Zombie movies have evolved drastically through the 2000s, so much so, the idea of a real zombie apocalypse becomes more believable. Series such as The Last of Us, and many others, have captured what feel like  realistic zombie apocalypses to American audiences.  

Time has played a huge factor in the evolution since the first zombie movies and TV shows such as White Zombie in 1932 which sparked an evolution of major film productions in the zombie movie genre. 

Devina Lindsey (‘24) states, “I feel like zombie movies back then were good, but now I feel like they’re more modern, up to date, and more realistic. My favorite zombie movie is Zombieland.”

The movies I’ve listed below are movies that molded the zombie movies genre to what it is today and have inspired more film productions within the last couple of years.  Disclaimer:, all three movies listed are rated R and I advise not to watch them without parental permission.

28 Days Later was released in 2002 and expanded the zombie movie genre by being one of the first movies  filmed with a low-quality digital camera. This gave audiences a realistic grainy aesthetic throughout the movie, catching the essence of a disturbing apocalypse with gruesome zombies and a well written plot regarding the audience’s loved and hated characters. This movie contrasts to other movies of its time because of its backstory on how zombies were created. 

Planet Terror was released in 2007 and consists of gory and gruesome deaths but it pertains to be a classical movie from the Grindhouse category of Quentin Tarantino. The director is known for creating many movies that contain a thrilling horrifying atmosphere and a unique plot. This movie remains a classic horror because of the unique characters and terrifying zombies that take a different look approach. The characters range from a girl with an armed leg instead of a prosthetic leg to a meat butcher trying to defend his one and only honor, his ribs restaurant. It remains different and hard to compare to other movies of its time because of its horror imagery seen throughout the movie. 

Zombieland was released in 2009 and  consists of a character following rules that have kept him alive throughout a zombie apocalypse made fun of by a group he meets and gets acquainted with. A bonus that the movie includes are kills of the week which make this movie memorable for its comedy infused zombie genre in comparison to the last two movies which are meant to be taken more seriously for audiences.

Today,  zombie movies are entirely more realistic, modern, and have new ideas as to how zombies are created. Some movies that display this now are Train to Busan, The Girl With All The Gifts, and World War Z. 

Though movies now have increased in viewership, movies from the 2000’s still remain undefeated and classical because of the structure in which the stories are written and the emotion they have on audiences.