I would not recommend watching any of these while eating.

Zombie movies tend to be pretty polarizing among cinephiles: Generally, you either love them or you hate them, but if you love zombie movies? Then you really, really love zombie movies.

There’s much more to the genre than just flesh and brain eating, or mindless shuffling masses of the undead. Most zombie films also take a sharp look at the human condition, including how everyday folks would survive a zombie apocalypse, how many of us going through our day-to-day are essentially operating as the walking dead ourselves and how governments would handle (or mishandle) a zombie virus pandemic. Historically, zombie movies have also served as criticisms of racial injustice, nuclear war and consumerism—elements that, for many, have never felt closer to home than they do right now.

Whether you’re seeking social commentary—or simply a bloody good time—we’ve rounded up a list of the best zombie movies for you to watch, including new zombie movies, zombie comedy movies (should we call them “zomedies?”), zombie movies on Netflix and classics; in fact, we’ve chosen 31 of them so you’re guaranteed a good time in front of your screen every night of the month. This list also serves as a reminder that now is a good time to buy some bottled water for your basement.

Best Zombie Movies of All Time

These new zombie movies debuted within the last decade. Many combine classic zombie tropes (you know, the shuffling, the flesh-eating, the decay) with new elements, modern themes and seriously disturbed plot twists.

Best New Zombie Movies

1. Army of the Dead (2021)

Director Zack Snyder delivers in this zombie heist film, which boasts Tig Notaro, Dave Bautista and even robot zombies—be on the lookout for them!

2. Overlord (2018)

Soldiers dropped behind enemy lines just before D-Day in World War II discover some seriously terrifying Nazi experiments in Overlord. Come for the horror and zombies, stay for a seriously badass Wyatt Russell head-butt.

3. Train to Busan (2016)

During a zombie outbreak in South Korea, passengers on a train from Seoul to Busan struggle to survive in this 2016 hit.

4. #Alive (2020)

#Alive is terrifying in more ways than one. Aside from being about zombies, the South Korean film, shot in 2019 and released in June 2020, does a chillingly good job at capturing the fears associated with being isolated and alone during a crisis… and the hashtag in the title becomes very important.

5. Maggie (2015)

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as a truly dedicated dad to Abigail Breslin‘s titular Maggie. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the duo deliver poignant and heartbreaking performances, making this option one of the more tragic and dramatic (as opposed to gory and terrifying) films on the list.

6. The Girl With All the Gifts (2017)

The Girl With All the Gifts paints a picture of a post-apocalyptic dystopia where most people are zombies called “hungries,” with a serious taste for human flesh, and few survivors remain uninfected. While most “hungries” are mindless, some children retain their abilities to reason and feel despite their bloodlust.

7. World War Z (2013)

Brad Pitt stars in World War Z, based on the book by Max Brooks (son of comedic auteur Mel Brooks), which follows a global pandemic (sound familiar?) and a race for a cure.

Best Classic Zombie Movies

These classic zombie movies set the tone for the entire genre, and you can see references to them in almost every zombie film to come out thereafter.

8. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Night of the Living Dead, released in 1968, is iconic zombie auteur George Romero at his finest and also most groundbreaking, with Duane Jones as the first African American actor to be the lead in a mainstream horror movie. Night of the Living Dead also has strong messages about racial justice, with stills in the end credits evoking the real-life terrors of white supremacy and lynching.

9. Return of the Living Dead (1985)

While Return of the Living Dead is a zombie comedy, it’s in the classic list because it revolutionized one particular part of the genre: It was the first zombie movie to portray zombies as hungry not for human flesh, but specifically for human brains. Based on a novel of the same name by John Russo, Return of the Living Dead also serves as a commentary on chemical warfare, especially the United States’ use of Agent Orange in Vietnam, as well as the Dow Chemical Company’s involvement in its production.

10. 28 Days Later (2003)

Cillian Murphy and Naomie Harris star in modern classic 28 Days Later, which director Danny Boyle at one point didn’t quite see as being a zombie film: A “rage virus” is unleashed in the U.K. when animal liberation activists freed an infected chimpanzee, and the movie follows Jim (Murphy) and Selena (Harris) as they navigate the post-apocalyptic world, in which the horrors aren’t limited to the virus.

11. The Evil Dead (1981)

Sam Raimi created the Evil Dead franchise, and the 1981 original film, The Evil Dead, was one of the goriest (and cheekiest!) movies of its time, introducing the world to Bruce Campbell‘s iconic Ash and the Deadites. Campbell previously told Parade that when producing the movie, a theater owner told the cast and crew, “You gotta keep the blood running down the screen!” “There’s a scene in the original The Evil Dead where Ash is in the basement, and an old projector turns on, and these drops of blood hit the projector lens. Literally Ash has blood coming down the screen in front of him. That was an homage to what that guy told us, and we haven’t forgotten it,” Campbell recalled. “If you’re going to have a horror movie, you’ve got to have blood.”

12. Dawn of the Dead (1978)

George Romero directs with music from Dario Argento, making Dawn of the Dead a horror lover’s dream team and a gory commentary on consumerism.

13. Dawn of the Dead (2004)

The 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead is as good as the original, with a more modern mall setting, written by James Gunn(of Guardians of the Galaxy fame) and directed by Zack Snyder. Come for the zombies, stay for Ty Burrell as a smug jerk that couldn’t be farther from his beloved Modern Family character.

14. Slither (2006)

James Gunn makes his directorial debut with Slither, featuring his frequent collaborators Elizabeth Banks, Nathan Fillion, and Michael Rooker (and his then-wife, The Office star Jenna Fischer). The film features a parasite that turns its victims into monstrosities, and Rob Zombie has a voice cameo—so listen closely to Dr. Karl!

15. The Last Man on Earth (1964)

Released in 1964, The Last Man on Earth was the first feature film adaptation of the novel I Am Legend. In the book, the monsters are more vampiric (and capable of actions like running and climbing), whereas in the film, they’re much more zombie-like—shuffling slowly and largely mindless, though they’re still quite sensitive to sunlight.