About World War Z
Directed by Marc Forster and written by Damon Lindelof, Matthew Michael Carnahan, and Drew Goddard, World War Z stars Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale, and Daniella Kertesz. It was released in the year 2013.
World War Z follows the world as it’s filling with zombies and Brad Pitt’s character Gerry Lane finds himself searching for the origin of the contamination.
I’ve put together this list of movie recommendations which I guarantee you’ll love if you enjoyed World War Z.
1. Extinction (2018)
Director: Ben Young | Cast: Michael Peña, Lizzy Caplan, Mike Colter, Amelia Crouch, Erica Tremblay, Israel Broussard, Lex Shrapnel, and Emma Booth
Released in 2018, Extinction is a science fiction action movie which focuses on Peter, an engineer that lives a relatively uneventful life, and has nonstop nightmares about the end of the world. Then one day these alien looking shock troops descend from the skies and start slaughtering everyone in the streets.
I won’t ruin the ending for you because it has a great twist but let’s just say that the “humans” start to fight back until Peter makes a startling discovery about the “aliens” that are slaughtering everyone. And trust me when I say – you won’t see this twist coming.
2. 28 Days Later (2003)
Director: Danny Boyle | Cast: Megan Burns, Cillian Murphy, Naomi Harris, and Brendan Gleeson
Released when the 21st Century was still young, 28 Days Later depicts a deadly virus spreading through the world which turns its victims into mindless violent zombie-like creatures who treat every day like cardio day. The movie largely follows the perspective of Cillian Murphy’s character, Jim, from the time he wakes up in an abandoned hospital to the time where everyone he befriends is falling prey to the virus. The aspect of this movie that I’ve always enjoyed is how it puts the UK under the microscope – depicting how the English would cope in a Zombie-like apocalypse.
Showing that bad decisions aren’t unique to Americans in movies like Dawn of the Dead or even World War Z.
3. 10 Cloverfield Lane
Director: Dan Trachtenberg | Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman and John Gallagher Jr
10 Cloverfield Lane is the second film in J.J. Abram’s Cloverfield franchise and despite my love for the found-footage format in the first movie, it’s easily my favourite in the Cloverfield series. It’s set in an underground bunker in rural North America where the owner of the bunker, portrayed by John Goodman, has somehow managed to survive the events depicted in the first movie.
10 Cloverfield Lane is a great narrative of just how insane those conspiracy theory nutjobs can really get. John Goodman plays the owner of the cabin and comes across as an obsessive end of the world conspiracy junkie and doomsday prepper who will do anything to keep his two guests captive. Unfortunately, at the end of the film he’s proven to be right about the “aliens.”
4. 28 Weeks Later (2007)
Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo | Cast: Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Harold Perrineau, Catherine McCormack, Mackintosh Muggleton, Imogen Poots, and Idris Elba
28 Weeks Later follows the events of the original 28 Days Later film where the rage virus has decimated the population of Great Britain. In typical US fashion of needing to solve every problem, the US Army is sent in to help secure a small area of London for the survivors so they can begin to repopulate and start all over. But not everything goes according to plan. There’s a specific focus on a family that tries to keep up the appearance of a normal lifestyle – despite living in a boarded-up house.
It’s this aspect I really enjoyed. Especially in seeing the point-of-view of the kids (played by Imogen Poots and Mackintosh Muggleton), in how they cope in living out their childhood during a zombie-ravaged apocalypse. And yes, I know they’re not technically zombies. You get the point.
5. Peninsula (2020)
Director: Yeon Sang-ho | Cast: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Kwon Hae-hyo, Kim Min-jae, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Do-yoon and Lee Re
Peninsula is the sequel to Train to Busan and follows ex-marine Jung-seok, drowning in guilt after bailing on a zombie-ravaged South Korea, who gets roped into a high-stakes heist to recover a truckload of cash. But the ruins are crawling with more than just the undead. Unit 631, a sadistic militia, runs the show, turning survivors into sport for their twisted zombie arena. When Jung-seok’s crew gets torn apart, he’s rescued by a resourceful family that’s mastered the art of survival.
It’s less claustrophobic horror like Train to Busan and more high octane action in a post-apocalyptic world!
6. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Director: George A. Romero | Cast: David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott Reiniger and Gaylen Ross
Dawn of the Dead is the second film in George A. Romero’s zombie film series and follows a group of people who try to make a life for themselves in a huge shopping mall during the zombie apocalypse. Unfortunately, a series of unfortunate events leads to the zombies overwhelming the shopping mall they call home and tearing apart the people who live there.
Because of the setting there’s an ongoing commentary of consumerism and capitalism having taken over the American way of life – and the west as a whole. It’s easily Romero’s best Zombie-themed movie – but certainly not my favourite. I’m a sucker for Day of the Dead!
7. Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End (2024)
Director: Carles Torrens | Cast: Francisco Ortiz, Jose Maria Yazpik, Berta Vazquez, Iria del Rio, Marta Poveda, Amalia Gomez, Maria Salgueiro, Yuri Mikhaylychenko and Oriol Ruiz
Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End follows a man’s journey as he struggles to get back to his family while they’re being evacuated in the middle of a zombie apocalypse – and he’s by himself with nothing but a motorcycle and his frantic wits to get him by.
8. Day of the Dead (1985)
Director: George A Romero | Cast: Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joe Pilato, Jarlath Conroy and Richard Liberty.
Day of the Dead follows zombies overrunning the world, it’s up to a small group of scientists and military personnel dwelling in an underground bunker in Florida to determine whether they should educate, eliminate or escape the undead horde. What an awesome idea! Experimenting on the undead, what can we make them do? Wait, maybe that’s unethical. But hey, it’s fun to watch. It’s a breath of fresh air to be pissed at the living in a zombie movie.
9. I Am Legend (2007)
Director: Francis Lawrence | Cast: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, and Dash Mihok
I Am Legend follows Neville, the only immune human in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by disease, who enjoys the company of his dog and playing a round of golf to pass the time. Though he may believe he is the last man on Earth, he eventually comes across other survivors, and tries to stay away from other carnivorous creatures inhabiting the area. Creatures with ear-piercing screams created by Faith No More and Mr Bungle frontman Mike Patton.
10. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Director: George A. Romero | Cast: Judith O’Dea, Duane Jones, Marilyn Eastman, Karl Hardman, Judith Ridley and Keith Wayne
Filmed entirely in black and white, Night of the Living Dead is about a group of people trapped on a farm in Pennsylvania which is under seige by a horde of zombies with an appetite for human flesh. Remarkably, Night of the Dead was never trademarked so you can watch the entire film on YouTube – even to this day.
Crazy stuff!
11. Greenland (2020)
Director: Ric Roman Waugh | Cast: Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd, Scott Glenn, David Denman and Hope Davis
Greenland follows Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin’s characters who do their very best to survive the earth being pummeled by extinction-level event asteroids. What adds to the thrill of this film is this dynamic of their characters being forced to get along, despite being estranged, and what that can do to two people who are on the verge of their marriage breaking down but who will also do anything to keep their son safe.
12. Office Uprising (2018)
Director: Lin Oeding | Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Jane Levy, Alan Ritchson, Zachary Levi, Karan Soni and Ian Harding
While not strictly about zombies, Office Uprising focuses on Brenton Thwaites character, Desmond Brimble, who works for a leading weapons manufacturer. A weapons manufacturer who creates an energy drink that turns all of Desmond’s work colleagues into homicidal maniacs. Resulting in non-stop carnage. It’s the perfect movie for anyone who’s ever thought “man, I really hate that guy I work with – do you think anyone would miss him if I murdered him a little bit?”
13. Old People (2022)
Director: Andy Fetscher | Cast: Melika Foroutan, Bianca Nawrath, Stephan Luca, Gerhard Bös, Anna Unterberger, Jeanne Goursaud and Nataliia Denysenko
Old People follows Ella, who returns to her desolate hometown with her two kids for her sister’s wedding, only to find an eerie shift in the village’s atmosphere. Almost all of the young people are gone leaving only the elderly which makes Ella feel uneasy. Eventually, the elderly become possessed by an ancient malevolent force, and rise up in a violent rebellion against the young people left in the town.
What feels like a bizarre and isolated incident eventually unfolds into a nightmarish onslaught where Ella and her family must fight for their lives. There’s intense gore, unsettling visuals, and a nonstop sense of dread, as the Old People get closer and closer. If you thought Old People were creepy before, just wait til you’ve seen this film, because you haven’t seen nothing yet!
14. Planet Terror (2007)
Director: Robert Rodriguez | Cast: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Michael Biehn, Jeff Fahey, Josh Brolin and Marley Shelton
Planet Terror is about a bio-chemical agent which starts to spread and create zombie-like deformities that are causing havoc in a small American town. And the only one who can save them is Rose McGowan’s character, a go-go dancer named Cherry Darling – with a machine gun for a leg!
15. Moonfall (2022)
Director: Roland Emmerich | Cast: Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, John Bradley, Michael Peña, Charlie Plummer, Kelly Yu, Donald Sutherland, and Carolina Bartczak
Moonfall follows two former astronauts alongside a conspiracy theorist who discover the hidden truth about Earth’s moon when it suddenly leaves its orbit. Despite the incredible cast and visual effects, Moonfall was an absolute flop but it’s certainly worth a watch if you’ve got a lazy afternoon planned.
16. Pontypool (2008)
Director: Bruce McDonald | Cast: Stephen McHattie and Lisa Houle
Pontypool follows a radio host who relays the outbreak of a deadly virus which infects the small Ontario town he’s stationed in. Pontypool is definitely a weird one and that’s why it made the list. It came out at the height of the zombie craze in the early 2000s, it was brave to do it in such a new and bizarre fashion. I respect this film because, above anything else, it’s just a fun ride.
17. Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015)
Director: Christopher Landon | Cast: Tye Sheridan, Logan Miller, Joey Morgan, Sarah Dumont and David Koechner
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is about a trio of high school students; Ben, Carter and Augie, who are forced to try and survive a sudden outbreak of zombie and the impending zombie apocalypse.
18. Contagion (2011)
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Cast: Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Elliott Gould, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Ehle, Sanaa Lathan and Gwyneth Paltrow
Contagion follows the spread of a highly contagious disease which can be spread by touch and saliva. As a group of scientists and doctors race against the clock to find a cure, society begins to break down, eventually leading to panic amidst a global pandemic. Sound familiar?
19. Train to Busan (2016)
Director: Yeon Sang-ho | Cast: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Su-an, Choi Woo-shik, Ahn So-hee and Kim Eui-sung
Train to Busan takes place in South Korea on an express train trip from Seoul to Busan. As a zombie apocalypse breaks out, the passengers are caught in a fight for their lives when the zombie infestation gets on board the train.
20. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Director: Edgar Wright | Cast: Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Nick Frost, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton
Shaun of the Dead is about average salesman, Shaun, and his friend Ed, who are caught in the middle of a zombie apocalypse and come up with an average plan to survive it. Throughout the movie there’s plenty of homages to George Romero’s infamous zombie films – done with a bit of English flair.
21. Splinter (2008)
Director: Toby Wilkins | Cast: Shea Whigham, Jill Wagner, and Paulo Costanzo
Splinter is an underrated horror film that more people need to put their eyeballs on. It follows a young couple and an escaped convict who must find a way to work together in an isolated gas station to survive a voracious parasite that transforms its still-living victims into deadly hosts. Splinter locks itself into one location while making the most of its environment. The creature design is phenomenal and the premise just sells itself. If you’re into Night of the Living Dead or zombie movies as a whole, you’re going to love Splinter.
