Zombie Apocalyptic Movies And Shows You’ll Fall In Love With

I love movies. One could say I’m crazy about movies. Well, I’m not crazy just about every movie but only about the ones with some real quality story-telling and performances. I love movies that make sense and evoke intense emotions while I’m watching them. I love every movie genre that is there. I love drama movies, suspense/thriller movies, slapstick comedies, animated movies, and romantic-comedy movies, horror movies, war movies, musicals, classics, and whatnot. 

Whenever I choose to watch any movie, first I look for the plot and the story of that movie. If I find the plot moving and interesting, I look for the trailer of that movie online. If I’m moved by the trailer of it and convinced that I want to watch it, then I search if that movie is available online to stream and watch. If I find it is available to stream online, I start watching it. 

Nowadays with Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO Max, YouTube movies, etc., you can find any movie easily anywhere online. So after I start watching any movie, the second thing I look for in it is the cinematography of that movie. I like the wide-angle shots, slow-motion shots, and speedy sequences, and if the actors in the movie are really making it real, I like close-up shots too.

If I’m intrigued by the cinematography, the next thing I look for in that movie to continue to watch it is the performers and the actors in it. If you are a crazy movie fan like me, you know it just by watching a few scenes of a movie whether the actors are convincingly realistic or they are just acting for the sake of acting and then you decide whether to continue to watch it or not. You know what I’m saying, right? 

Then the next thing I look for in that movie is the musical score (background score) and songs used in it. If the background music and songs used in that movie are evoking all of my emotions at the time depending upon the genre of that movie, then I’m definitely going to continue to watch that movie. I’m going to stick around until the end, even until the end credits are rolling if there is some nice, uplifting music or song being played in the end credits. Don’t forget to check out my article on Top Original Motion Picture Soundtracks of All Time if you are movie music lover too.

I’ve already watched thousands of movies in my lifetime so far and that too in various languages, not just in English. If I like the story, cinematography, realistic acting by the actors, and music in a particular movie, I just watch it, irrespective of the language. Whether I understand the dialogs or not, I’d watch any movie telling a compelling, emotional story. And fortunately, nowadays we have subtitles to help us connect with good, compelling movie stories made in any language. 

Among all of the popular movies, mostly the ones that have been nominated for the Oscar or won it, you pick any movie and describe any scene from that movie to me, I’ll tell you the name of that movie and the actors who star in it then and there; and 9 times out of 10, I’ll give you the right movie and actors’ names in them if you describe to me the scenes from any random 10 movies. So by this, you can tell how crazy I am about movies. 

As I mentioned earlier, I like every genre of movie story-telling. But up until 2020 around about the time of pandemic-induced lockdown, I had always hated this one particular genre of movie story-telling, the genre of movies about ‘zombie apocalypse.’ For some reason, I always thought it was a gross, gory, and senseless genre of storytelling that didn’t make any sense at all. 

Then during the lockdown period, I stumbled upon a show streaming on Netflix called ‘The Walking Dead.’ I had heard about it a lot but never dared to watch it because of its zombie genre which I hated watching. Despite my hatred for this genre, I went ahead and checked out the trailer of it, and I was instantly intrigued by it.

Then I checked the IMDb ratings for this show and found it was quite highly rated. So then, I decided to watch it. And just by watching the first 2 to 3 episodes from season 1 of The Walking Dead, I fell in love with its entertaining and emotionally tingling storytelling. Up until that time, I never liked any shows, series or mini-series either, I was an out-and-out, hardcore movie fan. I only preferred to watch movies.

However, The Walking Dead was so intriguing and emotionally tingling that I ended up watching every episode from every season of that series, and I literally got addicted to the zombie apocalypse genre. So, I ended up watching some more zombie movies and shows.

I like the emotional, intense, and heart-wrenching themes showcased in these zombie stories. Every zombie story begins with some virus outbreak or epidemic spread or apocalypse, that’s a common setup, yet they are all differently intriguing in their stories and picturizations.

In a zombie story, the infected people start biting each other. They get others infected too, and they turn into zombies devouring and hunting for the flesh and blood. Some of the protagonists appearing in these stories make sacrifices to save their loved ones by killing themselves before they turn into zombies after getting bitten by other zombies.

Even after losing their loved ones, some protagonists fight for their survival with the memories of their lost loved ones in their hearts. With no food, no water, and zombies all over, they try to survive. Some characters with selfish mentalities kill and sacrifice others to survive and have dominion over the other survivors.

The zombie world shown in these stories pulls you right into it while you’re watching these movies or shows, where you feel like you are a part of that world too. Although it is just some fictional story, you become so involved in it that you begin to feel all the emotions of the characters appearing in it. 

I simply love the dramatic nature of zombie apocalypse stories in these movies and shows. So nowadays, I’m always looking for some emotional zombie apocalypse stories, be it in a form of a movie or a show or a series. I’m a real hardcore fan of this genre now, the genre I once hated thinking it was some senseless, nasty genre I couldn’t bear watching even for a minute. 

Well, if you are one of those who has always hated the zombie genre because of its gory and gross presentation, here are some of the zombie apocalypse movies and shows that I’ve watched. I’m certain these zombie movies and shows will compel you to change your perception of the zombie genre in no time as it did to me.

1. The Walking Dead. 

In the modern world in Georgia, county sheriff deputy, Rick Grimes (played by Andrew Lincoln) regains his consciousness from a coma in the hospital and finds out that the whole hospital is filled with people trudging around eating other people. He realizes that the world is not as same as it was before he got shot and slipped into a coma. These people devouring flesh are the walking dead–the zombies. Still recovering from his ill health, he sets out to find his wife and son among the zombies that are ready to munch on him. 

I started watching The Walking Dead on the mobile Netflix and was absolutely glued to my mobile screen for the next 3 months or so because the series had a total of 10 seasons with lots of episodes in each season, and each episode with a runtime of around 1 hour.

The series also showcases different kinds of groups trying to survive in different parts of the post-apocalyptic world. Some groups try to dominate the other groups, whereas other groups still try to maintain their human sense of love and compassion for one another in the zombie-dominated post-apocalyptic world. 

Some of the memorable characters from this series are Rick Grimes, the main protagonist, who does everything to keep his group together and safe from the walking dead, and the other cunning survivors seeking dominion over his group. Carol (played by Melissa McBride), initially appears to be a timorous homemaker who loses her child and her abusive husband in a zombie apocalypse, but over time, she progresses to be a skilled survivalist and zombie killer.

Another memorable character is Daryl Dixon (played by Norman Reedus), a rough-neck young man, who would do anything for his survival and likes to survive and hunt on his own. But later on in the following episodes and seasons as the story progresses, he matures to be a caring member and a skilled, smart caretaker and protector of his group. 

Another memorable character from this series is Negan (played by Jeffery Dean Morgan), a cruel leader of another group, who exploits the people of his group and wants to rule over all of the other groups trying to hold it together in the zombie world. This character, later on in the series, shapes up to be a pacified, submissive group member of the group of main protagonists after the group led by him is destroyed. Everyone in the group hates him for what he had done earlier in his life when he was in charge, killing and torturing other people, but they keep him with them because he is skilled and has greater survival instincts. He is now somewhat a redemption seeker and still a skilled survivalist with unpredictabilities.

Once you start watching this series, I guarantee you that you’ll fall in love with its story-telling and story-capturing, just the way I did. 

2. Train To Busan.

This South Korean zombie drama movie takes place on a high-speed train as the name suggests. It’s a story about a middle-aged, selfish, workaholic fund manager taking his young daughter for her birthday to his divorced wife living in Busan, South Korea. While on their journey to the train station, he sees something strange going on with the people around on the streets. And then on the train, the passengers begin to bite and eat each other, turning the whole scene into a zombie pandemonium. 

This story too is about survival and sacrifices. One moment, the one that you love is so affectionate toward you, but the next moment after getting bitten by a zombie that same loved one tries to bite and eat you. You see your loved one alive, walking and running but he/she is not himself/herself anymore. You don’t want to kill him/her but you don’t have any other choice, but to kill your loved one, or else you’ll be infected too and become a zombie. This movie is a real emotional ride of terror, sacrifice, and love. You must watch it to feel it. 

3. Alive.

This is another South Korean zombie apocalypse movie that tells a story about a young man sleeping alone in his apartment in some apartment building in the present world, South Korea. He wakes up to find that the whole place is filled with walking dead people. He can’t step out, if he does, he will become the dinner or lunch for the zombies swarmed around the place.

As his rations begin to run out and there’s no other human life around, he grows hopeless about his situation and gets ready to take his life. That’s when he finds hope to stay alive in the face of another survivor like himself in the apartment in front of his apartment building, a young woman. And then what follows after is their ultimate fight for survival. 

4. World War Z.

Gerry Lane (played by Brad Pitt), a former UN official, and his two young daughters with his wife are traveling on the road to someplace when they see people running helter-skelter and acting weird. They realize that they are not normal people and then they go looking for safety and are picked up by the military officials.

He is asked by the government officials to help them locate the origin of the virus, which is turning people into zombies so that they can develop a cure for it and in exchange for his help, they will provide his family a safe place to stay. What follows after is a real spine-chilling tale of the survival of humans in the world of flesh-thirsty zombies. 

5. All Of Us Are Dead.

Set in the present world, this South Korean online streaming show tells the story of a group of high school students marooned in their school when the infected begin to bite each other turning into the living dead. While they are struggling to survive inside the school, the outside world has turned into a chaos of zombies. No one knows anything about their parents or dear ones.

I watched the first episode of this show, it was kind of a slow-moving plot initially, but then it picked up the pace. It became my addiction in no time. I rested only after watching all of the 12 episodes from its first season, each episode with a runtime of around 1 hour. Unfortunately, for now, there’s only one season available on Netflix.

One of the heart-wrenching sequences that I remember from this show is when one high school girl, appearing sick, leaves the school in the middle of a class session. She is on the streets and it turns out that she is pregnant and in labor. She is trying to find someplace to rest and keep safe during the zombie apocalypse. Then, she self-delivers her baby in some washroom and goes running around to find a safe place among all of the zombies ready to devour her and her baby.

Finally, she finds an abandoned place, but she realizes that she has already been bitten and will soon turn into a zombie and may eat her baby. So, she keeps her baby clad in warm clothes in some corner, and then she ties herself to the door of that room. Soon after, she turns into a zombie and tries to break free to eat her baby. There are many heart-wrenching moments in this show in each episode. You must watch it to feel it. And get ready to be teary-eyed.

6. Cargo. 

In the modern world in Australia, a man is rafting on a houseboat in the river with his small baby and his wife after the spread of some virus in the area, which turns humans into flesh-eating creatures. Searching for food supplies to survive with his family, his wife gets bitten by the infected, and in the next 48 hours, she will turn into the living dead herself.

On their way to the hospital in an abandoned car which meets with an accident, his wife is severely injured and turns into a zombie-like creature, and she bites him. So, he has no choice but to put her out of her misery. Now, he has 48 hours to take his baby someplace safe before turning into a zombie-like creature himself. Will he make it or is there something else on the horizon? Please watch it, and find it out yourself.

7. Happiness.

This is another South Korean zombie apocalyptic drama series. The plot takes place in a post-Covid world where people who have taken the experimental Covid drug begin to turn into flesh-eating zombies, instead of getting cured. They call it a mad human disease.

Among all this chaos, two childhood friends Yoo Sae-bom and Jung Yi-hyun are now working as detectives in the police department. Yi-hyun always wanted to be in Major League Baseball, but he couldn’t play because of his injury, so now he works in the police department. He has always had feelings for Sae-bom, but he is always hesitant to express his love to her, so he always tries to protect her no matter what.

Sae-bom is a beautiful, brave detective and has a dream of owning a big house in some big apartment building. She is offered a big house by the government but on the condition that she be married. She asks Yi-hyun to be her fake husband so she can move into her big apartment, and he agrees happily.

Some time ago, in her attempt to save her colleague from getting attacked by another infected colleague at the police station, she gets scratched by the infected colleague. Fearing she will also turn into a flesh-eating human, she is quarantined. She doesn’t show any symptoms of turning into a mad zombie-like human, which suggests that she may have some antibodies for the mad human disease.

She is released by lieutenant general Han Tae-seok after taking her blood samples on the condition that she remains in her new apartment and doesn’t move out of there until it is confirmed that she has the antibodies. She moves into her new apartment in a posh building with Yi-hyun.

As the mad human disease spreads intensely and more people get infected by it, the apartment building’s residents begin to lose their minds out of their fear of the virus, raising hell in the whole apartment building complex. So, Sae-bom and Yi-hyun must stay together to maintain order and fight the infected, flesh-eating humans in the complex.

While watching this show, you may think the plot is moving slowly and nothing exciting is happening, but as the story progresses episode after episode, you just can’t stop watching it until you’ve watched all of its episodes.

8. Kingdom.

During the ancient Joseon dynasty of Korea, an elderly king is rumored to have died. But, the king’s chief counselor cautions the people of the kingdom against those rumors and lets them only know that the king is still alive, but he is gravely sick and is getting treated for his sickness. However, it is not what it appears to be.

The chief counselor’s young daughter is married to the king, and she is now the king’s lawful wife. She is expecting a baby. The king’s chief counselor, who is also the queen’s father, wants that child to be born as a boy so that he can become the heir to the throne after the king. 

The king also has an already grown-up son Lee Chang, who is the crowned prince and is ready to take the throne after the king. However, Lee Chang was born without a marriage to one of the king’s concubines, and she passed away a long time ago. So, the chief counselor and the young queen try to keep the crowned prince away from the king.

The crowned prince suspects something is wrong with his father and embarks on a journey to find out the truth from physician Lee who had been treating the king–his father. On his journey to find out the truth with his henchman, he discovers the corpses of the poor townspeople who had died of a famine and their bodies hidden in the ground in one of the town’s nursing homes. 

He makes the town authorities extract the bodies and investigate their deaths at their office. A tiger hunter who had been staying at that nursing home assisting the physician there shows up and cautions them that those corpses are not of the dead people and that when the night falls, they come to life and start attacking the other living human beings. He tries to convince them that people bitten by those corpses also turn into flesh-eating creatures like them, but the authorities find that hard to believe, and they capture him for saying that. 

In the meantime, on his search in the mountains for the truth behind his father’s actual health status, the prince with his henchman meets a female physician-cum-nurse, Seo-bi. She has been working at that nursing home in the town. She has been out in the mountain searching for the flower called the resurrection plant, which brings the dead people back to life, according to the king’s physician Lee’s journal, which she has read. 

The prince and his henchman return to the town with the physician Seo-bi, where the prince Lee Chang goes to the nursing home alone to find out more about physician Lee’s journal. The chief counselor’s son and young, pregnant queen’s brother, who has been on the prince’s trail, is now waiting for the prince there, ready to take him down on the orders received from his father, the king’s chief counselor. The physician Seo-bi and the prince’s henchman go to the town’s authorities’ office.  

Seo-bi rushes through the crowd gathered outside the town’s authorities’ office to warn authorities about what is about to happen as the sun is ready to set, but they don’t believe her either. 

As the sun goes down, the bodies of the dead begin to move erratically, and they resurrect into flesh-eating zombies. They start attacking the normal humans around them. The night turns into bloody, frenzied chaos with deaths and the dead all around, as the prince and others try to keep alive and get through the night. 

The sun comes up and all those creatures go to sleep again. To get to the bottom of this epidemic and to save the people of his kingdom, the prince with his henchman, physician Seo-bi and the tiger hunter go through towns and cities trying to survive and save as many people as they can on their journey to unravel the truth and to find the cure for the disease. 

In one of the deadly encounters with the flesh-eating creatures on one of the cold nights, the prince and his group are saved by another group of an army led by Lord Ahn Hyeon, the former army chief who had led the King’s army to victory against the Japanese many years ago. He was also a great mentor to the prince. He shelters the prince and his group at his citadel. 

On one of the nights, they fortify their town’s main entrance to confront the flesh-eating creatures and take them down then and there. But they are left astounded when the flesh-eating creatures don’t show up that night, instead to their surprise and fear, they show up when the sun comes up. 

It indicates that those flesh-eating zombies don’t go to sleep during the day because of the sun, but only because of the scorching heat caused by the sun during the summer. And now, even when the sun is up, it’s still cold winter with cool, breezy weather, so the fleshing-eating dead are now out searching for fresh human flesh to quench their thirst for blood.

As the plot progresses, many dark secrets about the king, the young queen, the chief counselor, and the resurrection plant unfold among the surrounding chaos of flesh-eating zombies and the prince’s all-out effort to save the lives of his people.

9. Army of The Dead.

The world is not like it was before. It is now ruled over by flesh-eating and blood-thirsty human-like monsters. The cities and towns and all of their streets are filled with these infectious monsters. When they bite, the bitten becomes like them too.

The city of Las Vegas is no exception to this deadly chaos. The US army officials believe the only way to stop this chaos is a nuclear strike but at the cost of the annihilation of this profuse city.

Mercenary Scott Ward (played by Dave Bautista) has undertaken a million-dollar, lethal job of recovering $200 from the vault in one of the rich casinos in Las Vegas before it is nuked and leveled by the military. So, he is putting together a team of rogue, needy daredevils to help him pull this job.

With the blood-thirsty monsters walking over the city and ready to devour fresh, lively flesh, will Ward be able to pull this job, and at what cost?

Although the movie has a current IMDb rating of only 5.7/10, it is one of the most streamed Netflix movies. Army of The Dead also won the Oscars Fan Favorite contest at the 94th Academy Awards.

The heart-rending thing I find about all these zombie stories is that–consider you are one of the main characters in a zombie movie, one moment you care for your family and loved ones, and you want to keep them safe from all the zombie chaos. But after you get bitten and become a zombie yourself, you turn against your loved ones. You are just an infected, moving dead body that is thirsting after the flesh and has no human sense at all to discern the living from the dead.

So, these are some of the zombie movies and shows that have made me crazy about this genre of storytelling. And now, I’m a hardcore zombie genre fan.

Please share your thoughts below in the comment section about what you think about these zombie stories. And feel free to suggest if you have any other zombie movies or shows which are as riveting as the ones I mentioned here in this article. 

And now, after reading this lengthy article, I guess it’s time for you to grab a bite. Well, of course, some properly cooked food. On this funny note, I’ll go grab a bite too.

Keep watching and loving this genre of storytelling.

Disclaimer: The pictures used in this article belong to their copyrighted owners.