Thursday, 19 June 2025
Thursday, 19 June 2025
Danny Boyle is back with a blood-soaked sequel to his 2002 classic 28 Days Later. Titled 28 Years Later, the follow-up to the hit zombie thriller, starring Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, hits screens on Friday.
If the upcoming sequel is on your watchlist, you must not miss these eight gut-wrenching zombie films — available to stream on Netflix, Prime Video, JioHotstar and MX Player — that have redefined the horror genre over the years.
Train to Busan
Even after nine long years, Gong Yoo’s performance in Yeon Sang-ho’s zombie apocalypse film Train to Busan remains unforgettable. It went on to become a critically acclaimed film in the genre, earning widespread recognition for its deft handling of gore, horror and emotional depth. At the heart of this zombie classic is a father’s unconditional love for his daughter and the lengths he can go to in order to protect her.
Gong Yoo’s Seok-woo is a single father struggling to connect with his young daughter, Soo-an. They board a high-speed train travelling from Seoul to Busan to visit Soo-an’s mother. However, their journey takes a horrifying turn when a sudden zombie apocalypse breaks out, turning most passengers on the train — and those waiting on platforms — into flesh-eating creatures. As the train moves towards Busan, the uninfected passengers must fight for their survival.
Where to watch: JioHotstar, Prime Video
World War Z
After a global zombie outbreak wipes out half the population on earth, a former UN investigator, played by Brad Pitt, races against time to find out the origin of the infection and a cure. Taking viewers from Israel to South Korea, World War Z is packed with high-octane action, unabating tension and zombies that never slow down.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, Netflix, JioHotstar
Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead, released in 1968, was way ahead of its time, revolutionising the genre and introducing the modern-day zombie tropes as we know it. George A. Romero’s monochrome classic follows a group of strangers trapped in a farmhouse to protect themselves as the dead rise across the state of Pennsylvania.
During a time of racial tension, the film featured Duane Jones, a Black actor, in a leading role, and challenged contemporary filmmaking with its low-budget production. The claustrophobic horror, racial commentary, and bleak ending laid the foundation for the zombie genre today.
Where to watch: Prime Video
Resident Evil
Based on a Japanese video game franchise by Capcom, Resident Evil revolves around an underground lab where a deadly virus gets accidentally released, turning scientists and security staff into zombies. Enter the amnesiac Alice (Milla Jovovich), who battles the ravenous corpses and the sinister Umbrella Corporation, to contain the T-virus outbreak in this dynamic action-horror film that spawned a long-running franchise.
Where to watch: MX Player
Zombieland
Did anyone say zombie apocalypses can’t be fun? Try Zombieland, a dark comedy about a socially-awkward loner, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), who teams up with a gun-toting cowboy (Woody Harrelson) and two con artist sisters to embark on a cross-country road trip across zombie-ravaged America to find a safe spot. As Columbus’s unique zombie survival rules make you laugh out loud, Bill Murray’s hilarious strategy to keep the undead at bay will leave you in splits.
Where to watch: JioHotstar, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+
#Alive
In this Korean thriller, Joon-woo, a gamer, wakes up one day to find his apartment complex taken over by grisly zombies. Trying to stay safe inside his flat by locking himself in, Joon-woo frantically begins sending a digital SOS with no internet, food or escape route, until he discovers another survivor. Released in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, the film, starring Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye, became relatable in the period of quarantine and isolation.
Where to watch: Netflix
In case you want a desi binge session:
Go Goa Gone
Before 2013, comedies about the zombie apocalypse was a genre mostly associated with western cinema. It all changed with Raj and DK's Go Goa Gone, which offered Indian audiences their first taste of zombie horror with a comedic twist. The film featured a group of friends — played by Kunal Khemu, Anand Tiwari and Vir Das — who find themselves battling a zombie outbreak during a trip to Goa.
From Saif Ali Khan’s scene-stealing act as a wannabe blonde Russian hitman-turned-zombie-slayer to epic slowmotion zombie chases, the scenes keep fans glued to the screens with laugh-out-loud moments, witty dialogues and intense action. With its unique concept, Go Goa Gone's success sparked the beginning of the horror-comedy genre in the country.
Where to watch: ZEE5
Zombiesthaan
While Go Goa Gone was the first Hindi zombie film, Abhirup Ghosh’s 2019 film Zombiesthaan marked the first Bengali zombie production. Set in a post-apocalyptic Bengal in the year 2030, the movie revolves around a deadly biochemical weapon that turns half of humanity into zombies. In the midst of the chaos, Akira (Tanusree Chakraborty), a survivor, travels through the wastelands in an attempt to reach a military safe zone.
Where to watch: YouTube
