Sometimes they're slow. Sometimes they're fast. In all movies, though, zombies roam the planet hoping to feast upon the living. Even though zombies first entered the horror scene in the 1930s with films like White Zombie starring Bela Lugosi, it was George Romero's 1968 gory B-movie Night of the Living Dead that brought the walking dead into the contemporary consciousness.
Untold films and TV shows later, zombies remain as one of the most popular monsters. Some Redditors, though, have had enough of zombies and zombie movie tropes. These dissenters even think some of the classic zombie films are overrated.
What's So Exciting About A Mindless Corpse?
Some Redditers the classic, slow-moving zombie doesn't really pose any threat beyond being annoying.
Updates to this trope, such as zombies moving faster, prove the basic premise is too boring. Nevermind the terrifying precedent set by Night of the Living Dead, where torpid ghouls with empty stomachs and sharp teeth hunt en masse.
Why Do Zombies In New Movies Have Extra Powers?
Other Redditors take it a step further and bemoan all the new powers and abilities bestowed upon zombies in newer films. Why are they able to communicate intelligently, regenerate limbs, and organize well-planned attacks on humans?
Even if the standard zombie is dull, it's seemingly better than the ninja zombies popping up more and more in horror flicks. Zombies, after all, are just supposed to be animated corpses with no motivation beyond eating the living among them.
And Why Do They Move So Fast?
One major area of debate among fans of zombie movies is whether or not zombies should move fast. Films like World War Z characterize zombies much differently than older features.
For those who love these modern iterations of the walking dead won't like what some Redditors are saying about them. Namely, they're sharing the divisive opinion that, considering their origins, zombies that leap, run, and jump make absolutely no sense.
Train To Busan Is Rubbish
South Korea seems ahead of the game Train to Busan became an instant classic upon its release. The film centers on how the engers of a commuter train protect themselves from a zombie apocalypse unfolding around them.
Critics and genre fans alike hailed Train to Busan's unique reimagining of the zombie film, but at least one person took to Reddit to express their disappointment in the film. They described it as lacking something key to the narrative and suffering from uninteresting characters.
28 Days Later Is The Last Original Zombie Movie
In another dig to more contemporary zombie features like Train to Busan and Shaun of the Dead, the unpopular opinion that 2002's 28 Days Later still remains the last original zombie cinematic story exists in the blogosphere. All it took was making zombies move quickly and spastically, a little drama, and a viral pandemic to reinvent the wheel.
That being said, quite a few deadly serious and innovative zombie movies were made in the wake of the revival brought on by 28 Days Later. There's The Girl With All the Gifts, Cargo, and Rec - to name a few.
Conversely, 28 Days Later Is Far From A Classic
Of course, at least one person is going to come out of the woodwork to challenge 28 Days Later's status as a modern zombie classic. Most of the criticism is geared toward the film's protagonist, Cillian Murphy's character Jim, whose choices and behaviors in the film supposedly make no sense.
For that one comment, though, 30 followed refuting these claims and uplifting 28 Days Later. Most defenders of the film blame the rush of poorly-made, derivative films that came in its wake.
Other Modern Zombie Movies Focus Too Much On Warfare
Even 28 Days Later's sequel, 28 Weeks Later, centers all of its action around warfare and militarization. For zombie fans who prefer seeing everyday civilians battling the undead, this is evidently a major faux pas.
What's interesting about this argument is that George Romero brought fatigue-donning soldiers with assault rifles into the mix long before any modern films. Two of the earliest films in his zombie saga, Dawn of the Dead to Day of the Dead, attest to this.
Zombie Apocalypses Are Overdone, And There's Something Wrong With People Who Take Them Seriously
For those zombie movie fans who take their obsession so far they start to prep at home for a zombie apocalypse, one Redditor has a piece of advice: the whole concept of the undead Armageddon is "cliched and overused." From zombie survival packs to books about how to get through a hypothetical attack, the cultural fall-out from the excess of zombie films is a bad sign for society.
While some speculate this fad allows people to role play, build worlds, and use their imaginations, others think people who love zombie apocalypses have no concept of what real warfare is like. Either way, zombie films have done quite a bit to stir up the collective imagination.
Zombieland Shouldn't Be Labeled A Comedy
Perhaps one of the most controversial hot takes on Reddit about zombies relates to the 2009 film Zombieland, billed as a horror-comedy. According to one source, it's far from a raw comedy and more like a mediocre action film with ghouls.
The hater ed their claim by stating that giving Bill Murray a five-minute cameo doesn't make a movie automatically comedic. Swarms of other Redditors made sure to stress just how unpopular this opinion is, though.
Zombie Movies Are Overrated
At this point, some horror fans are just fed up with zombie movies in general. The market is oversaturated with them, and 99% of the titles available tell the exact same story.
If zombies are on the out, what's the next crave? Vampires have been on top for quite some time, so maybe the werewolf will make a comeback next?
