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Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide
From 1932's White Zombie to George A. Romero's 2008 release Diary of the Dead this thorough, uproarious guide traces the evolution of one of horror cinema's most popular and terrifying creations. Fans will learn exactly what makes a zombie a zombie, go behind the scenes with a chilling production diary from Land of the Dead, peruse a bizarre list of the oddest things ever seen in undead cinema, and immerse themselves in a detailed rundown of the 25 greatest zombie films ever made. Containing an illustrated zombie rating system, ranging from "Highly Recommended" to "Avoid at All Costs" and "So Bad It's Good," the book also features lengthy interviews with numerous talents from in front of and behind the camera.
Features chronological reviews of more than 300 zombie films.
Features chronological reviews of more than 300 zombie films.
352 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 20, 2019
Zombie Movies is, without trying to be clichéd, the bible for those who love those who eat others. It really does live up to its subtitle of The Ultimate Guide because it is jam packed with the reviews and analysis of zombie films worth mentioning and those not. Starting with 1932's White Zombie, author Glenn Kay digs through the decades, giving his thoughts on hundreds of movies (and some TV episodes) right up to 2011's Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption. Obviously with the blowup of these movies in the past decade or so, he can't review them all, so at the end of some chapters there is a listing of "Rare, Obscure, and Less Important Titles." While I don't agree that one of my favorites, Hide and Creep, should be on this list, I can't say Kay is not diligent in his work.
You can read Steve's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
You can read Steve's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
June 5, 2018
As with most movie guides a LOT of them were foreign films. I don't do subtitles or dubbed so that leaves me out on that. This book was pre TWD and the interview with Greg Nicotera was neat. It was also funny how it ended with the zombie genre may be played out. Little did they know it was only getting started!
August 18, 2019
As always, wonderful in this contemporary with no fantastic or sf elements but a surprise in the ending!
February 26, 2020
A little dated now - only up to 2008, but an excellent resource for zombie fans.
June 30, 2023
This is just chock full of errors.
June 5, 2015
Kay's A-to-Zombie encyclopedia traces the history of zombies from their start with 1932's "White Zombie", and lists every zombie movie ever made. And boy have there been some stinkers in this genre.
978-0-306-81566-9, a similar effort to list the best B-movies, a category of which most zombie movies would be a part, includes only two zombies: "I Walked with a Zombie" (1943) and "Tales from the Crypt" (1972).
While most zombies through the 1960s have at least some touch-point with the historical zombies of voodoo (the Haitian amalgam of animism, shamanism, and mystical Christianity), zombie history would be changed and recreated with the 1968 classic "Night of the Living Dead". With a near-zero budget, mostly amateur cast, and a Pittsburgh based crew and director, this small black-and-white effort stunned audiences with its graphic-for-the-time gore, existential bleakness, and serious examination of gender and race issues in settings never before put on film. Critics might not have gotten it, but fans loved its local flavor and surprising wit ("They're dead, they're all messed up" remains the most succinct and screamingly funny definition of the problem with zombies).
From there, the genre exploded with imitators, remakes, and sequels, most of which, as Kay's chronological arrangement shows, are drenched as much in stupidity as gore. But Kay has fun with it (the photo captions are a hoot), rating each movie on a five-point scale illustrated by a bizarre but instantly recognizable cartoon.
At the end of the book, Kay ranks his top-25 zombies, and surprises by putting the original 1968 "Night" at #2. He also documents the best "zombieless" zombie movies: movies with titles or subjects that mention, reference, or border zombies, but don't actually contain zombies (for example "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" in its original and remakes).
Netflixers will find this a valuable guide to populating their queue--and to keeping it clear of the many bad zombies out there.
978-0-306-81566-9, a similar effort to list the best B-movies, a category of which most zombie movies would be a part, includes only two zombies: "I Walked with a Zombie" (1943) and "Tales from the Crypt" (1972).
While most zombies through the 1960s have at least some touch-point with the historical zombies of voodoo (the Haitian amalgam of animism, shamanism, and mystical Christianity), zombie history would be changed and recreated with the 1968 classic "Night of the Living Dead". With a near-zero budget, mostly amateur cast, and a Pittsburgh based crew and director, this small black-and-white effort stunned audiences with its graphic-for-the-time gore, existential bleakness, and serious examination of gender and race issues in settings never before put on film. Critics might not have gotten it, but fans loved its local flavor and surprising wit ("They're dead, they're all messed up" remains the most succinct and screamingly funny definition of the problem with zombies).
From there, the genre exploded with imitators, remakes, and sequels, most of which, as Kay's chronological arrangement shows, are drenched as much in stupidity as gore. But Kay has fun with it (the photo captions are a hoot), rating each movie on a five-point scale illustrated by a bizarre but instantly recognizable cartoon.
At the end of the book, Kay ranks his top-25 zombies, and surprises by putting the original 1968 "Night" at #2. He also documents the best "zombieless" zombie movies: movies with titles or subjects that mention, reference, or border zombies, but don't actually contain zombies (for example "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" in its original and remakes).
Netflixers will find this a valuable guide to populating their queue--and to keeping it clear of the many bad zombies out there.
October 23, 2012
Ok, zombie fans...put down that DVD player remote and check this out: I have found a Must Have book for you! ZOMBIE MOVIES: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE (2nd edition) is an exhaustively comprehensive look into the history and cultivation of the zombie movie genre. Within these pages are the culmination of hours and hours of research and legwork, and the result is an amazing guide to the dead in cinema. Go ahead and jot this title down because I guarantee that you’ll want this book.
Whether you are a casual zombie fan or a hardcore living dead fanatic, this book deserves a spot of honor in your library. I have never seen a more thorough compendium of zombie titles anywhere, nor have I seen anyone rate this many genre films at one time. Author Glenn Kay did his homework and then some with this collection!
ZOMBIE MOVIES: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE (2nd edition) goes beyond zombie cinema and explores many of the films that contributed to this now-popular sub-culture. Included here are many, many films that I personally have never heard of, and I would wager that many of them will be new to you as well. But even beyond that are many titles made more recently that are now on my To Watch list.
I love the rating system Kay uses for this book. Each film is rated using a scale that ranges from Highly Recommended (The absolute best in zombie films) to So Bad It’s Good (Great stuff for fans of bad cinema). But along with the rating is an in-depth analysis of each title, so that the reader can understand why a film was rated the way it was.
ZOMBIE MOVIES: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE (2nd edition) is the final word on zombie cinema and is a book you should check out at all costs. It is available now at your favorite bookstore and Amazon.com as well. Check it out.
Whether you are a casual zombie fan or a hardcore living dead fanatic, this book deserves a spot of honor in your library. I have never seen a more thorough compendium of zombie titles anywhere, nor have I seen anyone rate this many genre films at one time. Author Glenn Kay did his homework and then some with this collection!
ZOMBIE MOVIES: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE (2nd edition) goes beyond zombie cinema and explores many of the films that contributed to this now-popular sub-culture. Included here are many, many films that I personally have never heard of, and I would wager that many of them will be new to you as well. But even beyond that are many titles made more recently that are now on my To Watch list.
I love the rating system Kay uses for this book. Each film is rated using a scale that ranges from Highly Recommended (The absolute best in zombie films) to So Bad It’s Good (Great stuff for fans of bad cinema). But along with the rating is an in-depth analysis of each title, so that the reader can understand why a film was rated the way it was.
ZOMBIE MOVIES: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE (2nd edition) is the final word on zombie cinema and is a book you should check out at all costs. It is available now at your favorite bookstore and Amazon.com as well. Check it out.
February 15, 2013
I'm a big fan of zombie movies, so it makes sense that I would devour any reference guides for said films. I already have a bunch, and when a new one comes about, or a new-ish one, as this was published a few years ago, I want to add it to the collection.
As you can imagine, one of the perils of that is that there are so many ways to go over the same information again and again. Unfortunately, this book suffers from comparison to other, better works in the same field. The informal tone doesn't help it, nor does the inclusion of movies that could only tangentially be considered zombie movies and then giving the short shrift to better works that are actually in the genre. Then to be dismissive of some minor/cult zombie classics (such as Tombs of the Blind Dead) just adds insult to injury.
The interviews with some people in the field are nice, but the author's account as an extra is a little too long for my liking and repeats information he gives us elsewhere in the book. Which is a shame, as it made me skim over the account because I was reading things I already knew from other interviews from people who worked on the movie in question (Land of the Dead).
A decent enough work for beginners who want to get their feet wet in their zombie movie research, but ultimately outclassed by other and better books.
As you can imagine, one of the perils of that is that there are so many ways to go over the same information again and again. Unfortunately, this book suffers from comparison to other, better works in the same field. The informal tone doesn't help it, nor does the inclusion of movies that could only tangentially be considered zombie movies and then giving the short shrift to better works that are actually in the genre. Then to be dismissive of some minor/cult zombie classics (such as Tombs of the Blind Dead) just adds insult to injury.
The interviews with some people in the field are nice, but the author's account as an extra is a little too long for my liking and repeats information he gives us elsewhere in the book. Which is a shame, as it made me skim over the account because I was reading things I already knew from other interviews from people who worked on the movie in question (Land of the Dead).
A decent enough work for beginners who want to get their feet wet in their zombie movie research, but ultimately outclassed by other and better books.
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September 24, 2008 I want to like this book SO BAD, if for no other reason than I've yet to see anything that is so incredibly comprehensive. Kay's reviews aren't anything to go nuts about, but maybe i'm more partial to the passion & vitriol of Chas Balun. The problem I have with this book is Kay's unfortunate positive review for Romero's 2008 "Diary of the Dead". For me, this is pretty much a dealer breaker in terms of Kay having much credibility. Anyone who claims to be a Romero fan, let alone a zombie fan, can hardly see Romero's latest work as anything but an absolute abortion. Seriously. I love Romero, but "Diary" was abysmal on pretty much all levels, and to say something nice about it for the sake of it having Romero's stamp is weak. You can't polish a turd, if it walks like a duck, etc, etc, they all apply here. Kay has done his zombie homework, no doubt about it, and letting one review of a movie taint my opinion is probably a tinge myopic, but goddamn...
October 27, 2008
This book was missing a few notables: namely BLACK SHEEP (about zombie sheep) and SHIVERS (which should've been included in the section on movies that were SORTA zombie movies), but otherwise, totally worth checking out. Organizes the movies by era. Devotes several pages to more noteworthy zombie flicks like NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Includes some fascinating facts, such as the reason that NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is now public domain. Has a good, quick-access review system. And offers their Top 25 (I think) zombie flicks at the end--and they tell you if each one is available on dvd--along with a list of "almost zombie movies." All in all, this made for a fun afternoon of reading. Not a book you'll read from cover to cover, but fantastic to pick around in.
November 6, 2008
I read most of this book. I love zombie movies and set out to read this from cover to cover; however, about mid way through, I lost the drive to finish. The beginning was interesting since it covered the origin of the zombie movie and reviewed a lot of old black and white films that I sought out and rented but I started to lose interest when it got into the Asian zombie movies and the more recent zombie movies that I had already seen (very recently).
For a casual zombie movie fan, this is a good book to tackle during the month of October as a guide to movies to catch while getting your Halloween on...
I would recommend it and plan to use it as a reference book from time to time.
For a casual zombie movie fan, this is a good book to tackle during the month of October as a guide to movies to catch while getting your Halloween on...
I would recommend it and plan to use it as a reference book from time to time.
October 31, 2011
I decided to read this book as I wish to engage in scholarly research related to zombies and contemporary theories of the body/embodiment, etc.
This is just what you need if you want a detailed but very readable compendium of all the movies on zombies. The timeline is particularly useful, with clear cut periods that make very understandable the evolution of the interest in the genre and the different perspectives from which it has been represented.
The marks that the author gave to the films are useful in case to focus your attention on the most important productions, on the lower part of the scale they become questionable, but that is not a major problem I would say.
This is just what you need if you want a detailed but very readable compendium of all the movies on zombies. The timeline is particularly useful, with clear cut periods that make very understandable the evolution of the interest in the genre and the different perspectives from which it has been represented.
The marks that the author gave to the films are useful in case to focus your attention on the most important productions, on the lower part of the scale they become questionable, but that is not a major problem I would say.
February 22, 2012
This is an alright book, somewhat not as in depth as others and the top 25 at the end is a bit obnoxious. Not many surprises but perhaps the canon of Zombie films is tired, in many cases the author starts reaching for what are clearly not zombie films, but after a while it gets tiring having excuses. There will eventually be a less fanboy book on Zombie films. One day.
September 26, 2012
This is for the upcoming 2nd Edition. I found this to be a very comprehensive and fun book. My full review of this can be found here: http://horrorworld.org/hw/2012/09/zom... But for a quick and dirty review: if you love zombie flicks then you should probably get this book.
January 13, 2017
A guide of every zombie movies made from the first one to 2008. This books presents the evolution of zombies in films as well as their historical origins.
Full of information, factoids and trivia that will please zombie movie aficionados, this book is clearly isn't for a person who casually watches horror films.
Enjoy!
Full of information, factoids and trivia that will please zombie movie aficionados, this book is clearly isn't for a person who casually watches horror films.
Enjoy!
January 20, 2009
this sure was a fun read. I especially liked the author's rating system and the interview with fulci's daughter. and the poster gallery is pretty cool too. happy he included Let Sleeping Corpses Lie and The Beyond, 2 of my favorites.
October 27, 2008
If you, like me, believe that almost any film can benefit from the conceit of the recently deceased returning to life to feed on the living, this book should be your bible.
October 9, 2012
If you are a Zombies Fan, it is a MUST HAVE!
Check my Full Review here
Check my Full Review here
October 10, 2012
Concise reviews, lots of movies arranged chronologically. A solid reference for any zombie-movie lover.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews