Most zombie movies can be summed up thusly; idiots run from zombies, idiots get trapped in a location, idiots fight, idiots get eaten. Borrrrrr-ring. How about some zombie movies that have some fun with the undead for your Halloween? Here are a few humble suggestions.
Fido: The Genuinely Great Boy-And-His-Dog Movie
Fido is one of those rare movies that clearly started with a concept, namely a boy and his pet zombie in a squeaky-clean sitcom world, and developed it into a funny movie with a real plot and an actual cast behind it, with hints at the flaws in this movie’s setting without being heavy-handed about it. Billy Connolly plays the title role perfectly, but it’s also got great performances from Carrie-Anne Moss, Tim Blake Nelson, and Dylan Baker.
Dead Heat: The ’80s Buddy-Cop Action Flick
Imagine an ’80s action flick where the hero guns down the villain… and then the villain gets up and starts shooting again. That’s basically the premise of Dead Heat, a movie that at its best mocks the hell out of ’80s action cliches and features the single most hilariously disgusting moment ever set in a Chinese restaurant. At its worst, Joe Piscopo’s wisecracks suck, but it’s worth it to see zombies go to town on each other with Uzis.
Warm Bodies: The Sweet Romantic Comedy
Ever since Shaun of the Dead, “zombies vs. romance” has become something of a crowded genre with some notably good movies like Life After Beth. This is arguably one of the best, though, both because Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer make a credible couple falling in love, and also because it’s not shy about its concept.
Battlefield Baseball: The Completely Insane Japanese Comedy
This movie starts as one about a baseball team going up against a rival team of zombies, who tend to kill the other team with violent, baseball-related deaths. Then it gets weirder. Yes, really. You won’t have any idea what the hell you watched, but you’ll be glad you saw it.
Ed And His Dead Mother: The Lighthearted Coming-Of-Age Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDInVx5A5FM
A guy growing up after the death of a parent and moving on with his life is always an inspiring story, but this movie puts a twist on it. Ed, a hardware store owner and sad sack played by Steve Buscemi, pays $1000 to revive his mother. Needless to say, it doesn’t go well, although it’s substantially less gory than the quite similar Dead Alive, so it might go down a little easier if you’ve got some squeamish people in your viewing crowd.
Pontypool: The Psychological Slow-Burn Bottle Horror Movie
This Canadian horror movie has a fairly simple premise; the day of a rage-virus outbreak, a radio crew slowly pieces together what’s happening…and it isn’t good. Suffice to say, it’s not your traditional zombie movie, as it was simultaneously shot as a movie and recorded as a radio drama, and it’s all about the slow, slow burn.
Got any overlooked zombie favorites? Let us know in the comments.
