10 Best Zombie Movies Of The 21st Century (According To IMDb) – Screen Rant

The zombie genre certainly saw a resurgence throughout the 21st century, and these 10 movies are the best according to IMDb.

The zombie genre certainly saw a resurgence throughout the 21st century. Zombie movies were considered a thing of the past, relegated to the late '70s and '80s, undead reminders of the heyday of George A. Romero and his iconic Dead series.

RELATED:5 Best Movie Zombies (& 5 Worst)

In fact, the '90s were largely bereft of mainstream zombie films, as the genre had seemingly (and ironically) died for good. Like the slashers, the zombie genre had its time. But then something happened around 2002, and zombies were suddenly cool again. The genre rose from the grave and became more popular than ever.

The zombie genre was dying by 2018. The heyday had seemingly passed, and The Walking Dead was proving its title more and more relevant by the day. Enter Overlord, an exploitation film produced by J.J. Abrams. Overlord intentionally mimics the silly exploitation films of old, playing similarly to Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror (itself one half of Grindhouse). It concerns a paratrooping squadwho discover that Nazis are creating zombie-like creatures to make their armyliterally unstoppable. It's silly, but it's also a lot of undeniable fun.

Serving as the long-awaited and highly anticipated follow-up to 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later gets a lot of flack for its plot holes and stupid character decisions. But it also gets a lot of love from zombie fans, as indicated by its 7.0/10 IMDb rating and78 Metascore. Putting some story issues aside, 28 Weeks Later is still an impeccably made zombie film. The action is intense and bloody (not to mention well filmed), and the cast is stacked, including the likes of Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Imogen Poots, and Harold Perrineau.

World War Z also gets a lot of flack. In this case, the criticism comes from multiple angles. Most people hate that it has absolutely nothing to do with Max Brooks's novel of the same name. Others hate the tame, PG-13 violence. But, again, it's clear that the film also has its fans. It was generally well reviewed by critics and stands at a solid 7.0/10 on IMDb, with mostfans praising the well-shot action sequences and Brad Pitt's performance as Gerry Lane. It's certainly not the World War Z we were expecting, but it's a solid zombie film when taken on its own terms.

This movie had no right being as good as it was. Many people consider George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead to bea Romero masterpiece;a classic that helped re-define an entire genre (in this case, zombie movies).

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In came Zack Snyder and his team of filmmakers, who made a "different" kind of Dawn of the Dead for a new generation. It has little to do with its source (aside from the shopping mall setting and some sly references), but that doesn't really matter. It's an exceptionally made zombie film, and it proved very popular in 2004. It's not Romero, but it's still very good.

Two disparate horror subgenres were thriving in the mid-2000s - zombie and found footage. REC combined them, creating what is arguably the greatest found footage zombie film ever made (and that includes George A. Romero's attempt with Diary of the Dead). REC is a horrifying movie, both exceptionally shot and acted. Many of the sequences occur through long, unbroken shots, which add to the realism and horror of the situations on display. This movie features some of the most haunting imagery found in the zombie genre, and it contains an ending literally too dark and haunting to be believed.

Of course, it's not all doom and gloom with the zombie genre.As is often the case with popular things, the zombie genre was subjected to parodies and tongue-in-cheek homages. Zombieland is one of the most popular, starring an incredible cast composed of Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin. The movie is incredibly fast paced, both in terms of story and jokes-per-minute, and it's filled with enough violence and gore to satisfy even the most bloodthirsty zombie fan.

Much of the zombie craze can be attributed to Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later. Before this movie, zombies were considered a thing of the past, and no one seemed to take them very seriously. Boyle and writer Alex Garland changed that, offering up one of the scariest films in recent memory.

RELATED: 10 Zombie Movies To Watch If You Love Dead Rising

A large reason for its stellar reputation are the fast zombies. These were not only wholly original and unbelievably scary, but they essentially transformed the zombie genre forever. Suddenly, every zombie film was utilizing fast zombies, including the Dawn of the Dead remake and...

Train to Busan is arguably the most acclaimed zombie movie of the 2010s. At least, among those zombie movies that take themselves seriously. This is a South Korean film that concerns fast zombiesterrorizing the occupants of a train (hence the title). The action sequences are simply incredible, featuring fast zombies and plenty of them. The writing is well-rounded, offering up a great story and many fully-realized characters. And, like all "important" films, it contains lots of social commentary to mull over. It's two hours of pure adrenaline.

One Cut of the Dead is another foreign movie - this one coming fromJapan. This is a sort-of meta comedy, as itfollows the filmmakers of a small, independent movie called One Cut of the Dead. Unfortunately, the director proves inexperienced and has trouble controlling his actors. Lucky for him, a real zombie apocalypse occurs while filming, and the director begins to utilize the real action and violence to film his movie. It's one of the most ingenious and intelligent zombie movies in years, and it currently sits at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with 86 reviews.

While One Cut of the Dead is certainly fantastic, it couldn't dethrone the king of all zombie comedies - Shaun of the Dead. There's just something about Edgar Wright's masterpiece that keeps it fresh and invigorating. Maybe it's the cozy English setting. Maybe it's the hilarious performances of the cast. Maybe it's Wright's frenetic and inventive directing. Or maybe it's the strong writing, contrasting the characters' utter lack of care or motivation with the zombie apocalypse. Either way, Shaun of the Dead is an undisputed comedy masterpiece.

NEXT:5 Great Zombie Movie Endings (& 5 That Were Disappointing)

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10 Best Zombie Movies Of The 21st Century (According To IMDb) - Screen Rant

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero