Zombie movies have become one of the standard pillars for horror in the 21st century, with the last decade alone having plenty of films that highlight the versatility and frightening potential of the genre. Many zombie movies have built off the legacy of Night of the Living Dead, and in the early 21st century, movies like 28 Days Later and shows like The Walking Dead revitalized the concept for a new generation.
The best examples of zombie movies from the last decade represent a wide breadth of projects, ranging from painfully human dramas, absurdist dark comedies, and surprisingly beautiful ruminations on the meaning of life. The best zombie movies are able to tell human stories without forgetting why audiences have spent decades terrified of the undead. Here are the 10 best zombie movies of the last decade and where you can find them on apps like Hulu, Netflix, and more.
10. Army Of the Dead (2021)
Army of the Dead is a good example of how the zombie movie has evolved in the 21st century, with one of the directors who defined the modern interpretation of the subgenre returning for a wild riff on the titular monsters. The undead are roaming the neon colored halls of Vegas casinos, serving as the major complication for a planned heist in the city.
Zack Snyder, who helped popularize the idea of fast zombies with his Dawn of the Dead remake in 2004, returns to the subgenre with bigger ambitions and a more developed cast. While it might not have the same mean and lean energy that made Dawn of the Dead such a shot in the arm, Army of the Dead’s commitment to the over-the-top action movie hybrid gives it an entertaining quality that many other more thematically dramatic or overtly silly zombie films have.
9. Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)
The sequel to 2010’s unexpected horror-comedy hit Zombieland, Zombieland: Double Tap revisits the survivors from the first film as their found family begins to go through some serious changes in their internal dynamic—all while still codifying the zombie apocalypse and dispatching the undead with a sardonic edge. Much as in the previous movie, the zombies are mostly used as a vehicle for splatter humor and character development, often in effective ways.
The new breeds of zombies increase the danger for the cast, but never so much that the comedic underlying elements of the film get overwhelmed. Even if the charm of the original hasn’t been quite replicated, Zombieland: Double Tap still boasts an impressive cast, adding Rosario Dawson, Luke Wilson, and Zoey Deutch to the chemistry of Jessie Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, and Abigail Breslin.
8. Unhuman (2022)
A Gen-Z zombie flick with as much to say about high school as it does the end of the world, Unhuman is a stylish high school horror movie that plays with conventions of the subgenre in some surprising ways. In this film, the zombies are teenagers transformed by a powerful drug that quickly spreads through a high school field trip, forcing a pair of best friends to try and scramble to stay ahead of their corrupted friends, as well as a dangerously realistic manipulator working behind the scenes.
At its best, Unhuman is a clever riff on high school tropes that feels like an authentic exploration of teenage angst and expectation—all wrapped up in a grisly package that boasts plenty of twists and turns by the time the credits roll.
7. Pet Sematary (2019)
The second film to directly adapt the Stephen King horror novel of the same name, 2019’s Pet Sematary plays with the undead in a far more cerebral way than most other zombie films. After one of his children dies in a tragic accident, Louis Creed uses a supernatural plot of land to revive them. However, his denial about the nature of his resurrected kid—now an undead and supernatural monster—serves as the primary focus of the film’s second half.
While the original movie wasn’t exactly a pleasant time for the characters, 2019’s remake is a compelling character study about the lengths grief can take someone, and the cost it can incur. The zombies in this film are different from almost any other. Cruel and malicious in their actions before slaughtering and corrupting you into a form like them, these zombies are some of the creepiest ones to hit the big screen in the last decade.
6. Little Monsters (2019)
What happens when you throw Dawn of the Dead in a blender with Little Miss Sunshine? Something like Little Monsters, a consistently hilarious and surprisingly charming take on the zombie genre. As with many films in the subgenre, the movie centers around a group of people caught in a tight location—only this time, it's a kindergarten teacher, a musician, a children's entertainer, and a bunch of children who are at risk.
The lighthearted character dramedy never takes away from the genuinely good scares and typical zombie twists, even while delivering a sweet romance story. While it doesn't reinvent the wheel, Little Monsters plays with the zombie tropes in a creative and winning way that makes it one of the most charming recent entries in the subgenre.
5. Outside (2024)
A grim drama about the cycles of trauma that can fester within a family, Outside is a compelling zombie drama from the Philippines. The film focuses on Francis and his family as they flee a zombie apocalypse by returning to the farm that Francis grew up on.
A claustrophobic drama that is most intense when it moves away from the zombies, Outside uses the backdrop of an apocalypse as the set-up for a story about the lingering danger posed by a deep emotional hurt that's never healed, and how even a well-meaning man can let his paranoia and pain turn him into a monster far worse than the undead horde. Bolstered by heartbreaking performances, Outside is a reminder that the zombie tropes are a perfect backdrop for all kinds of stories.
4. Anna and the Apocalypse (2018)
On the opposite end of the tonal spectrum from Outside, Anna and the Apocalypse is a catchy musical and hilarious dark holiday comedy that feels like the love child of Glee and Shaun of the Dead. Set in a small Scottish town just around Christmas, Anna and the Apocalypse plays with teenage coming-of-age conventions to hilarious effect, with just as much weight given to the emotional revelations of unrequited feelings as to the danger posed by an undead horde.
The musical and Christmas touches add an absurd quality to the comedy, especially in standout scenes like the gleefully dark “Turning My Life Around” number as the zombie infection quickly spreads. A one-of-a-kind comedy that blends multiple genres together to create something truly unique, Anna and the Apocalypse is the best zombie comedy of the last decade.
3. Blood Quantum (2019)
A gritty take on the zombie genre, Blood Quantum’s social commentary gives the movie a thematic weight that few other entries in the subgenre have been able to match. Blood Quantum focuses on the residents of a First Nations Reserve in Canada. Discovering they are immune to the virus as a result of their genetic heritage, the Indigenous citizens find themselves wrestling with what to do within their borders, and how to handle the influx of white refugees who come to Red Crow Indian Reservation seeking shelter.
A powerful thriller that explores heavy themes, Blood Quantum never relents in terms of brutality or horror. It’s the human characters who prove to be the scariest, however, with an all-time great “humans are the true monster” performance by Kiowa Gordon. One of the last decade’s most underrated horror films, Blood Quantum is a terrific reminder that social satire doesn’t need to be funny to be gut-wrenching.
2. 28 Years Later (2025)
The long-awaited follow-up to the 28 Days Later franchise, 28 Years Later reunites the original film’s Danny Boyle and Alex Garland for an expansion on their Rage Virus-decimated world. Focusing on a young boy who embarks on two journeys to the dangerous mainland (first alongside his hunter father and then trying to guide his ill mother to help) where he must survive more than just the corrupted Infected.
Beautifully shot and quietly meandering in all the right ways, the film is a thoughtful rumination on life and death. A quieter movie than either of the two that preceded it, 28 Years Later is a shockingly somber movie that never loses sight of the human experience at the core of the story. There’s genuine beauty at play in 28 Years Later, marking it as arguably the most ambitious entry to the genre in years.
1. Train To Busan (2016)
A prime example of the zombie genre as a universal horror staple, the South Korean Train to Busan is a nearly perfect example of this style of horror movie. Train to Busan focuses on the passengers of a bullet train in South Korea who find themselves racing to escape a zombie outbreak. The movie is full of the stock characters audiences have come to expect from the genre but with enough depth and personality to feel authentic. The zombies themselves are a perfection of the “fast zombies” trope, an unyielding threat that comes to life in effectively frantic bursts.
Throughout, Train to Busan’s social commentary and character focus bring a moral weight to the proceedings, which is only elevated by some great characters (like Sang-Hwa, who is an all-time great zombie movie protagonist). Train to Busan isn’t just one of the best zombie movies of the last decade, it’s one of the best examples of the subgenre in cinematic history.
Where To Watch The Best Zombie Movies Of The Past Decade Online
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