Lessons from the Undead: What Zombie Films Teach us about Storytelling

“The dead rise.”

Zombies. What’s not to love about a good old zombie film?

They’ve captivated audiences since the late 1960s and reached a pop culture pinnacle in the early 2010s, when nearly every TV network and film studio was producing some form of zombie-related media. And for good reason, too.

Image via AMC

Zombie films are unique in that they often serve as socio-political allegories, using a basic and simple threat to set the scene. You’re going to be hearing this a lot, and perhaps it’s almost cliche now. Still, as zombie-focused films tend to strip away societal norms, they allow filmmakers to explore who we become when everything familiar collapses, and often, it’s not that great. 

One of the key benefits of making a zombie film is that the genre conventions are so widely known, they're almost trope-like at this point. That means there isn’t a need to spend valuable screen time establishing the rules or background of the in-film world.

Image via AMC

Unlike other genre films, such as science fiction or fantasy, which often require a fully realized world and unique locations, zombie films can be made almost anywhere. That’s what makes them so universal and accessible to all filmmakers, and why they are a fan favorite for low-budget filmmakers. 

In this article, we’re going to run over the core basics of the zombie genre, as well as some tips and tricks you can use when creating your zombie films. Please note that, due to the nature of zombie films, some of the video examples may contain graphic gore and violence. 

Traditional zombie horror

These films feature the classic zombie archetype: slow, mindless, and driven by one desire, human flesh.

We cannot discuss this sub-genre without acknowledging the man who essentially brought it to life: George A. Romero. His contributions through films like “Night of the Living Dead,” “Dawn of the Dead,” and “Day of the Dead” are legendary. Without his influence, the modern depiction of zombies as we know them would not exist. 

While the idea of reanimating the dead has deep roots in West African and Haitian mythology, the modern concept of the zombie, as seen in “Night of the Living Dead”, was more directly inspired by Richard Matheson’s “I Am Legend.” Though Matheson’s creatures are technically vampires, and the 2007 film adaptation pitted them as vampire-zombie hybrids, it was this narrative that led Romero to reimagine the zombie uprising as a plague-like epidemic rather than a mythological curse.

Image via “Night of the Living Dead”

The zombies in these films aren’t intelligent. But they are inevitable. And that’s essentially where the dread of this sub-genre comes from. There’s no stopping. There’s no resting. The moment you lower your awareness, that’s when you get caught. The undead are ever following. 

As such, you’ll often find that traditional zombie horror films are set in a singular location: a farmhouse, a shopping mall, a bunker, where an ensemble of characters have barricaded themselves in, trying to wait out the undead. But the zombies never pass. And help never comes. 

“Dawn of The Dead (2004)”

And with that tight space, you’ve now got a wide variety of personalities clashing under pressure, which is where the real drama comes from. This is where the societal critique begins to show: the conflict between characters, the breakdown of community, and the mistrust. The zombies? They're just the setting.

Post-apocalyptic survivalist zombie horror

Suppose the traditional zombie sub-genre revolves around the initial outbreak and how characters deal with a world that will never be the same again. In that case, the post-apocalyptic survivalist zombie horror film sits at the other end of the spectrum.

“The Last of Us” - Image via HBO

In this sub-genre, years, if not decades, have passed since the outbreak. Society has crumbled, and humans have adapted to the constant, looming threat. We now see fortified communities, specialised weapons, and established routines for survival. But here’s the big difference: the zombies are no longer the primary threat.

In a world where there’s no law and order, it’s the people, those no longer bound by the constraints of society, who become the actual antagonists. And again, this reinforces a core theme in almost all zombie films: while the undead are always present, the absolute horror often comes from other humans.

“The Walking Dead” - Image via AMC

Zombies still exist, but their numbers have started to dwindle. Survivors are more prepared and more ruthless. It’s not as easy for someone to get bitten anymore. 

Instead, the tension now comes from:

• Warlords rising from gang leaders
• Cults formed by the unstable
• Tribalism overtaking morality

We can see a good mix of all of these threats, plus the zombies in the latest “28 Years Later” trailer. 

A standard narrative you’ll find in these films and shows is that one of the core protagonists has heard of a haven, a fortified town that bears a semblance to the old ways of life.  But the conflict? That itself comes from those now in power, and they prefer the world as it is now, because in chaos, they’re kings.

Action zombie horror

Here’s the thing about zombies.

While the constant dread zombies bring can create a lingering, persistent fear, they’re ultimately quite predictable. They may creep up on our characters and take a bite out of a favorite side character, but they’re slow, weak, and over time, survivors learn how to live among them.

But that often doesn’t make for good action scenes, so what you’ll find in the action zombie horror sub-genre, where the stakes need to be high, is a different type of zombie.

They’re faster, more agile, and sometimes even a little more intelligent. Suddenly, a horde of zombies in the distance isn’t nearly as terrifying as a dozen zombies sprinting full speed straight at you.

In these films, there is a clear shift in focus, away from survival and toward combat. We get lots of gore, lots of blood, and plenty of makeshift weapons. 

As such, the protagonists are usually:

• Special forces
• Military
• Ex-police officers

“The Girl with All the Gifts.” Image via Warner Brothers 

Essentially, characters who can handle weapons and do so in a way that looks cool on screen.

While traditional zombie films and post-apocalyptic stories often lean into philosophical or societal themes, action-oriented zombie horror is all about spectacle and entertainment. The zombies in these stories are usually just nameless cannon fodder, obstacles the protagonist must plough through on their way to reaching the end goal.

Science fiction zombie horror

In a lot of zombie sub-genres, we’re typically dealing with some sort of viral element behind why the dead are rising, or why you turn into a flesh-eating zombie if bitten. And honestly, whatever that element is, it’s rarely discussed in detail. Because, again, the focus is usually more on the human characters than the zombies themselves, and as noted earlier, we already know about zombies!

But in science fiction zombie horror, the sub-genre leans more into the science of the infected, rather than the supernatural. As a result, we usually see a stronger focus on plausible causes, things like viruses, parasites, or government experiments gone wrong. 

These films aren’t just about the horror of the infected. They’re about the mystery behind the “why.”

We’re talking about stories like:

• “The Last of Us”
• “28 Days Later”
• “The Crazies”

And others in that realm.

“The Crazies” (a 2010 remake from the maestro George A. Romero.) 

Now, while the core behavior of the zombies may remain the same, such as having a desire for flesh, spreading transmission, and hounding the protagonists, these zombies differ from our typical ‘undead’ zombies. Often, they aren’t the undead, but were once living people who have become infected by some raging virus. Likewise, the method of infection is often different.

It’s not always about being bitten. In the case of scientifically driven infections, it might spread through airborne transmission, contaminated water, or parasites, adding a layer of tension that doesn’t rely on direct contact.

(While omitted from the HBO adaptation, “The Last of Us” characters could also get infected by inhaling spores.) 

And while the narrative still focuses heavily on survival and action, the core conflict often revolves around finding a cure or trying to help those who have been infected, in hopes of restoring life to what it once was.

The practicality of filming a low-budget zombie film

Let’s talk about the practicality of filming a low-budget zombie film.

Well, here’s the excellent news. With many other genres, such as action, drama, and fantasy, you often require a high level of precision in cinematography and lighting to ensure your shots appear visually stunning and aesthetically pleasing.

But with zombie films? The nature of a world that’s gone to ruin allows for a level of grunge within the cinematography itself. 

If you’re filming at night without additional lights and have to crank up the ISO, which usually introduces digital noise (something we typically want to avoid) in a zombie film, that can work in your favor. 

Take “28 Days Later”, for example. That was shot on a digital camcorder. And the upcoming “28 Years Later”, the third film in the franchise? That’s being filmed on an iPhone.

See that rig to the right? The camera in question is an iPhone! Image via NEWS AND MEDIA / BACKGRID

The low-tech, video-like feel of these films adds to the aesthetic. There's no inherent need for stabilization or dollies when the chaotic, handheld style complements the chaos happening on screen.

So, if you've struggled with bringing your vision to life because the practical demands of some genres are too much, the zombie genre has firm roots in low-budget filmmaking.

Of course, there are still a couple of challenges:

• The zombies themselves, which require makeup
• Desolate locations, which can be hard to find

If you happen to have access to abandoned facilities, that’s one big box ticked on the location front.

And as for the makeup? Thanks to the popularity of “The Walking Dead” and other zombie franchises that came to life, no pun intended, over the last decade, there are plenty of YouTube tutorials out there that can show you exactly how to create convincing zombie makeup on a budget.

Future of zombie films 

The zombie genre has been around long enough to have a devoted and passionate fan base. It’s never going to disappear entirely. However, much like the fate of the western, and to a degree, the current decline in interest around superhero films, the peak of zombie popularity has already passed.

That’s not to say zombie films won’t continue to be produced. “The Walking Dead” still has active spin-offs. We recently had the excellent “Train to Busan,” a standout South Korean zombie film that launched a new franchise. And indie-based zombie projects will always be cropping up. However, we are unlikely to see a return to the sheer saturation of the genre that was prevalent in the late 2000s and early 2010s — multiple zombie films being released every year, and zombie-themed content dominating network television.

So if you’re itching to make a zombie-based project today, you have to be realistic. The audience isn’t as primed for zombie content as they once were. That means you need to think about how you’re going to create something wholly unique.

One great example is “Cargo,” a short film about a father who’s been bitten, but has to transport his infant daughter to safety before he turns and potentially harms her. It’s a simple yet powerful concept, and one that we haven't seen frequently within the genre. It later got adapted into a full-length feature starring Martin Freeman.

The tropes are known, so the challenge now is in how you subvert them. Look outside of the box. That’s where the most memorable zombie stories live. 

What you could do is, once you’ve written your script, piece together a few storyboard examples and then use the WeVideo editor, with its built-in stock video platform, to visualize your idea and see if it holds up thematically.