this sequel lived up to the hype!
Alyssa Lobue – reporter
