10 Zombie Movie Horror Fates Worse Than Death

Think Zombieland would be all fun and games? Guess again.

Zombieland movie
Columbia Pictures

First popularised by the iconic George A. Romero back in 1968 with Night of the Living Dead, the zombie subgenre has gone on to become a staple of horror. When you think of the mainstays of horror, the trusty zombie is a figure who forever springs to mind.

Whether you like your zombie films to be full of genuine smarts, or whether you'd prefer to simply see brains devoured, there are so many ways to deliver a great undead offering. Sure, there have been some utter dross across the decades - here's looking at you, Zombie Strippers! - but there are so many gems dotted across this subgenre.

One thing that we can always count on in a zombie picture, of course, is chaos and carnage. And while death is so often on the table in a zombie film, there are those times when death looks like a fantastic option to have when compared to some of the other fates left lurking around the corner for a character.

Looking back across the years, then, here are 11 fates easily worth than death when it comes to zombie movies.

11. Honorable Mention: Forced To Wear A Loved One's Face - The Devil's Rejects

Zombieland movie
Lionsgate

Of course, The Devil's Rejects isn't a zombie movie, but it is a Zombie movie - as in, Rob Zombie.

Yes, it's admittedly stretching things just a tad, although The Devil's Rejects is worthy of a spot here for the sheer f**ked up trauma that is placed on the character of Wendy.

Played by Kate Norby, Wendy is just one of several unfortunate souls who find themselves in the crosshairs of the Firefly clan during Zombie's second feature-length picture. Held hostage in a motel room, this is someone who has already been threated by Otis, Baby and Captain Spaulding, and she's also had to watch her friend get raped.

It's grim, it's heinous, and it's very much in tone with Rob Zombie's filmmaking.

For Wendy, things got insanely worse when, having been knocked unconscious, she has the cut-off face of her husband attached to her own face as some sort of twisted mask. Not only knowing that your husband and two of your friends are dead, but to then be forced to wear your fallen beau's literal face is enough to have someone praying for death.

Thankfully for Wendy, that death wasn't far away. In a startled panic, and with her husband's visage still stuck to her face, she would be hit and killed by a passing vehicle after running out onto a nearby highway.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.