10 Most Unexpected Transformations In Zombie Movies

Dying doesn't feel so bad now.

Overlord movie
Paramount Pictures

The idea of your friends and loved ones being transmogrified into flesh-eating zombies is a truly terrifying concept. But what's worse than these undead beings tearing you apart is the notion that you may join their ranks. If you knew you were destined to become a mindless husk who would prey on the living, death would sound like a mercy.

But the worst thing about changing into a zombie is the transition itself. Depending on the rules of the story, it can take seconds, minutes, or an entire day for an infected to turn. But once a person has been bitten, there's next to nothing they can do to reverse it.

In a way, it's worse to witness this change happen to another, since you have to watch their humanity and personality strip away as they become a brain-craving revenant. Even if you know a person is about to become a zombie, the metamorphosis can still blindside you. Whether it's because the alteration happened at the least expecting moment or because we didn't realise how much the infected's body would mutate, everybody was totally sideswiped by these zombie transformations.

10. Lieutenant Muldoon - Planet Terror

Overlord movie
Dimension

Planet Terror is Robert Rodriguez' love letter to exploitation movies that focused on sex and splattergore. And because the story centres around a poisonous gas that turns infectees into mutant zombies, the film is filled to the brim with all sorts of creative grotesqueries.

However, Planet Terror saves the the most imaginative gore (as well as the grossest) for the end. Throughout the movie, Cherry and her friends try to stop Lieutenant Muldoon, who they believe is using the zombie gas as a bioweapon.

But when Cherry's allies confront the lieutenant in the climax, he explains how his men got infected by the zombie gas during a mission, forcing him to do what he must to survive. Suddenly, the chemical that he's been using to slow down his mutation runs out, causing Muldoon to transform into a gigantic, malformed blob. Even though we've seen dozens of people's transform into undead aberrations by this point, we have seen NOTHING like what Muldoon turns into.

He may be the bad guy, but you can't help feeling sorry for him in this moment. After seeing what a monstrosity he has become, you understand why Muldoon acted the way he did.

Contributor
Contributor

James Egan has written 80 books including 1000 Facts about Superheroes Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about TV Shows Vol. 1-3 Twitter - @jameswzegan85