10 Zombie Movies That Broke All The Rules
In a crowded genre, these films of walking corpses dared to go against the undead formula.
Zombie films are a dime a dozen because they can be made incredibly cheap. Take a look in any bargain bin and for every B-movie you find, at least 10 of them will be from the genre of the walking dead.
So in order to be noticed, you either need to be a big-budget release with millions of dollars of marketing, or do something different that makes your film stand out.
These are 10 films that managed to break free of the bog-standard zombie formula. Films that didn't just follow trends, or add a silly gimmick like making the zombies Nazi's or Strippers to an already overdone plot.
They took the zombie rule-book and made something against everything in it, and offer some of the most unique, entertaining and special films in the entire genre.
10. Warm Bodies (2013)
Romances in zombie films tend to be survivors that end up in an enclosed space fending off the dead and forming a connection. Warm Bodies goes for something completely different, and has a survivor fall in love with a corpse that recently ate her boyfriend.
Our main zombie R, played by Nicholas Hoult, has his heart suddenly start beating again and slowly starts to turn more human. He ends up tagging along with is female love interest and what follows is a rule breaking 'RomZomCom'.
If it sounds stupid, you may be surprised to learn just how well the film makes the idea work as the characters are super likable, and the film as a whole oozes a fun, heartfelt vibe. There's also a ton of great gags as the zombie attempts to pass itself as human.
The film also gives an interesting insight into why zombies act the way they do, with R narrating his thoughts to the audience, and it's a nice bonus on top of all the other new ideas it brings to the genre.
The relationship between the characters works so well due to the chemistry the actors share. The infinitely charming script and a very carefully crafted tone to balance out the romance in such a morbid setting makes it stand out from the pack too.
Warm Bodies has gotten a lot more attention over time than it did when initially released, and deserves to be watched for its special, funny take on romantic comedy with a zombie flair.