10 Underrated Zombie Horror Movies You Probably Haven’t Seen

Written by the brains behind Alien, Dead & Buried follows a sheriff called Dan Gillis who's tasked with investigating suspicious deaths in the town of Potters Bluff.

Despite receiving decent reviews, it was labelled a video nasty and banned, preventing the gruesome thriller from reaching its potential audience.

This is a huge shame since there are plenty of reasons why this gruesome thriller should've been recognised. One aspect that deserves praise is the practical effects, which were devised by the legendary Stan Winston. Though Dead & Buried was released before the visual pioneer made a name for himself on Jurassic Park, The Thing, and Terminator 2, the film's phenomenal SFX proves Winston was at the top of his game at the beginning of his career.

Rather than relying on gore, Dead & Buried focuses on old-school techniques to get pulses racing. Close-up shots are regularly used to give a sense of claustrophobia. The pace of Joe Renzetti's chilling score subtly quickens when danger is near. Also, lingering shots of needles, cadavers, and burning bodies prove more disturbing than the big threat.

Although it's obvious early on that zombies play a part in the plot, it's not clear how they fit into the bigger picture, creating a tense and intriguing mystery.