It doesn’t have to be Halloween to acquaint yourself with some of the best and most disturbing zombie movies, especially after the release of 28 Years Later. Usually, people expect this subgenre to be simply very scary. Indeed, the best zombie movies are pretty terrifying. But, even within this very specific realm, there is room for comedy, hard-hitting action, and even the odd musical number.
What we want to look at now, though, are the 10 most disturbing zombie movies. These films are unique and a little bit different than your usual horror movie fare, be it due to emotional kickers, bleak themes, or visceral imagery that stays with you after the credits roll. Come on in and take a bite.
Train to Busan (2016)
It is almost unthinkable that a horror film could make someone cry, let alone a zombie thriller, but Train to Busan manages that feat. Not only is this Korean movie full of unsettling zombie attacks, it also delivers some brutal fight scenes, harrowing imagery, and produces one of the most upsetting conclusions to any film of the last decade.
The very simple concept of zombies on a train sounds a lot like a B-movie idea, but Train to Busan is an A-star picture that’ll leave you reeling emotionally. And, when you’re done, there’s also the animated prequel Seoul Station, and the sequel, Peninsula.
Cargo (2017)
Martin Freeman isn’t an actor that screams horror movie vibes, and yet, when he’s thrown into the zombie movie Cargo, he excels. The film is a tragic take on the zombie trope, with Andy (Freeman) racing against time to save his wife from succumbing to a dangerous virus that turns people into rabid, flesh-eaters. The kicker is, he’s got a baby to think about, too.
With young Rosie in tow, this essentially becomes a poignant family drama at its core while still bearing all the trappings of a rather grim survival story full of gruesome gore and fearsome foes.
Handling the Undead (2024)
One of the most unsettling thoughts that we’re sure everyone has considered at some point when watching a zombie movie is, what would you actually do in this situation? More specifically, how would you react if a loved one turned into a zombie?
This Norwegian horror flick from Thea Hvistendahl addresses those questions head on in devastating fashion. Handling the Undead features scenes that will make you well up, scenes that could very well make you throw up, and one scene, in particular, that will make you wince and squirm.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
This is the original zombie movie from the zombie movie master, George A. Romero. There’s a reason Night of the Living Dead is heralded as one of the greats, and it truly deserves that tag. Even with its black and white palette, the horror jumps off the screen with this one, and Romero fills the frame with some of the most hauntingly bleak yet beautiful shots you’re likely to find in the genre.
The single location story and powerful ending to this film both help to produce a real feeling of desolation and despair that will get under your skin. It’s human horror at its finest.
28 Days Later (2002)
While everyone is excited about the new movie in Danny Boyle’s burgeoning franchise, we’re going back to where it all started with 28 Days Later. From those opening moments of Cillian Murphy roaming the empty streets of London in his hospital gown to the climactic scenes where Christopher Eccleston and his soldiers turn rogue, this early 2000s cult classic is brimming with some of the most disturbing footage you can find in a zombie movie.
Few films can match 28 Days Later when it comes to capturing the sheer morbid and depressing sentiment of feeling all alone in the middle of an apocalypse while everyone and everything is out to get you.
Maggie (2015)
There’s a common theme among many of these disturbing zombie movies, and that is the conflict between familial ties and survival in an apocalypse. While Maggie is not the best film on this list, it certainly taps into that idea of protecting your loved ones at whatever the cost more effectively than most.
Arnold Schwarzenegger goes against type with this highly dramatic and sensitive performance, while Abigail Breslin is impressive opposite him as the daughter society tells him he should abandon but whom he will not leave behind. Maggie is a powerful film that is not afraid to test the moral compass of its characters and its audience.
The Wailing (2016)
A second South Korean picture makes it onto this list, interestingly, but The Wailing is very different from Train to Busan. For a start, The Wailing is not about to cause any tears. No, this Na Hong-jin movie is absolutely brutal and immensely unsettling, with a no-holds-barred approach to gore and violence.
While films like Handling the Undead and Cargo hone in on the dilemma of protecting family in a zombie apocalypse, The Wailing offers a far more nihilistic approach to those problems. After all, a zombie outbreak is nothing a good knife can’t handle, right?
REC (2007)
We did say we were here to discuss zombie movies that veer away from the standard scare factor and offer something different. REC does that, to be fair, but it’s still absolutely terrifying; possibly even the most scary film on this list.
It’s amazing, really, that a found footage zombie movie hadn’t really been done before REC came along, and that there haven’t been more since. It’s this framing device which really hammers home those disturbing vibes, throwing the viewer right into the beating, bleeding heart of the situation and offering no hope of escape.
Pontypool (2009)
Perhaps the most obscure film on this list, Pontypool is very unique and absolutely fascinating. There’s just something about small town horror that hits hard, and Pontypool is underpinned by that unsettling feeling. Call it disturbing; call it eerie; call it foreboding; whatever it is, this film just does not let up, but it never becomes gratuitous thanks to the truly intriguing story at the heart of it.
Using language as a means to deal with the outbreak of a deadly virus, and containing the action in the single-setting of a radio station, there is something wonderfully simple about Bruce McDonald’s movie, and it’s sure to stick with you for days afterwards—whether you like it or not.
I Am Legend (2007)
If you thought Cillian Murphy’s predicament in 28 Days Later was rough, spare a thought for Will Smith’s character in I Am Legend, Robert Neville, who quite literally only has his dog for companionship. Granted, it’s a good dog, but when the world is filled with vampiric, cannibal mutants (we’re going to call them zombies for the sake of argument), a canine friend isn’t quite enough to get you through.
While the book may be far richer and more nuanced, there is something about this 2007 film that really cuts to the core of what makes zombie movies so disturbing; the demise of civilisation in these scenarios just feels inevitable, and survival, no matter how hard you try, can only ever be temporary.
Where To Watch The Most Disturbing Zombie Movies Online
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