Zombie Movies on Netflix

After the critically acclaimed series The Last of Us hit streaming platforms early last year, even those not interested in the zombie genre were left craving more. For lovers of the genre, the visuals of aggressive zombies infecting innocents galore, the tension of being caught by the telltale sign of a zombie bite, and the constant pressure of finding safety in a dangerous world constitutes a rollercoaster ride that viewers continued to crave long after the last episode. 

Fortunately, there are a number of films on Netflix that can fill the void until Season 2 of The Last of Us comes out. Here are our top five recommendations for zombie movie on Netflix:

Resident Evil: Vendetta (2017)

This animated horror flick, inspired by the Resident Evil video games, is an excellent example of films that borrow the video game aesthetic.

The premise of the movie is simple: Chris Redfield (voiced by Kevin Dorman), Leon S. Kennedy (voiced by Matthew Mercer) and Rebecca Chambers (voiced by Erin Cahill) come together to stop Glenn Arias (voiced by John DeMita) from spreading the A-virus in New York. This virus stays dormant in an individual till it is triggered. When released into the air, it turns the recipient into a zombie.

This is a computer-generated animated movie, but that doesn’t stop the visuals from being anything less than impressive. It does justice to its source material and is fast-paced, thus allowing us to enjoy a simplistic storyline.

With jumpscares and a thrilling final battle with the zombies, it’s a nostalgia hit for anyone who grew up playing zombie video games.

Cargo (2017)

If you are tired of the “zombie epidemic” trope, here’s a zombie film that slightly diverts from it. It’s the aftermath, where the zombies are gone, but the distrust, angst, trauma and uncertainty remain.

Andy (Martin Freeman) is on a mission against time to find someone to protect his daughter in this post-apocalyptic world after he loses his wife Kay (Susie Porter) and is about to turn into a zombie himself.

His unusual friendship with Thoomi (Simone Landers), interactions with those who have become either too disillusioned or all the more determined to survive, as well as his unwavering dedication to his baby daughter make this movie a heartbreaking watch.

This Australian zombie movie is produced by Netflix. It is based on a seven-minute short film of the same name made in 2013 by the same screenwriter and director for both films, Yolanda Ramke and Ben Howling, respectively. The scale is small, but the impact is as significant as it can get without showing outright zombie gore.

#Alive (2020)

Any list of zombie movies would be incomplete without a Korean film. #Alive’s topical nature propelled its popularity. Oh Jon-woo (Yoo Ah-in) is a live video game streamer trapped in his apartment by zombies taking over the city. The apartment's confines protect him from the carnage outside, even while he’s worried about his parents’ safety.

This emotion resonated in 2020 when the pandemic took hold of the world, and the movie mirrors the same fear and uncertainty. Under these unfortunate circumstances, Jon-woo befriends his neighbour Kim Yoo-bin (Park Shin-hye), and their collective survival journey unfolds.

The scary moments are muted, and the tension builds gradually, leading to an undercurrent of doom rather than an in-your-face zombie horror vibe.

Excellent performances by the central and supporting characters make this movie a thrilling watch. Fun fact: This movie is based on the original script of Alone (2020), an American horror film.

Valley of the Dead (2020)

This is a Spanish zombie movie set during the Spanish Civil War. The result of mixing civil wars with zombies could’ve well been ridiculous, but Valley of the Dead gets it right. Captain Jan Lozano (Miki Esparbé) and Decruz (Manel Llunell), a young soldier, have to fight not just Soviet soldiers but also zombies. However, no one knows that it’s the Nazis behind this zombie threat.

This film is not as zombie-heavy as classics like Night of the Living Dead (1968), Dawn of the Dead (2004) and Train to Busan (2016). However, the deadpan comedy and cleverly placed zombie scenes make it a delightful watch.

There’s a zombie preserve, well-intentioned volunteers, and many other exciting characters whose journeys you will feel invested in from start to finish.

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (2023)

Do you sometimes hate work so much that you wish zombies would just take over so you won’t have to clock in anymore? This unfortunate wish came true for Akira Tendo (Eiji Akaso), an overworked marketing consultant who is more than happy with the zombie takeover.

Seeing this as an opportunity to check things off his bucket list, Akira and his friends Kenichiro (Shuntarô Yanagi) and Shizuka (Mai Shiraishi) treat the zombie apocalypse as an escape from their miserable lives or as a path to their unfulfilled dreams.

The zombies are not the focus of the film. Rather, they are tools for self-discovery and friendship. Rather than get bogged down by the threat of ‘death by zombie’, you can ensconce yourself in the crazy but refreshing narrative as you devise your own list of things to do before the world ends.