10 of Horror’s Most Memorable Movie Zombies
John Squires
|
4) DAWN OF THE DEAD – FLYBOY
Out of all the zombies George Romero has featured in his movies, he’s stated on the record that his all-time favorite is Dawn of the Dead‘s “Flyboy.” I’m not sure there’s any actor who has ever played a zombie more effectively than David Emge, and the image of an undead Stephen Andrews exiting one of the mall’s elevators is so memorable that the scene was turned into an action figure and Flyboy was even paid tribute to on “The Walking Dead.” Simply the best.
5) RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD – TARMAN
Previously used words like iconic, memorable, and lovable all fit this next zombie like a glove, though where Return of the Living Dead‘s Tarman really shines is in being the most unique zombie we’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. With black, melted flesh dripping off his body, Tarman looks like a living, breathing oil slick, and his insatiable desire for brains is legendary. We tip our hats to actor Allan Trautman, who is one of the finest zombie actors of them all.
6) LAND OF THE DEAD – BIG DADDY
George Romero’s long-awaited sequel to Day of the Dead came in the form of Land of the Dead, which was released a full 20 years after Day. Played by Eugene Clark, the gas-pumping “Big Daddy” is in many ways an extension of Day of the Dead‘s Bub, an intelligent zombie who knows how to use weapons and shows a very human-like compassion for his undead friends. Like Bub, Big Daddy is one of Romero’s most empathetic and endearing ghouls.
7) DEAD ALIVE – MUM
In Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive (aka Braindead), protagonist Lionel Cosgrove’s mother, Vera (Elizabeth Moody), is no walk in the park even as a normal human being, though she becomes a much more monstrous menace after she’s bitten by an infected rat monkey. Towards the end of the film she transforms into a Kaiju-sized zombie, intent on putting her beloved son back into her massive womb. Honorable mention goes to the film’s much smaller baby Selwyn, who is just as memorable.
MORE ZOMBIES ON NEXT PAGE!