Zombies in the Movies - Attack of the '80s

After the success of Dawn of the Dead it seemed like everyone and their mother was making zombie movies. The popularity of this horror genre along with the very low budget needed to produce a full length feature film made it easy to turn a profit and gain some recognition. Of course, this also meant there were a lot of bad zombie movies. Movies like Alien Dead, Hell of the Living Dead, Zombie Lake and Oasis of the Zombies fall into the bad category but still would be worth a view if you're a die hard fan. Here are some I do recommend.

The Evil Dead

Do I really need to include a comment here about this? Yeah, I didn't think so.

City of the Living Dead

Following Zombi II, Lucio Fulci released City of the Living Dead (aka The Gates of Hell). Taking place in the fictional town of Dunwich, a nod to H.P. Lovecraft, the plot is very thing and the dubbing is very bad. But, the reason people watch Fulci movies is for the gore and this one delivers via a drill straight through the skull and an internal organ regurgitation.

The Beyond

Lucio Fulci's best film in many people's eyes. A bit slow moving in the beginning but the end is one of the best and most brutal.

Zombie Holocaust

This Italian film looked to cash in on the success of of Zombi II and the controversy surrounding Cannibal Holocaust, an infamous Italian exploitation flick. The plot very closely resembles Zombi II with the actual cannibal tribe and a select few plot points changed to distinguish itself. Still, it is worth seeing.

Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror

Sporting an even lower budget than other Italian films, Burial Ground is one of the more unique zombie movies. Unique because it featured intelligent zombies that liked to use weapons. Would you want to run into a zombie who knew how to use a crossbow? I didn't think so. A touch of sleaze is added to to the once heavily censored Burial Ground with a subplot involving the incestuous relationship between a mother and son. It was finally released on DVD in 2002 completely uncensored.

Dead & Buried

After writing Alien, Dan O' Bannon went on to direct one of the best, most original and most sought after horror movies of all time. I cannot recommend this movie enough.

Night of the Comet

Combining science fiction, comedy and horror Night of the Comet is a very fun movie. Plus, even if you don't like horror films you can laugh at all the 80's fashion and music.

Day of the Dead

Unfairly slammed by critics after the initial release, Day of the Dead was a flop at the box office and didn't get much notoriety until many years later. Yes, there is a lot of dialogue and you do have to pay close attention but there's still plenty of the grue to go around. Topping Dawn of the Dead was going to be impossible so it's better to watch this with an open mind.

Re-Animator

Arguably the best movie based on an H.P. Lovecraft story Re-Animator weaves dark humor and horror to create what maybe the best horror-comedy ever made.

Return of the Living Dead

The second entry from Dan O' Bannon on this list, Return... is another that combines dark comedy and horror effectively. Four sequels followed with only part 2 (some will include part 3) worth seeing.

Night of the Creeps

Night of the Creeps sets itself apart from others because it tries (and succeeds) to be a genre film and spoof the horror genre. A fan favorite.

Redneck Zombies

I hesitated to include this one on the list but I think it deserves to be on here for the fun factor and the gore factor.

The Dead Next Door

A fine low budget zombie film that pays tribute to some of the masters of the zombie film. It was also co-produced by Sam Raimi.

The Dead Pit

The Dead Pit is one of those movies you either love or hate. I happen to love it.

I encourage you to seek out as many of the 80's zombie movies that you can find. I can't guarantee that you will like every one you find but there are quite a few that are worth seeing.