Zombie movies are essentially a survival handbook, a how-to on what to do if we were to ever face a zombie outbreak. Let’s face it, most of us would be zombie lunch if it wasn’t for these movies. The following lists of movies teach us: a) let sleeping dogs/children lie, b) malls are a perfect place to provide shelter (for a short amount of time at least), c) zombies CAN learn, d) zombies CAN run, and e) when all else fails – pretend you’re a zombie, you’re bound to live a lot longer. So now, I bring to you the following top ten…

10. Planet Terror
Ok, so these zombies aren’t necessarily zombies per se but they look, walk and stalk like zombies. Robert Rodriguez’s gory little opus shows us what happens when a biochemical agent is unleashed in a rural Texas town and transforms the residents into bloodthirsty “zombies”. Of course chaos ensues, but the best thing about this film is how over the top and exciting it is. Where else will you see a woman with a machine strapped to her missing leg or Bruce Willis transform into a hulking mutant? Unnecessarily gory and over the top, but hey – that’s how we like them right?

9. Pet Sematary
This film does the unthinkable and yet manages to keep a feeling of uneasiness throughout the proceedings. Some might even say it crosses the line…and it probably does. This is probably the only film on this list to deal with the death of a toddler, the trouble starts when the father decides to bring him back to life by burying him in an Indian burial ground. Genuinely creepy and full of Stephen King goodness. Victor Pascal (above) may appear to be creepy, but the film’s true scare is Rachel’s sister, Zelda. Zelda may not be a zombie, but man, she is unnerving.

8. 28 Days Later

So the debate will continue on and on as to whether or not this is a zombie film. You know what, rage infected people running around and attacking like mindless, well…zombies – that to me gives me reason enough. Isolated London is just one of the creepy things about this film, and not too sure if it was intentional or not, but the social commentary (albeit brief) at the end is quite the nod to Mr. George Romero. Although not the first to feature running zombies, it is the first to gain popularity and notoriety.

7. Dawn of the Dead (1979)

Now before I get attacked for having this at number 7, hear me out. Although this film is considered to be the epitome of zombie films, the pacing is what does me in every time. Aside from that, this film is a jewel. The opening scene in the apartment complex, the trek over towards the mall (which includes the infamous helicopter head zombie), and of course the mall itself – Romero shows us how much fun it would be to have a mall crawling with slow moving zombies. Tom Savini’s special effects in this are great, especially if you’re into gore, and let’s not forget the memorable line, “When there’s no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth.” Now, if pacing was the only downside to this film, well…

6. Dawn of the Dead (2004)

…this remake held up the pace. In this 2004 update, the zombies are no longer slow – in fact, they’re distance runners. Ok, not exactly, but taking the original film’s premise of being holed up in a mall and combine that with these slightly improved zombies and the highly tense environment that these survivors are in, well you have yourself a highly successful remake. The gore is up to par and given the special effects we have today, they more than give the original a run for its money. Be on the lookout for some characters from the original making some cameo appearances, including one spouting out that memorable line.

5. 28 Weeks Later

Why is this better than the original? It has more heart, and it takes guts to put children in harm’s way, and given that Tammy and Andy are the only children in this repopulating city and being hunted by their rage infected father while panic is spreading, it makes for good movie viewing. Again, just like the original, it also takes a look at the human side of a “zombie” outbreak and how they deal with the chaos. There’s nothing quite as tense as Andy using himself as bait so Doyle can pinpoint a sniper or the helicopter scene in the field. We also get to see a quarantined London, it’s eerie.

4. Night of the Living Dead

The granddaddy of the zombie films, what else can I say about this film except: “They’re coming to get you Barbara!” Duane Jones is amazing in this film, George Romero showcases just what kind of an effect a zombie outbreak can have on people holed up inside a house, that truck scene is intense, the scene in the basement is more intense, and the ending – WOW – leaves quite an impact. Go watch now.

3. Pet Sematary Two

This one I’m going to get a lot of flak for, but you know what? Who cares? This is obviously the black sheep of the list. Where the original crossed a line that no one dared cross, this one ups the ante by being as graphically gory as possible. We’re talking about electrocutions, dog bites, drills penetrating open wounds, a motorcycle tire to a teenager’s face, and a head on collision with a potato truck. If you can stomach the gore, it’s quite a fun ride. Clancy Brown (above) just owns his role as the reanimated Gus and some of the sequences in this film are pretty wild, with an awesome early 90′s soundtrack playing in the background. Two notable scenes: Gus’s raid on a Halloween party in the pet cemetery and Jeff (Edward Furlong) and the reanimated bully Clyde (Jared Rushton) battling it out in the attic during the finale.

2. Shaun of the Dead

You know, if it wasn’t for the fact that this is a comedy first, this would have probably topped my list. The humor is dead on (pardon the pun), the zombies are slow moving, yet vicious like Romero’s zombies are, and the quantity of blood in this is enough to make any gore hound proud. Again, the key difference is the amount of humor thrown in; it knows when to be funny and when to actually be serious but it’s never slapstick. It’s smart humor. By the film’s end, you realize that Shaun and Ed are the buddies you would want to face a zombie apocalypse with. Actually, just Shaun – no offense, but given Ed’s track record during the film, he’d probably get us all killed. If you haven’t seen this movie, see it.

1. Day of the Dead (1985)

First there was Night, and then there was Dawn and finally Day of the Dead. By far the best of the three, we arrive to the gradual transformation of the living dead as well as the aftermath of the zombie invasion. From the beginning, we can tell that the zombies outnumber the surviving humans at least 50 to 1, if not more, and a sense of a psychological breakdown permeates throughout the military bunker where our main characters are stationed. While Dr. Logan experiments with the dead (including the intelligent zombie, Bub), Captain Rhodes is progressively losing his sanity, to the point where he’s becoming aggressive, abusive, and cruel (don’t worry, he gets his in the end). Compared to the first two, this one is much darker in nature but it brings a sort of closure to the trilogy. The zombies have become more aggressive, the survivors have begun to lose their wits end and the viewers, well – we’re just left with a horrifying sample of what to expect when the zombies invade.