5 lesser-known zombie movies to watch before 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

From "The Walking Dead" to Night of the Living Dead, zombies have been a staple of the horror genre for many decades. Just when you think the subgenre is on its last rotting leg, it groans back to life with another movie, book, or TV show that infects the pop culture and taps into the zeitgeist. Zombies return to the big screen this week in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the second movie in a new trilogy that began with last year's 28 Years Later. In terms of zombie movies, The Bone Temple, directed by Nia DaCosta, has us intrigued. However, before the movie releases in theaters on Friday, here are five lesser-known zombie movies to check out.

One Cut of the Dead

Director Shin'ichirô Ueda's One Cut of the Dead is one of the most inventive zombie movies of the last decade. It's a love letter to indie filmmaking and the zombie subgenre. The movie follows a hack director and film crew that struggles to shoot a low-budget zombie movie in an abandoned World War II Japanese facility. Suddenly, they're attacked by real zombies. This movie is endearing, funny, and gory. It's an absolute much-watch for anyone who appreciates the horror genre more broadly and the challenge of indie filmmaking.

One Cut of the Dead is streaming on Shudder.

The Battery

Well before Jeremy Gardner co-directed and starred in After Midnight alongside Brea Grant, he directed the 2012 film The Battery. Shot on a shoestring budget of about $6,000, the movie stars Gardner as Ben and Adam Cronheim as Mickey, two former baseball players who try to survive a zombie apocalypse in the rural back roads of New England. The end of the world certainly tests their friendship, as their personalities and survival skills clash. Like One Cut of the Dead, The Battery is a testament to indie horror filmmaking.

The Battery is streaming for free on Tubi.

Land of the Dead

Compared to other films on this list, Land of the Dead isn't necessarily a lesser-known zombie movie. However, it's not discussed nearly as much as George A. Romero's initial zombie trilogy, Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead. Yet, considering the current moment, Land of the Dead feels the most culturally relevant. It's a movie that deals explicitly with class. Within the film, the zombie outbreak has worsened to the point that the wealthy elite live inside of towers. Big Daddy (Eugene Clark), a former gas station worker, leads the undead on a revolt against the upper-class. Meanwhile, middle-class characters, including John Leguizamo's Cholo, think that if they keep running errands for the wealthy, they'll be invited inside of the towers. Land of the Dead feels incredibly relevant right now.

Land of the Dead is available to rent on most major streaming platforms.

Pontypool

The 2008 Canadian film Pontypool is much different than the other zombie movies on this list because you don't really see the zombies. The movie follows DJ Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie), whose radio show broadcasts from the town of Pontypool. What should be another normal day at work turns into the beginning of a zombie outbreak. Grant hears reports of a virus that turns people into the undead. He then barricades himself inside of the radio booth and attempts to warn listens about the virus. If you haven't seen this movie yet, it's best to go in completely blind. It's an unsettling and clever take on the subgenre.

Pontypool is currently streaming on Philo and Apple TV.

Blood Quantum

Blood Quantum is a powerful Native American zombie movie directed by Jeff Barnaby. In it, a zombie virus infects almost all of the Earth's population except for the isolated Mi'kmaq reserve of Red Crow. Its indigenous inhabitants are oddly immune from the virus. Blood Quantum includes impressive practical effects and powerful social commentary. Unfortunately, it would be Barnaby's last film. The Canadian filmmaker passed away in 2022 at the age of 46.

Blood Quantum is currently streaming on Shudder. It's also streaming for free on Tubi.