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Just like its human-hungry headliners, the zombie subgenre of horror is a kind of infestation, with more movies, TV shows, and video games using the shambling masses every year. The problem is that, though most zombies are created equal, zombie movies hardly are, with some of the catalogue's entries coming in as unattractive to even the most starving of the undead. That's why Popverse has put together this list of the best zombie horror films ever made, which we're releasing in honor of the latest season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon coming to AMC September 29. 

Gird your brains and enjoy.

Best zombie horror movie #1 - Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)

So don't get mad at me, but I started this list with way more than just a zombie movie. In my defense, Anna and the Apocalypse is a zombie movie, it's just that it's also a comedy, musical, and Christmas movie too. And the reason it's on here is that it wraps all those genres together in a way that's so much better than it has any right to be, with High School Musical-levels of singalong fun, some absolutely headsplitting gore effects (literally), and a plot that's as dark and oddly funny as an undead-infested holiday deserves.

Anna and the Apocalypse is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Best zombie horror movie #2 - One Cut of the Dead (2017)

One Cut of the Dead gives zombies the found footage treatment, but rather than The Blair Witch Project, its plot is more akin to movies like Tropic Thunder. Like the Steve Coogan/Robert Downey Jr. vehicle, One Cut of the Dead is about filmmakers going the extra step to create their art, only get get their crew into a terrifying, bloody, darkly comedic mess. Unlike Tropic Thunder, though, all is not what it seems in One Cut of the Dead; putting a truly unexpected twist on what we think is a familiar zombie apocalypse beginning.

One Cut of the Dead is streaming on The Roku Channel.

Best zombie horror movie #3 - Dawn of the Dead (1978)

"Wait, what?" you rage at your computer screen, "This is the George A. Romero movie you picked??" Yes, angry reader, it is; allow me to explain my humble opinion. Night of the Living Dead, Romero's first zombie movie, is the film that basically introduced cinema to the modern concept of zombies. But its his sequel, made a decade later, that solidifies the concept. The story is tighter, the gore is heightened, and the zombification of society is more widespread. Don't get me wrong, Night of the Living Dead is a giant in not just horror movie history, but movie history in general. It's just that Dawn of the Living Dead gets to stand on its shoulders.

Dawn of the Dead is unavailable to stream right now, but you can rent it on Amazon Prime Video.

Best zombie horror movie #4 - Train to Busan (2016)

A lot of great zombie filmmaking is essentially asking, "What's the worst place that a zombie outbreak could happen?" One of the best answers to that question is Train to Busan, which sees one happening on, you guessed it, a train in South Korea. As much action as it is horror, Train to Busan became a franchise is its own right - producing a prequel, sequel, and upcoming American remake - and introduced the wider world to horror great Yeon Sang-ho.

Train to Busan is streaming on Tubi (for free!).

Best zombie horror movie #5 - 28 Days Later (2002)

Horror flavors grow stale if they don't evolve, and 28 Days Later was the freshening up that zombies needed around the early 2000s. Famously giving us the idea of "fast zombies," the movie inspired a cult following and a pair of sequels, the latest of which just wrapped filming as of this writing. Ahead of its release next summer, now would be a great time to go back and see where it all started.

28 Days Later is unavailable to stream right now, but you can buy the DVD on Amazon Prime.

Best zombie horror movie #6 - Pontypool (2008)

Our final entry is probably the strangest zombie movie on this list - and, really, well beyond it. Pontypool subverts the genre unlike any film before or since, and to be honest, I'm not sure that I want to reveal how it does so in this article. I'll say that it's set partially around a radio station where... you know what, no. Pontypool is a weird, special example of a genre that can unfortunately get a little bit formulaic. You deserve to go into its weirdness as blind as possible.

Pontypool is streaming on AMC+.

In the immortal words of Danny Elfman, "Life's no fun without a good scare." We couldn't agree more, which is why we think you should check out horror aficionado Greg Silber's list of the best horror movies of all time. Or, if you've already seen those classics, check out our list of the most underrated horror movies from the past couple years. And if you've already seen all of those, Let us tell you what to look forward to (or dread) in Popverse's list of upcoming horror movies.