28 Days Later & 9 Other Unconventional Zombie Movies

Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later helped revolutionize the zombie genre for a new generation and kickstarted an era of clever tales of the undead that turned the genre’s conventions on their head. While the gritty and realistic world seen in the post-apocalyptic landscapes of 28 Days Later led to many more darkly serious zombie movies throughout the 2000s and beyond, there were also plenty of uniquely hilarious zombie comedies that deconstructed the conventions of this style of filmmaking. From fast-moving zombie nightmares to self-referential, tongue-in-cheek creatures, the genre has had many creative releases in recent years.




Many of the best zombie movies ever made played with genre conventions and added something new to the style. With zombies often acting as smart metaphors for real-world issues, it’s fascinating how clever writers, directors, and actors have been able to provide a unique spin on well-worn stories of post-apocalyptic worlds and survivors seeking refuge. With equal parts horror and humor, unconventional zombie stories keep the genre fresh and maintain its infectious satirical bite.


10 28 Days Later (2002)

Directed by Danny Boyle

With the widespread popularity of intense franchises like The Walking Dead, it’s easy to underestimate just how impactful 28 Days Later was when it was first released in 2002. This post-apocalyptic story helped reinvigorate the zombie genre for the 21st century and led to a major revival that’s had ripple effects right up to modern times. With faster zombies and a gritty, realistic environment, 28 Days Later moved away from the more comedic stylings of the genre and made zombies truly scary again.


28 Days Later was unconventional because it took the very plausible circumstances of a highly contagious, aggression-inducing virus and showcased how society could crumble and break down under the right circumstances. By placing importance on character development over outrageous gore, the agile, relentless, and aggressive nature of the infected became all the more terrifying. Featuring infected humans rather than totally mindless undead, 28 Days Later also injected humanity into the genre, which made all the death and murder on display all the more heartbreaking.

9 The Dead Don’t Die (2019)

Directed by Jim Jarmusch


Auteur director Jim Jarmusch has always had a totally individualistic style. He was at the forefront of independent cinema during the 1980s and made minimalist films that skewed normal narrative conventions. By looking at America through an unconventional lens, Jarmusch provided his own take on prison movies with Down By Law, Westerns with Dead Man, and even kung fu with Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. In a career that has continually played with audiences’ expectations, it was only natural Jarmusch would provide viewers with a unique take on zombie movies with The Dead Don’t Die.

Featuring a star-studded cast including Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, and Adam Driver, and a mishmash of musicians like Iggy Pop, Selena Gomez, and RZA, The Dead Don’t Die had perhaps the most impressive ensemble cast of any zombie movie ever made. With an absurdist sense of humor, rather than focusing on horror and gore, The Dead Don’t Die was a smart film that leaned into the everyday hilarities of human existence. As the zombies in Jarmusch’s world gravitate toward the things they enjoyed while alive, many of the undead in this film would rather drink Chardonnay than eat brains.


8 Zombieland (2009)

Directed by Ruben Fleischer

Zombieland told the story of Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) making their way across America to find an amusement park that’s supposedly free from zombies. Rather than focus on horror, survival, and gore, Zombieland focused on comedy first, as the meta-humor and tongue-in-cheek references meant it was dead set against seriousness. With a memorable celebrity cameo from a zombified Bill Murray, Zombieland was not afraid to break away from the conventions of the genre.


While plenty of movies before Zombieland explored the comedic side of the genre, the star power, strong writing, and high production values made this stand out as one of the finest zombie comedies ever made. As a road movie with a knowing sense of style, Zombieland felt like the American equivalent to the British classic Shaun of the Dead and was one of the few zombie comedies that could live up to the extraordinarily high bar that the film set. While the sequel Zombieland: Double Tap didn’t hit as hard, it was still an enjoyable follow-up.

7 Idle Hands (1999)

Directed by Rodman Flender


While the 1990s weren’t exactly the golden age of the zombie genre, one thing this period did well was teen movies. One film that brought together these two styles was the cult comedy Idle Hands, which, although a box office bomb upon release, has built up its reputation over the past few decades and stood as an enjoyable time capsule to an outrageous time in filmmaking. Based on the saying “the Devil makes quick work of idle hands,” Devon Sawa starred as a slacker teen whose zombified hand was cut off and started acting independently.

This unconventional zombie movie featured an incredible punk rock soundtrack from the likes of The Offspring, Blink 182, and The Vandals and leaned heavily on the slacker and lackadaisical tendencies of Generation X. Idle Hands was a satirical comedy that predated Scary Movie by one year and showcased audience’s appetite for tongue-in-cheek, self-referential humor. As a spoof horror movie that didn’t forget to remain scary, Idle Hands was funny and frightening in equal parts.


6 Life After Beth (2014)

Directed by Jeff Baena

Zombie movies tend to follow several predetermined conventions, but one film that changed zombie lore was Life After Beth. Directed by Jeff Baena, distributed by A24, and starring Aubrey Plaza, Life After Beth never felt formulaic as it told the story of Zach (Dane DeHaan) discovering his girlfriend Beth (Plaza) alive and well, despite having already attended her funeral. Beth’s surprised parents allow Zack to continue dating their daughter on the condition that he keeps her out of sight, as they don’t want anyone to question how she mysteriously rose from the dead.


Unlike most zombie movies, Beth seemed perfectly normal without any ill effects from her zombification until things started to go horribly wrong. Before long, Beth grew increasingly violent, was prone to mood swings, and eventually transformed into a full, bloodthirsty zombie craving human flesh. Life After Beth stood out among the zombie genre for the way it blended rom-com conventions with horror and, much like Warm Bodies from the year before, was an exciting new take on the zombie genre, where zombies act more as an allegories for heartache and loss than for social or political issues.

5 Pontypool (2008)

Directed by Bruce McDonald


The low-budget Canadian horror Pontypool proved it doesn’t require big budgets, major star power, or outrageous special effects to create a truly nail-biting horror movie. As a clever, funny, and truly scary zombie film, Pontypool told the story of a shock jock radio Dj named Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) interpreting a zombie outbreak live on air. As a deadly virus infected the small Ontario town he was stationed in, terror and suspense slowly built in this woefully underseen hidden gem.

Pontypool was initially produced as a radio play based on the novel Pontypool Changes Everything by Tony Burgess, and this original focus on audio made the feature film all the more effective. Much in the same way that Orson Welles’s radio version of The War of the Worlds spread terror among its listeners, Pontypool captured the abject horror of a disaster occurring in real-time as the true consequences of the zombie outbreak became apparent. As an imaginative story with plenty of twists and turns, Pontypool’s unique structure made it stand out among the zombie genre.


4 Maggie (2015)

Directed by Henry Hobson

Arnold Schwarzenegger shed his unstoppable action-hero persona for a more grounded take on zombie stories with Maggie. As the concerned father, Wade Vogel, Schwarzenegger showed off his dramatic side as society adapts to the effects of a zombie pandemic and Wade struggles with accepting the infection of his daughter Maggie (Abigail Breslin), who has been bitten and will soon turn into a cannibalistic zombie. Maggie dealt with the psychological hardship of a father, knowing there’s no hope left for his daughter but wanting to do everything in his power to make sure she does not suffer.


Rather than seek revenge and go on a killing spree against hordes of infected zombies, Schwarzenegger instead quarantines with his daughter and struggles with the morality of euthanizing her before she turns. As a touching story that had far more to do with mercy and parental concerns than it did with the gory tenets of the zombie genre, Maggie was a surprisingly poignant turn from Schwarzenegger that packed a serious emotional punch.

3 The Girl With All The Gifts (2016)

Directed by Colm McCarthy


The Girl with All the Gifts blended the grounded, gritty feel of 28 Days Later with the emotional resonance and vaccine survival story of The Last of Us to produce one of the best British horror movies in recent memory. Mike Carey adapted the screenplay from his novel of the same name to tell the story of a near future where society has been ravaged by a parasitic fungus that transmits through bodily fluids. While the disease causes people to turn into fast-moving, zombified “hungries,” the last hope for humanity is a small group of infected children who appear unaffected.

As a scientist, a teacher, and a young girl embark on a journey of survival, The Girl with All the Gifts reveals itself as a zombie movie that’s not really about the zombies. Instead, The Girl with All the Gifts was about acceptance and understanding, as the infected girl has a right to live despite society’s fears about her potentially deadly nature. With strong performances, a great premise, and a truly unpredictable narrative, The Girl with All the Gifts was a unique zombie story of serious emotional power.


2 Train To Busan (2016)

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho

One modern horror that became an instant classic was Train to Busan, the South Korean zombie story that packed a serious emotional punch. With terrifying, fast-moving zombies and a touching story about a workaholic father doing right by his daughter, Train to Busan takes place on a train from Seoul to Busan that has become overwhelmed by zombies in an apocalyptic outbreak of undead creatures. As the perfect blend of action and horror, Train to Busan kept viewers on the edge of their seats throughout while maintaining a truly powerful emotional core.


Train to Busan was one of the most memorable zombie movies in recent years, as its cast of fully realized characters, intense action sequences, and effective social commentary showcased the biting relevance of zombie stories. With an equally engaging animated prequel titled Seoul Station and a standalone sequel called Peninsula, Train to Busan also acted as the inception point for an exciting new franchise. While an English-language remake titled Last Train to New York was announced, it will be very hard to top the emotional power of the original.

1 Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

Directed by Edgar Wright


Shaun of the Dead was the definitive zombie comedy as it perfectly blended horror and humor to tell the story of a London salesman named Shaun caught in a zombie apocalypse. Intending to survive long enough to make it to the pub, this hilarious release from director Edgar Wright and star Simon Pegg began an incredible trilogy that poked fun at and satirized the conventions of different filmmaking styles. The Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy began with the zombie satire Shaun of the Dead, then the action cop comedy Hot Fuzz, and finally the silly sci-fi The World’s End.

Taking inspiration from George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, the appeal of Shaun of the Dead was that it was made with pure love for the zombie genre as it cleverly balanced scares with satire. Packed with cultural references to zombie movies of the past, Shaun of the Dead was an example of postmodern cinema done well and acted as a love letter to horror in general. As a true cult classic that has not lost any of its innate power, for those looking for an unconventional take on zombie stories, it’s hard to go wrong with Shaun of the Dead.


Fuente

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR