10 Underrated Zombie Movies To Watch Instead Of World War Z

By Nathan Bartlebaugh /

From an unassuming farmhouse in Pennsylvania to the red-carpet of Hollywood, the zombie, that most persistent of movie monsters, has come a long way. As World War Z, the zombie€™s biggest cinematic debut to date, shambles into theaters this summer, the undead have a lot to celebrate; they have infiltrated nearly every media venue imaginable and are currently more popular than even vampires, which isn€™t too shabby for rotting husks without higher brain function. The question is, will the Marc Forster-helmed adaptation of Max Brooks popular novel cause fans of the brain munchers to rejoice alongside their decayed objects of affection? Despite its mega-budget set pieces, globe-trotting perspective, and the perfectly coiffed hair of its genial male star, I suspect WWZ will end up disappointing the legions of dead-heads who can€™t get enough of these wandering moaners with the munchies. Bloodless, typically mainstream, and jettisoning almost any connection to the book of the same name, Z may fall short of the expectations of the faithful. No worries though, because your alternatives extend beyond choosing between lurching to the theater for a Hollywood white-washing or re-watching Romero€™s Night or Fulci€™s Zombie on blood-soaked repeat at home. When something has so completely infiltrated the culture as the living dead have, there€™s always a more interesting choice lurking around the corner. To honor the zombie€™s long and unnatural lifespan, and to feed the fans€™ desire for some fresh brains in the genre, here are 10 underrated movies about the living dead that often slip under the radar. Sure, we all know that Shaun of the Dead is a modern classic, or that Peter Jackson€™s pre-Hobbit gore-fest Dead Alive is where it€™s at, but what about all those worthy features that were prematurely buried, or are still out there wandering in search of an audience? From undead Puritans and rotting police officers to voodoo rituals and resurrected Prom queens, this list dodges the most obvious titles and digs up a few corpses with a little juice left in the tank.