8 Killer Zombie Movies That Didn’t Cost an Arm and a Leg to Make

The Dead Do n’t Die , open up Friday , is indie image Jim Jarmusch ’s first foray into zombie film , but it ’s by no agency the first indie zombi picture show — as fans well have intercourse , the repugnance genre is full of crushed - budget flick that still manage to make a vast impingement . As Jarmusch ’s take on the undead shuffle into theaters , here are 10 other movies that immix brraaiinns , action , and storytelling without breaking the bank .

8. Cargo

In this 2017 Australian - made Netflix pic from Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke , Martin Freeman plays a despairing Church Father who must protect his infant daughter from the “ diggers ” who ’ve rapidly run over the world — with a ticking - clock component prepare things even more frantic after he ’s prick by his own infected wife . “ Australian - made ” is important here because Cargo is ultimately anallegory about Australia ’s troubled colonial history , contribute an special layer of depth to what ’s also a gripping , emotionally involving tale of survival … or not - natural selection , depending on the character .

7. Versus

What Ryuhei Kitamura ’s 2000 film — which the director , who went on to make Godzilla : Final Wars and Midnight Meat Train , claimedcost just $ 10,000 — lacks in technical culture , it makes up for with some marvelously loony ideas and impressively gumptious performances . Yes , Versus is a zombie movie , but it ’s also a samurai picture , a Yakuza flick , an activity clowning , a Western , and a few more genres sprinkled in there too , what with the reincarnations and occult portals . Plus , more than a few stylistic steer that Kitamura isa huge Mad Max sports fan . Most movies could n’t do that with a million dollar bill , but most movies are n’t Versus . It ’s no cinematic chef-d’oeuvre , but it is possibly the next best thing : a bona fide furor classic .

6. Fido

Andrew Currie ’s 2006 clowning imagine a very dissimilar form of post - zombie Revelation domain than we ’re used to watch . In picture show - perfect 1950s suburbia , humans are still in charge , having figured out how to control zombi with special collars — but there ’s no real exemption for anyone , living or undead , with megacorp ZomCon calling all the shots . This comes into sharp-worded easing when a niggling boy must fight to rescuehis darling favourite zombieafter some unsanctioned chomping occurs . Fido is a weird one — very deeply committed to its 1950s setting and themes , consummate with Lassie homage and hefty helpings of Douglas Sirk - style melodrama — but it ’s weird in a merriment room , with a strong cast that includes Carrie - Anne Moss and Tim Blake Nelson , as well as Billy Connolly as the deed of conveyance role .

5. The Battery

Jeremy Gardner cobalt - wrote , directed , and stars in this 2012 road movie about former baseball teammates who are doing their good to avoid the sharp-set herds in automaton - infested New England . But while Gardner ’s more virtual , legal action - orient reference insists they ask to accept their new reality , his buddy ( Adam Cronheim ) ca n’t stand stick to remnant of the room things used to be . While there are emphatically some classic zombi encounters in The Battery , the movie ’s really more interested with these two traveling companions , whose survival of the fittest narrative ends up feel strangely realistic . In any extreme crisis spot , there are rebound to be clashing coping strategies — so why should the zombi apocalypse be any dissimilar ?

4. Dead Snow

Chances are , you ’ve already see Tommy Wirkola ’s 2009 Norwegian repulsion comedy , which pits a group of vacationing skier against treasure - hoarding zombie German soldiers who ’ve been frozen since World War II . chance are , you ’re probably due for a re - watch . all in Snow ’s action , gore , and likable ( non - zombie ) role still hold up , though it is a little weird thinking that 10 years ago , Nazi still seemed like a historical revulsion , rather thansomething that would be piddle headlineswith alarming frequence .

3. Pontypool

What if certain Holy Writ in the English language short had the tycoon to turn people into monsters ? film maker Bruce McDonald ’s 2008 film , which takes place during a blizzardin a low Canadian townsfolk , explores that very unusual and surrealistic setting . It ’s set mostly at a radio station , as an on - gentle wind personality recreate by Stephen McHattie and other employee start to understand what ’s happening and , horrifyingly , ascertain as colleagues who hear certain words and phrases grow vehement before their very eye . Writer Tony Burgess adapted his own novel for the CRT screen , and the remainder resultant role is cogent evidence that zombie stories can still be told in truly unique agency .

2. Anna and the Apocalypse

We’vemade no secret of our loveforthis delightful UK importee , but just in fount you have n’t succumbed to it yet yourself , here are the smoke points : high-pitched - school dramatic play . Christmas . snake god ( and all the gore and revulsion that goes along with that , plus a moderately rum Shaun of the deadened vociferation - out ) . And it ’s a melodious , with ad-lib singing , stage dancing , the whole nine . There ’s a good deal going on in Anna and the Apocalypse , but it ’s all tied together with telling levels of charm and enthusiasm . It ’s too recent to have accomplish furore - classic status , but it may someday — and in the lag , Anna did carry off to crackio9 ’s top 10 motion-picture show list for 2018 .

1. Night of the Living Dead

George A. Romero ’s black - and - white classic — famously made for a hair over $ 100,000 in the decidedly un - Hollywood environs of Pittsburgh , PA — is the one that take off it all . No list of indie zombie pic would be complete without it , but even more importantly , Night of the Living Dead isa 51 - class - old moviethat still manage to be powerfully eery , even after the Jack of zombi spirit story that travel along in its wake . Its most unerasable moment include the jokey ( but then , horribly accurate ) announcement that “ They ’re coming to get you , Barbara ! ” ; the realization that a child has “ sour ” and pounced on her own parents ; and what ’s still one of themost unexpected and annihilating endingsin all of repulsion .

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cargoGeorge A. RomeroHorrorMartin FreemanNetflixStreamingzombies

Martin Freeman in Cargo.