There have been a flood of zombie movies over the past few years. The few I've seen are amateur-ish lets-make-a-movie things (with the big exception of American Zombie) so does anybody know about zombie films from say 2000 forward that are worth watching?

I really liked DEADGIRL (2008). Also, depending on your definition of zombies, I thought [REC] (2007) and PONTYPOOL (2008) were both excellent.

I'm waiting for the Cuban zombie film JUAN DE LOS MUERTOS to make it here. It sounds intriguing. But I could be wrong.

I thought both of these were excellent , PONTYPOOL in particular.

On the subject of zombie films, I saw a trailer years ago for a Danish? [maybe Dutch] zombie movie that looked intriguing, but I don't know if the movie ever played here and I have no idea what it was called. I think the plot had something to do with rampaging nazi zombies storming the beaches of Denmark [or Holland]. The trailer compared them to obnoxious German tourists and I think there was a reference to losing the World Cup to them, or some other sports rivalry. Ring any bells? It's probable that I was directed to the trailer from Mobius so someone here must know the movie I'm talking about. It might have been 5-10 years ago.

That was WORST CASE SCENARIO. Sadly, it was a short promo piece for a proposed feature that never got funding. The filmmakers are currently making something called FRANKENSTEIN'S ARMY though.

Trailer 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-PpUygrwKg

Trailer 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHTc0DTbazw

If you're in the right mood, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DORKS, might play well. It's kind of a teen sex comedy with zombies and it's German. I haven't seen DEAD SNOW (Norwegian), but I"ve heard some good stuff (and bad stuff) about it. Norwegian college kids go out to the country for the weekend and get more than they bargained for.

Here's one called FLIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD--I think it's a New Zealand flick,but I'll have to check:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JQs-5b7huY

Here's a trailer for an Australian zombie flick called PRIMAL (2010):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q5wBUAkSbA


I also second William's recommendation of both REC and PONTYPOOL--both good,well-made, and creepy (the second one in particular). Haven't seen I,ZOMBIE:THE CHRONICLES OF PAIN (1999) or COLIN (2008)--two British zombie films made from a zombie's point of view----but I read the first one is worth catching--if you can find it, that is.

A trailer for COLIN:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKXQCYbjQM8

A rare clip from I,ZOMBIE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijmWs1JBgYY&feature=related

I stumbled across this trailer for a new Swedish zombie film titled ZONE 261---very suspenseful-looking/intrieging---might be worth watching out for, plus I've never seen a Swedish zombie flick,ever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-AgUm_vGwk

And,of course, the recent partially made-in-Detroit ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE REDEMPTION, made by local folks here in the D, featuring an a**-kicking, AK-47 toting, zombie-blasting Fred Williamson in one of the main roles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQN2FnXsygs&feature=related

I've only seen REC,PONTYPOOL and ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE REDEMPTION (which was pretty good, even with some cheap special effects). Since I love me some zombie flicks, and have started to like them even more lately, I thought I'd go all out with some possible recommendations. Also, 28 WEEKS LATER is an even better follow-up sequel to 28 DAYS LATER--definitely see that one,it's the bomb!

Here's a goofy Toshiba computer commercial featuring zombies,of all things:

http://www.youtube.com/user/toshibaUS?v=9J...e}&kw={keyword}

Steve:

I'm been looking forward to JUAN DE LOS MUERTOS to come out for about several months--sadly, it dosen't seem to have gotten any real distribution anywhere in the Midwest,or in the U.S., for that matter---I'll just have to hold out for the DVD with extras in Spanish! Meanwhile, here's the funny/crazy-as-hell trailer that got me in interested in it in the first place--it's not everyday you get to see a Communist horror flick,let alone with zombies:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOquktXvkT4

I have been burned out on zombie movies for several years now. I think zombies are the least interesting movies imaginable, and, really, once you've seen one zombie movie, you've seen a hundred others.

I was surprised to enjoy BLACK SHEEP, however, a comedic New Zealand (?) film about, yes, zombie sheep, and FIDO, a clever satire about American suburbanites who train zombies for use as pets and domestics.

I would like to see PONTYPOOL, but is it available in the U.S.? I actually VCRed it off one of the hi-def cable channels, but somehow accidentally deleted it.

Not recent, but I just discovered this American-dubbed 1940 Soviet short film with the ominous title EXPERIMENTS IN THE REVIVAL OF ORGANISMS that might make a good appetizer to a modern zombie movie. Dog lovers might not want to watch it, though.

When I rented it from Blockbuster, the case claimed it was a "Blockbuster exclusive." Yet it's available for sale on amazon. It's a well-done take on zombie movies but it's still just another zombie movie.

The German film RAMMBOCK is pretty good.

I found COLIN unwatchable.

Seconding Mike's comment on COLIN, one of the most unbearable movie experiences I've had in ages. I will not sit through any more of this no-budget, shaky-cam rubbish.

Aaah! Zombies!! (2007) is pretty good. It's a zombie movie from the zombies' perspective. Laughs and some surprisingly heartfelt moments.

If you're checking out recent horror movies, don't forget Land Of The Dead. Problematic and flawed, but it still looks great and dishes out lots of amazing KNB practical zombie/gore effects. And, if you haven't yet, check out The Walking Dead TV series. At its best, the show does more with the zombie genre than anything seen in 10-20 years.

I liked Colin and thought its £45 aesthetic worked well with the premise. Granted, it's rough going if you need polish to get through a movie, but I thought it was interesting enough to buy the disc. Here's more on what I had to say about it. Another no-budgeter that I still enjoyed despite technical weaknesses was Zombies of Mass Destruction (heavy on the social satire).

And I'll second Flight of the Dead, a tongue-in-cheeky take that still delivers the goods. REC and Pontypool are must-sees. And I loved Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror, James Gunn's Slither and the Japanese Versus (a delirious zombie/Yakuza mash-up).

Others that have stood out for me recently have been The Horde (an over-the-top French actioner), Dance of the Dead (not the MOH abomination, this one is more a throwback to RotLD), Jake West's Doghouse (a busload of crass Brit gobs get stuck in a town full of zombie chicks) and the German Siege of the Dead (AKA: Rammbock: Berlin Undead) didn't break any new ground, but I thought it was interesting enough.

And while it was a Brit miniseries and not a movie, you absolutely have to get your hands on Charlie Brooker's Dead Set, a pitch black satire set in (and around) the Big Brother house. Scathingly funny and mindblowingly graphic for a TV show. Top notch stuff.

I came back to this thread to mention FIDO and DEAD SET but I see Marty and Craig beat me to it. FIDO was playing pretty regularly on IFC or Sundance for a while and I kept trying and failing to record it. Then it just disappeared. The DVD is fairly cheap at amazon.

Thanks for the recommendations. I liked [REC] which wasn't particularly original but was energetic and fast-paced. Am about halfway through Dead Set which is well done. And of course The Walking Dead which I seems to me a great improvement on the books. I've liked the recent Romeros as severely flawed as they are though have wondered if they were by an unknown if I would have given them the benefit of the doubt. Oddly enough I didn't find the remake of Day of the Dead as unwatchable as I'd been led to believe (how's that for ambivalence?).

Pontypool is around my place somewhere so if I find it that goes to the top of the watch pile. Had forgotten about Slither but that always sounded interesting. And probably The Horde too.

Dead Snow I thought was terrible - too much "funny" mugging and over-the-top gags. Flight of the Dead, Doghouse and Versus also didn't do much for me. Maybe I've seen more than I realized though there are lots more out there and Marty is right that they all sound pretty much the same. Seems like books such as World War Z, Monster Island and some of the anthologies are much more imaginative.

Two Japanese Zomb-Fests I recommend are:

"WILD ZERO(2000)" starring the late way-cool Punk MotorHead-Ish Rockers, GUITAR WOLF. Some really nice sequences set to Wolfs' Hard Slammin' Beats. Would'a liked to see more films with these cats. The Ghoul scenes have sum nice freaky shots with over the top make-up, which add to the shock & weirdness...

"STACY(2001)" is a unique, personal film, with many ROMERO references & freaky, bizarro touches. I like this one a good deal, & any gore-hound will dig it. Out of all the Romero rip-offs since 1969, I dig this one more than many. Has a lot to offer with original ideas & Director Tomomatsu using a personal incident work to give the film some heart & emotion. The Female Military Lead was the Mother in Takashi Miike's "VISITOR Q"...

It's an oldie, but I have to mention a contemporary "ground-breaker" to Romeros' "NOTLD(1968)", which any cannibalistic Zombo-Gore-Feaster needs to see is:

"THE STRANGE WORLD OF COFFIN JOE(1968)". Brazils' ZE DO CAIXAO creates an "EC Comics"-like Trilogy of magnificence menagerie. It's the 3rd/final story, "IDEOLOGIA' that pulls out all the stops & let's loose a blood feast like no other. This was made in 1968, & after seeing this, nothing, but nothing comes close to impressing me further. Has to be seen! Hopefully it will be released on DVD in America soon, but is available with English subtitles in a Brazilian Box Set of 6 COFFIN JOE Films...

I'd tentatively recommend the new UK (but set in Africa) zombie opus THE DEAD (2010). Whilst it has the prerequisite gore (which is incredibly well done) it's more of a road movie with zombies. A zombie plague is sweeping Africa and an American engineer survives a plane crash with other (all white) escapees on the last flight. He is washed ashore and has to use his wits to dodge the undead until he meets up with an African soldier, who is on a trek to find his son; who has been taken by the military to an army base after their village is over run by zombies. They join forces to try and survive both the undead and the already hostile environment.

Obviously a relatively low budget film, it is beautifully shot and makes the most of shooting in Africa (where I imagine money stretches that bit further). It satisfies as a zombie movie, but stumbles with some sentimental scenes - and is (as are many road movies) a little bogged down by some ponderous passages.

Still, it's definitely worth a watch if you're looking for a zombie film that follows the conventions, but tries to do something a little different with them.

My review of DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND over at DVDBeaver. Okay, but nothing new.

I received a review copy of ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE: REDEMPTION today.

If you have the nerve and the stomach to handle it, definitely seek out Grace (2009). It comes at the modern zombie myth through the anxieties of pregnancy and babies. Jordan Ladd (Cabin Fever, Death Proof) plays a young woman plagued with a terrible history of miscarriages. She's so desperate not to lose her newest baby, so hellbent on willing the child to stay alive and be born... and, well... it's best that I not spoil things. One of the most disturbing movies of any kind that I've seen in years. And, as excellent as it is, I may never be able to bring myself to watch it again. The final line and image come together to make one of the best horror movie endings ever.

Worse that INSIDE? That really did me in. Not the movie to watch a few weeks before your child is born...

Thanks for the tip about Grace - will watch it this weekend. And I agree that Inside was pretty tough to take but thought it mostly worked. (Though it doesn't have anything to do with babies or zombies Martyrs struck me in a similar way.)

As for zombie films I finally got around to Pontypool and The Horde which are both fantastic though in quite different ways. Pontypool is almost like a psychological art film and could easily be done as a stage play. I laughed out loud at the source of the problem, not because it's ridiculous but because it fits the overall approach of the film in such a clever, unexpected way. (Am avoiding spoilers of course).

The Horde was more a bleak, brutal action film that while it wasn't particularly inventive was at least determined and focused. Made me go back and play Left 4 Dead.

GRACE has been playing on Showtime/TMC for a few months now. I had no idea it was something worth watching. My tv listings have it next airing on Halloween at 6:10pm on SHOWBP [not sure which one that is].

I've never seen Inside. But if you want a (slight, vague, and not too spoilerish) look at some of the plot developments I chose not to reveal, here is the red band trailer:

GRACE Red Band Trailer in HD on YouTube

Grace is also on Netflix streaming, but will be pulled on Nov. 1st.

induced

... terminated!

Maybe I'm nuts, but I thought GRACE was pretty terrible.

I didn't think a whole lot of the much beloved INSIDE either.

Vincent

My review of ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE: REDEMPTION

Supposedly inspired by John Carpenter's eighties genre flicks, but reminds me more of the late eighties/nineties DTV post-nuke flicks (synth score and all) a Empire Pictures/Full Moon/etc minus the interesting/charismatic cast (other than Fred Williamson doing his cigar chomping "The Hammer" act).