These movies are coming to get you Barbara…
George A. Romero’s 1968 movie is still one of the finest zombie movies ever made, over 50 years after its original release. It tells the tale of a group of people who barricade themselves into a farmhouse as protection from the zombies who are roaming the Pennsylvania countryside looking for their next meal.
Night of the Living Dead is famous for lots of things, not least its racial subtext, scenes of zombie-munching terror, and that now-famous line “They’re coming to get you Barbara” that was uttered by the doomed boyfriend of one of the movie’s lead characters.
For those who have seen Romero’s chiller and are looking for alternate picks, we’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top choices for what to watch next.
Do you agree with our picks? Or have we failed to mention a movie that you think deserves a place on this list? Let us know in the comments below.
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Several sequels followed Night of the Living Dead, including this 1978 movie which was the second blood-soaked instalment of Romero’s zombie apocalypse saga.
In Dawn Of The Dead, the undead have grown in number and have taken over most of America. A group of survivors have taken refuge in a shopping mall where there are enough supplies to keep them going for years. But unfortunately for them, the zombies outside the mall retain some memory of their past lives and shopping habits and are drawn to the shopping complex where the unlucky few humans remain.
Romero’s movie is as much a satire on gratuitous consumerism as it is a monster flick but despite being a critique of our society’s obsession with shopping, there is enough head-munching and bone-crunching terror on display to please the director’s legion of fans.
Train to Busan (2016)
Sang-ho Yeon’s thrilling and claustrophobic zombie movie is one of the most entertaining horror flicks in recent years due to its white knuckle scenes of terror and imaginative action setpieces.
Like Night of the Living Dead, this is a movie that traps its protagonists in a place with nowhere to hide – in this case, a train! The movie was a massive success in its native country and it did very well globally too. Like Romero’s movie, it tackles social commentary as well as orchestrating scenes of zombie carnage, and it gives us characters that we can’t help but root for.
An American remake titled The Last Train to New York was expected in cinemas in April 2023 but like the trains we so patiently wait upon, its release has been delayed.
28 Days Later (2002)
Danny Boyle’s unnerving horror film follows a man who wakes up from a coma 28 days after a deadly virus has spread throughout the UK and caused the infected to become zombie-like killing machines with a hunger for flesh and blood.
Cillian Murphy stars as the poor guy who stumbles onto the streets of a desolate London that is no longer filled with the sight of bargain-hunting shoppers. Instead, he becomes the hunted when he encounters the enraged victims of the virus and is then forced to seek sanctuary with a small group of other survivors.
The zombies in this movie and its sequel (see below) are quite unlike the slow, shambling monsters of Romero’s movie. They are much more agile and quick on their feet, which is bad news for those who find themselves pursued by the ‘running dead.’
28 Weeks Later (2007)
28 Days Later is a dark and suspenseful horror flick that surpasses most other movies within the horror genre. The sequel, directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, is less about doomsday gloom and more a pulse-pounding nerve-shredder of a movie that chronicles Britain’s attempt to return to normality 28 weeks after the initial zombie invasion.
The movie is more action-packed than its predecessor but no less terrifying in its tale of a civilization that is trying to recover from the zombie attack that threatened to wipe out humanity.
Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, and future Hawkeye Jeremy Renner take on the roles of the survivors who are forced to flee for their lives when their so-called ‘safe zone’ becomes anything but when an unwanted guest makes his arrival. Do they make it to the end of the movie in one piece? Or do they end up in pieces? We aren’t saying!
A third movie was planned, tentatively titled 28 Years Later, but we are still waiting on news of this possible movie renewal.
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
When two bumbling employees at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release gas from government-issued barrels, they inadvertently cause the dead to rise again as zombies. Whoops!
The movie’s title might suggest this is a sequel to one of Romero’s ‘Living Dead’ films, but it’s actually unrelated, even though it does focus on another zombie uprising in which the dead are hungry for their favourite food – brains – which is the only word they can utter.
Dan O Bannon’s movie is a comedy though it’s certainly not for the squeamish. There’s plenty of blood and gore in this cult fright flick so it will please any fan of bloody horror as well as those who want an intelligent comedy that plays on classic horror tropes.
Pet Sematary (1989)
Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, Mary Lambert’s film is an effective chiller that is far more disturbing than the 2019 adaptation that undermined the shock factor of King’s narrative.
It tells the story of a man named Louis Creed who buries his dead cat at the local pet cemetery which is located on the site of an ancient Indian burial ground. A short while later, the cat rises from its grave and returns to the Creed family home. Unfortunately, it’s no longer the cute and cuddly kitty that it once was, presumably because its now an animal zombie that doesn’t have a soul.
When Louis’s young son is killed on the nearby highway, the grieving Louis decides to bury him on the sacred plot of land, despite the warnings of his neighbour that “sometimes dead is better.” Bad mistake!
King once said that the novel that this was based on was the only one that truly scared him. It’s easy to understand why if you watch this movie retelling of his work, as it’s a disturbing tale that centres around a father who has to take drastic action when his little boy rises from his grave with murder on his mind.
World War Z (2013)
Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Max Brooks, this action-horror movie follows a former UN employee (Brad Pitt) as he traverses the world in a race against time to stop a zombie pandemic that is threatening to topple humanity.
Unlike Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, which was primarily focused on zombies terrorizing a small community, this one spans the globe and offers more of an explosive spectacle. But like Romero’s movie, it still reaches for the heart and makes us care about the characters within the story that are in danger of becoming zombie fodder. It also teaches us that nowhere is safe – be that a rustic old farmhouse or another country on the other side of the world.
Overlord (2018)
It’s believed the Nazis practised occultism and other unsavoury practices back in the 1940s but the truth about this has never really come to light. Julius Avery’s movie sheds a spotlight on their apparent secret experimentations, which in this movie involved turning their test subjects into a race of zombies!
We don’t really believe the Nazis backed up their troops with members of the undead but this premise is wonderfully executed in this entertaining horror movie. It follows the exploits of several American paratroopers who are dropped behind enemy lines on the eve of D-Day. After breaking into a radio tower, they discover exactly what it is the Nazis have been up to.
Overlord isn’t a movie to be taken seriously as it’s certainly not based on historical fact. But it does provide a good amount of thrills and chills to satisfy any zombie fan as well as devotees of the zombie mode within the Call Of Duty games.
Little Monsters (2019)
Here’s another zombie movie that aims for laughs as well as scares. This one stars Oscar-winning Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) as a schoolteacher whose field trip to an amusement park goes horribly awry when a bunch of zombies escape from a nearby testing facility and head towards her location. Not only does she have to manage the little monsters in her care but she also has to protect them from the very real monsters that have a craving for human flesh. We’re betting teacher-training college didn’t prepare her for this scenario!
While Little Monsters doesn’t live up to Romero’s movie in terms of horror, it is still a lot of fun and is well worth a watch for zombie fans who would prefer the undead to nibble on their funny bones instead of their collar bones (other body parts are available).
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Edgar Wright’s movie is a loving homage to Romero’s ‘Living Dead’ saga but like some of the other movies on this list, its main aim is to make us laugh and not quake with fear. That isn’t to say there aren’t any scary bits or scenes of gory horror but you’re unlikely to have too many nightmares after watching this glorious parody of zombie movies.
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost take the lead roles of a slacker electronics salesman named Shaun and his layabout housemate Ed whose lives are disrupted by the zombie apocalypse. Like the survivors in Night of the Living Dead, they manage to find refuge from the undead but instead of taking shelter in an old farmhouse, they end up at Shaun’s favourite pub: The Winchester.
Mixing horror and comedy is no easy task but Wright and his talented cast pull it off with aplomb. With its irreverent sense of humour and funny cast of characters, this is a highly entertaining movie that is endlessly rewatchable (and quotable).
So, there we have it, our list of movies that are similar to Night Of The Living Dead. What do you think of our picks? Did one of your favourites make the list? Let us know in the comments below!