10 Great Zombie Horror Movies That Aren't Really About Zombies
9. The Crazies (2010)
As the granddaddy of zombie cinema, it was inevitable that the name George A. Romero would pop up sooner or later. He is, in many ways, the progenitor of the genre and has played a big part in crafting the mythos of the creatures overall. However, he's also been a dab hand at subverting and challenging what a zombie can be, which is most evident in his 1973 flick The Crazies.
Rather than focusing on reanimated undead, The Crazies plays with The Trixie Virus, a waterborne illness that turns people into depraved killers. You watch as a small town is ravaged by this infection and how violent the government becomes in attempting to cure it. But, where the zombie parallels are truly recognisable is in the 2010 remake of the same name.
The remake gets the official spot because it has a far heavier emphasis on the infection. While the original (in classic Romero style) is a politically charged look at societal issues, this is a more traditional "zombie" flick.
The 2010 remake captures a lot of the same melancholic spirit but with a tighter and more frightening approach. The virus takes centre stage as a nightmarish scenario, leading to a thrilling horror experience.