Hailing from their roots in Haiti and Voodoo, zombies in film have become a universal language. We fear what is dead and the process and concept of death comes awkward to us as living, breathing human beings, and that translates across any part of the world.



The rest of the world has always had a fascination with the undead. Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson’s early schlock put New Zealand horror on the map (continued by way of Black Sheep and What We Do In The Shadows), thanks to his gruesome works involving the deceased. Following the peak of the trend in the early 2000s, England was the place to be for low budget zombie films. France has always had a good relationship with the undead, crafting naturally classier takes on an otherwise messy genre.

As the American-rooted zombie film has recently come to a shuffling stall with its big-budget but unremarkable outings, Europe and the rest of the world have been keeping the sub-genre fresh, despite its decaying subject matter. Here we showcase some of the best films from outside the states, from A to Zombie.

6 La Horde (France)

In this “Die Hard… with zombies” take, a team of cops storms a building complex to take down a big bad drug dealer. Only, zombies are in there with them, and they’re hungry. Fighting their way down the floors to safety, La Horde is tight, dark and bloody to watch.

Making great use of cramped corridors and gray drywalls, the bodies fill up shots to their bursting point and the red blood files. Incredibly, this may be the bloodiest of the lot on our list.

5 One Cut of the Dead (Japan)

To go into any real detail about the plot of One Cut of the Dead, other than “A film crew are making a zombie movie,” would possibly reveal too much, but just know that this movie is a low-budget DIY love letter to low-budget DIY filmmaking, unraveling as the film progresses like the many layers of an onion. Lacking pretty much any kind of horrific scares despite its gory moments, this is one of the funnier entries on this list using slapstick remarkably well, and rewards repeat viewings to spot what was missed the previous time round. With each chapter finishing, you don’t want the run time to end.

Related: Zom-Coms: The Best Zombie Comedy Movies, Ranked

A magical reference to all the crappy no-hoper horror films that had come before, One Cut of the Dead is meta movie magic for zombie lovers. The performances are delightful as well, with lead actor Takayuki Hamatsu (playing the director in the film) being one to watch.

4 Dead Snow (Sweden)

Boasting one of the best taglines for a film ever — “Ein! Zwei! Die!” — and following the success of Call of Duty‘s own Nazi Zombies, Dead Snow starts off as cliché as you can get, with a group of young friends heading to a derelict cabin in the middle of nowhere, but quickly becomes one of the most entertaining zombie films of recent years. The great Dead Snow pitches our cast members against a squadron of undead zombies, risen from the ground after previously having been bested by the villagers during WW2 and dying in the mountains.

In one nod to the Evil Dead series, a man is bitten and must remove his own arm with a chainsaw. The blood against the crisp white snow is gory, crazy fun to watch, and seeing Nazis being decapitated is always good stuff.

3 Raw (France)

Perhaps not a zombie movie, per se (no one actually dies and is resurrected here), but Raw is a gruesome delight. As a young veterinary student takes on her first semester, the strict vegetarian begins craving the taste of meat after being forced to eat rabbit kidneys by her fellow students by way of their trials and tribulations aimed at the new students they’re hazing.

As a meditation on female puberty and the pressures of transitioning from childhood to adulthood, Raw is beautifully acted, and its French language makes it feel far classier than the subject matter on display. Think Carrie if it had been directed by George Romero. Highly recommended if you like your zombie movies quieter and with psychologically compelling character studies, making the bloody scenes all the more shocking.

2 Train to Busan (South Korea)

An absent and work-obsessed father accompanies his daughter on a train journey to Busan to drop her off with her mother. On board, a host of well sketched characters, all commuting and going about their lives, are assaulted by zombies (which still sounds more fun than Victoria Station at rush hour).

Related: Have International Zombie Movies and Shows Finally Bested the American Source?

Trapped in the mundanity of the train’s cars, Train to Busan is another extremely tight and bloody take on the zombie genre, one that is strong enough in its execution to not feel like a one-note idea at any point. Also, the zombies are some of the grossest ever as well, and Sang-ho Yeon’s direction is immensely suspenseful and jittery. Come for the great international horror, stay for the wonderful characters, like the bromance between Seok-woo and Sang-hwa. Want even more? Train to Busan is actually the middle part of a trilogy, sandwiched between animated prequel Seoul Station released the same year, and Peninsula released in 2020.

1 [REC] [Spain]

[REC], its title a play on old camcorders’ [RECORD] caption, follows a local journalist reporting on a crew of firemen on a night shift. Once they’re in the building complex, they are quarantined in the building by the local authorities following reports of an unwell woman. The film obviously builds on the found footage horror developed by The Blair Witch Project with its set up, this is a genuinely scary zombie movie with its action as high up the ladder as its gruesome scares.

Terrifying in its execution and blistering energy, [REC] is an exceptional example of how powerful the found footage gimmick can be if done well. Pull the blinds, watch it in the dark. The sequel, following immediately where the original left off, was arguably even better.