10 Great Zombie Horror Movies That Aren't Really About Zombies

I Am Legend is a movie that (much like its leading man) is mired in controversy. It's respectable as a solid post-apocalyptic horror film but fumbled just enough to fall short of the brilliance it could have achieved. Despite that, it's still a prime example of a zombie movie minus the zombies.

The story follows the lone survivor of a plague in New York. This man, Robert Neville (played by Will Smith), attempts to reverse the effects of the virus and fights to survive against the terrifying monsters it has created, known as Darkseekers.

Now, these monsters were depicted in the original book - written by Richard Matheson - as vampiric, but this 2007 movie takes them down more of a zombie/vampire hybrid vibe. Their pale visages and cannibalistic tendencies are the stuff of nightmares, and they certainly give off a feral mutated populace vibe.

The dated visual effects don't do wonders for these creatures. However, there is still plenty of depth to them, especially in the infamous alternate ending, which reframes the monsters as having a strong communal bond who view the hero as a monster. It's a shame that didn't make it into the theatrical release.