13 Scary Zombie Movies That Will Leave Audiences Petrified

A film that came out of nowhere and stole the minds and hearts of horror fans around the globe, Train to Busan may have some at the tale end of the zombie craze in popular culture, but it ensured that this subgenre of horror went out with a hellacious bang. Tense, gritty, dark, and violent as all can be, Train to Busan brought the pain back to the zombie movie, as they undead were the main focus of the film, and the seemingly impossible task of surviving was the only goal. Bloody, gory, gooey, and frantically fun, the film is undoubtedly one of the best and scariest zombie movies of all time. 

Inarguably one of the most frightening, important, and influential zombie movies of all time, 28 Days Later changed the horror landscape forever by introducing the utterly spine-chilling sprinting infected onto the world. While they may not technically be the undead, these zombie-like creatures are brutal, sadistic, never-ending, and utterly terrifying and shocked new life into the genre that was on the brink of death. There had never been zombies like this before in cinema, and Danny Bolye and the team behind 28 Days Later deserve all the flowers for revolutionizing the subgenre how we know it today.

George A. Romero was already a horror legend long before he released the pivotal and bloodthirsty Dawn of the Dead, however, it was with this film that the fantastic filmmaker showed he still knew how to innovate, perfect, and master the zombie sub-genre of horror. Widely regarded as one of the best horror movies ever made, Dawn of the Dead is simply put a truly scary zombie movie that will force audiences to re-think what the horrifying undead are truly capable of. A legendary horror film and a never-ending pit of chaos and guts, Dawn of the Dead still remains a masterpiece of zombie exploitation.

World War Z was released right at the peak of the overwhelming zombie craze that struck the world throughout the 2010s, and while the film was a massive hit, it was seemingly forgotten relatively quickly, and that is a tragedy as the film is one of the most intense and unique zombie movies ever made. A film that undoubtedly has a more action-than-horror approach, World War Z and its undead tend to unnerve than outright terrifying, but there are still plenty of scenes that will keep audiences hanging on the edge of their seat and offer fantastic jump scares and tension to satisfy the spooky apatite of audiences. 

Night of the Living Dead is arguably the most essential horror movie ever released. It was not only a phenomenal horror movie, but it completely revolutionized and solidified the zombie creature the way audiences have known them for nearly half a century. Filmed in black and white to create a more realistic broadcast feel, the film is utterly jaw-dropping in its portrayal of terror and dread, as it is shockingly more violent and brutal than most suspect. Seeing the dead rise for seemingly no reason only to attack and eat the living in a seemingly never-ending wave of terror is shocking enough, especially for the first time ever. However, seeing a child devour her mother is arguably one of the most terrifying and haunting images in horror history. 

In 2004, Zach Snyder had the unenviable task of attempting to remake the George A. Romero classic Dawn of the Dead, which is widely considered to be one of the best zombie movies of all time. The horror genre was seemingly directionless in the early 2000s, but Snyder showed the genre exactly where to go with his savage, bloodthirsty, and malicious zombie film that ripped and tore its way into the hearts of horror fans, before eating their hearts out. With a remarkable cast of characters who audiences all love, the film became more and more tense with each passing death, and showcased some of the most gruesome and gnarly kills in the history of zombie movies.