Thanks to a fluke in Night of the Living Dead’s original copyright notice, the modern concept of “zombies” has been in the public domain since the release of Romero’s masterpiece back in 1968. That’s why it’s no surprise that so many filmmakers have gone on to reappropriate and update these undead flesh-eaters for new audiences, […]
Thanks to a fluke in Night of the Living Dead’s original copyright notice, the modern concept of “zombies” has been in the public domain since the release of Romero’s masterpiece back in 1968. That’s why it’s no surprise that so many filmmakers have gone on to reappropriate and update these undead flesh-eaters for new audiences, often changing their mythology and behavior in order to better suit their respective stories.
Naturally, some takes on these shambling corpses are stranger than others, and that’s why we’ve decided to compile a list celebrating six of the weirdest zombies in horror movies. After all, when it comes to breaking the rules, no one does it better than the horror genre!
Before we begin, I think it’s worth noting that we’ll defining “zombie” as any form of cannibalistic ghoul derived from an infectious outbreak – so there’s no point in arguing over whether or not “living infected” (like those from 28 Days Later) count as zombies if they’re not technically dead.
With that out of the way, don’t forget to comment below with your own zombified favorites if you think we missed a particularly strange one.
Now, onto the list…
6. Rat-People – Mulberry Street (2006)
I’ve already gushed about Jim Mickle’s low-budget apocalypse story in the past, but I’ll always jump at a new opportunity to discuss how this masterful piece of guerilla filmmaking managed to tap into post-9/11 paranoia by introducing the world to Rat-People. Following the residents of a Manhattan apartment building as the city around them collapses due to a rat-borne plague, Mulberry Street embraces classic zombie tropes while also applying a fresh coat of rodent-colored paint to its monsters.
The low-budget means that the infected often look more like a poor man’s Master Splinter cosplay rather than a legitimately scary hybrid in the vein of V/H/S/94’s Raatma, but the film’s frenetic cinematography and the story’s overwhelming sense of dramatic urgency elevate these monsters beyond their admittedly silly design.
5. Horny Hosts – Shivers (1975)
It’s actually kind of surprising that the Master of Body-Horror David Cronenberg has never directed a traditional zombie movie. But then again, Cronenberg never does anything in the traditional way. For instance, his 1975 film Shivers was clearly developed in the same mold as other similar zombie outbreak films, but with one major change: these infected victims don’t want brains, they want sex!
This particular infection may be the product of a genetically-engineered parasite rather than a traditional viral outbreak, but it’s pretty clear that the film’s “monsters” are meant to invoke the same kind of overwhelming dread as the ghouls from Night of the Living Dead.
That being said, Romero’s zombies never made me feel dirty for watching them…
4. The Chicken-Dead – Poultrygeist (2006)
An extreme workplace-comedy that blends gross-out horror and old-timey musicals into a single nauseating yet incredibly fun package, Poultrygeist just so happens to be my favorite Troma movie. It’s also one hell of a gory zombie movie – albeit with a chicken-inspired twist as the infected steadily become more bird-like.
Much like the other animal-hybrid zombie on this list, it’s not necessarily the cheap-looking makeup that makes these disgusting monsters memorable, but their undeniably strange behavior. Of course, I’ll admit that the catchy theme-song might have something to do with their inclusion on this list.
And if you’re already a fan of what I consider to be Lloyd Kaufman’s trashy opus, be on the lookout for the upcoming Poultrygeist 2 – directed by frequent Troma collaborator Mercedes the Muse!
3. Blood-Sucking Mutants – Nightmare City (1980)
Director Umberto Lenzi has repeatedly denied that the monsters in his over-the-top infection film are “zombies,” but let’s be real here: these mutated abominations can only be killed by destroying the brain and they have an uncontrollable urge to feed on the living. Does that sound familiar to anyone else?
Of course, it’s the lack of adherence to traditional zombie lore that makes this movie so much fun in the first place, with these irradiated murderers still retaining much of their intelligence while also preferring to drink the blood of their victims instead of merely chomping on their flesh. As if that wasn’t enough, Nightmare City also features one of the first-ever examples of running zombies in horror, with that added detail making these mutants extra scary!
2. Zombie Fuel – Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014)
There’s a certain kind of cinematic madness that only Ozploitation flicks can provide, and Kiah Roache-Turner’s Wyrmwood (also known as Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead) is a great example of this. On the surface, the film looks like a run-of-the-mill zombie flick about a mechanic trying to track down his sister after a meteor-shower turns most of the population into flesh-eating ghouls. However, things soon take a turn for the strange when it’s revealed that flammable liquids no longer catch fire in this world, leading our protagonists to search for an alternative means of powering their vehicles.
You see, the only viable source of fuel in Wyrmwood (and its equally insane sequel Wyrmwood: Apocalypse) are the zombies themselves, with the monsters producing a methane-like gas during the day and then burning it at night in order to run faster. It doesn’t make much sense, but this bonkers idea inspires quite a few thrilling action sequences regardless.
1. The Zombots – Frankenstein’s Army (2013)
Richard Raaphorst’s 2013 Found Footage oddity comes frustratingly close to greatness, only really stumbling due a clear preference for spectacle over authenticity. However, even the film’s harshest critics agree that the titular undead army remains the stuff of practical-effects-driven nightmares.
With designs so striking that they would be repeatedly “borrowed” for use in other media, there’s no denying that the re-animated Zombots are some of the weirdest – not to mention scariest – undead in cinema history. I mean, just imagining that there’s a person agonizing beneath some of these disturbing designs is enough to make your blood run cold.
