Zombies in the Movies - the 1990s

After the peak years of the 1970s and the 1980s there was a drop in the interest of zombie films and horror in general. It wasn't until the release of Scream in 1996 that an interest in horror spiked again. There were very few bright spots in the world of horror, especially in the zombie film sub-genre. Not only were fewer movies released but the overall quality of the films had diminished. Here are a few highlights.

Bride of Re-Animator

The first sequel to the popular cult hit Re-Animator. It is not nearly as good as the original but still belongs in the collection of the horror fan.

Night of the Living Dead

Tom Savini, the man responsible for the make up effects on Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead directed this color remake of the groundbreaking zombie. Produced by George Romero, director of the original, it is the only full-color version worth seeing. The zombie makeup effects are some of the best in any zombie movie to this day.

Braindead

Prior to directing Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson got his start directing low budget horror comedy. Out of all of these low budget gore flicks, Braindead (aka Dead Alive) is his crowning achievement.

Zombie Bloodbath

The Zombie Bloodbath trilogy is a series of low budget zombie films that uses the same formula as other zombie films. Gory and brutal, it makes the list because it was an ambitious and entertaining effort for an independent filmaker.

Cemetery Man (aka Dellamorte Dellamore)

Rupert Everett stars in this fun zombie comedy by Italian director Michele Soavi based on the novel by Tiziano Sclavi. Sclavi created the comic called Dylan Dog and he has admitted the main character is an Everett lookalike.

Plaga Zombie

One of the few zombie movies from Argentina. A sequel, Plaga Zombie: Mutant Zone, is also worth checking out. Conviently they were both released as a two-disc set back in 2005.

Bio Zombie

A spoof of Dawn of the Dead set in a mall in Hong Kong. Very well made and very funny, it's worth adding to your collection.

That takes care of the '90s. Honorable mentions for '90s zombie films include Premutos: Lord of the Living Dead, Ozone and Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town. The zombie genre was brought back to life (pun intended) after the turn of the century. Next I'll take a look at those.