Subgenre guide · Zombies
The 20 best zombie movies of all time
The best zombie movie of all time is Night of the Living Dead (1968), which invented the modern zombie and still holds 95% with critics (Rotten Tomatoes). For pure thrills, start with Train to Busan; for laughs, Shaun of the Dead.
By the Horror Planet editors · Updated November 9, 2026
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Romero's farmhouse siege invented the modern zombie.
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
The mall, the satire, the scale.
28 Days Later (2002)
Fast infected and an empty London.
Train to Busan (2016)
The best zombie action film ever made.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
The best zombie comedy ever made.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)
Ralph Fiennes and one of the year's best horror films.
28 Years Later (2025)
The franchise returns, stranger and sadder.
[REC] (2007)
Infection in an apartment block, live on camera.
One Cut of the Dead (2017)
The top-rated zombie film on Rotten Tomatoes, and a delight.
Braindead (Dead Alive) (1992)
Peter Jackson and a lawnmower.
Re-Animator (1985)
Herbert West's glowing green serum.
Resident Evil (2026)
Zach Cregger's outbreak night. The best-reviewed film in the franchise by far.
Colony (2026)
Yeon Sang-ho returns to the outbreak genre.
I Walked with a Zombie (1943)
Val Lewton's haunting original.
Zombieland (2009)
Rules for surviving, and Bill Murray.
The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)
A zombie child who might save the world.
Pontypool (2008)
The infection spreads through language.
Blood Quantum (2019)
Indigenous people are immune, and a reserve becomes a fortress.
White Zombie (1932)
Bela Lugosi and the first zombie feature.
#Alive (2020)
A gamer alone in a Seoul apartment during an outbreak.
How we picked
Scores from Rotten Tomatoes' best zombie movies list, updated October 2026, and its 2026 horror guide. We ranked by influence first, then fun.
Next: best horror comedies · best foreign horror · best of 2026.