24 International Zombie Movies to Binge this October
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If you’re reading this in October, then welcome to the spooky season. If it’s not October…well…whatever, it’s still spooky in our hearts. Zombie movies are a classic genre of horror films. However, to go full ghoul, you have to expand your viewing pleasure to zombies near AND far. Don’t worry, I’ve done all the work for you and compiled some of the best international zombie movies around!
Fast zombies, slow zombies, smart zombies…uh, not-as-smart zombies, but still zombies nontheless.
Table of Contents
Origin of International Zombie Movies
While Zombie movies may be attributed to director George A. Romero’s popular films Night of the Living Dead (1968) and Dawn of the Dead (1978), the term zombie actually stems from Haiti. Half of enslaved Africans in Haiti were worked to death within a few years, and the idea of “zombies” stemmed from their relentless torture.
Enslaved Africans believed that when they died, they would be released back to Africa where they could be free. However, if they died by suicide, they would forever be trapped in the Hispaniola sugar cane plantations forever. An eternal undead slave.
Or, a zombie, if you will.
The FIRST zombie movie, White Zombie (directed by Victor Halperin, 1932) drew from the Haitian origins, which had blended into Haitian Voodoo, and went on to bring the concept into the USA. By the time Night of the Living Dead rolled around a few decades later, the genre was all but wiped of its Haitian roots.
Like many things in pop culture, even zombies have been appropriated and whitewashed.
So this October (2020), I went on a “journey” to see what kind of international zombie movies are spooking audiences from around the world! Let me tell ya. There was A LOT TO SEE. So it is my pleasure to share my experiences with you so you can binge this haunting season in *~*style*~*.
**In general, I’m not a fan of older movies, so you might notice a majority of these are from the past decade. Nothing against older movies, it’s just my cinematic preference.
Asia
The great continent of Asia brings SO MUCH to the table in the form of international zombie movies. I had seen a few of them before, but I had no idea there were so many – especially from Korea! It was fun watching international zombie movies from this region, and honestly, it was REALLY hard to narrow it down to just ONE from each country.
Train to Busan (South Korea)
I’m going to start with one of my favorites, just because I know it’s a favorite for a lot of other people. Train of Busan, in my opinion, is one of the BEST international zombie movies. The main plot of the movie revolves around a divorced father taking his daughter to Busan for her birthday so she can visit her mother. Unlike most zombie movies, this one has a fantastic story with great acting! I’m PUMPED for the sequel! Also, Korea is KILLING it in the zombie genre department, with other great zombie movies like #Alive, Seoul Station (animated), and Rampant!
Stream: Netflix | Crackle | Shudder | Prime Video
Block Z (The Philippines)
Yooooo I really liked this movie. First, I really enjoyed all of the main characters, and you actually build a connection with them while watching. The premise of the movie revolves around a few medical students working at a university. During one of their trainings with patients, they notice the patient has a bite before suddenly dying. And, as with all international zombie movies, the person with the bite reanimates. The pacing of this movie was great, and the movie doesn’t pull punches when it comes to who lives and who dies – that’s all I’ll say about that.
KL Zombi (Malaysia)
If you aren’t looking for a super serious or scary international zombie movie, then this will probably be up your alley. And, it was actually based on the book Zombijaya, by Adib Zaini. Following the “slacker to slayer” trope often found in zombie movies, the main character becomes the unlikely hero in an otherwise doomed world. The acting…isn’t great, but I actually really liked the main character. The movie really picks up once the zombie action starts, and I thought it was cool that the infected kind-of go through a transition phase instead of just immediately dying.
Stream: Netflix | Daily Motion
One Cut of the Dead (Japan)
In one of the…strangest plots (but surprisingly not THE strangest lol), this international zombie movie follows the crew of a film ABOUT zombies. As they are shooting, the crew discovers their location is overrun with real zombies, something they find out a little too late. Let me just say. It’s a TRUE Inception moment. Unlike most Japanese horror films, this one has more of a light-hearted twist and I appreciated the break in tone. It was refreshing! In fact, the entire movie was such a fresh breath and really innovative!
Stream: Shudder | Sling TV
Zeta (Indonesia)
I had randomly stumbled upon this movie as a suggested “watch next,” so I literally had zero idea as to what I was getting myself into haha. And surprise – I turned out to really like it! This international zombie movie takes place in Indonesia, and the main character is a (high school?) student struggling to cope with his parents’ separation. To make things worse, a zombie virus breaks out. He has to protect his mother with Alzheimer’s while also find a way to get them to safety. There are a good amount of twists and clever moments that kept this film from being too cliché.
Miruthan/Daring Rakhwala (India)
In classic Kollywood fashion, this movie is A LOT, including a random musical break. And I think if you watch it going in with that expectation, it will make the movie more enjoyable. The story follows a traffic officer during the first wave of zombie outbreak in their small town. He teams up with a team of doctors (one of whom he falls in love with) to help find a cure for the virus. I heard Zombie (directed by Bhuvan R Nullan) is also a good one, but I just haven’t had the chance to watch it yet.
Stream: Prime Video
Oceania/Africa/Middle East
I was expecting to have a hard time finding any movies from these regions, as I had only seen ONE (from New Zealand) prior to this deep-dive search for international zombie movies. But I was pleasantly surprised that I was at least able to find two from each region! Though I didn’t like all of them, I hope that some of the more recent hits encourages more movies from these countries! In my opinion, they had some of the most original and thought provoking stories and plots.
Cargo (Australia)
I will admit, it stats off slowww. But trust me, you’ll want to stick with it. Cargo is set in the apocalyptical world where the zombie virus is very much known, to the point where everyone knows the symptoms, time frame, and even have little prep kits once you get bitten. Without giving too much away, the story follows a family set on a “doom” mission, with hopes of protecting their baby. I’ve never been to Australia, but I really appreciated Aboriginal representation, and it truly reinforced how Indigenous people best know how to treat their land. In terms of other Australian zombie flicks, I would also recommend 2019’s Little Monsters!
Stream: Netflix
Black Sheep (New Zealand)
BAHAHAHAHAH. Omg Black Sheep ALWAYS takes me back. I watched it at least once a month in like 2010. Anyways, you may think you have seen it all when it comes to international zombie movies, but New Zealand has something new for ya. Zombie SHEEP. It’s absolutely hilarious, even though it’s not really a comedy horror movie. I have personally never been to New Zealand, so the only thing I know about it is that there are a lot of sheep. So it was awesome to see them use that to their advantage.
Stream: Prime TV (sometimes it’s free to rent!) | YouTube
Ojuju (Nigeria)
First, I just want to say that the streaming site Kweli is one of the best subscription gifts for travelers. It features tons of indie Black films and movies, Black documentaries, Black cartoons, and Black TVs. And this is Black content allll over the world. It’s DANK. In fact, I would say KweliTV is one of the best subscription services for travel lovers!
So anyways, about the movie. It’s a bit of commentary on the access of clean water in Nigeria, but also it never stopped surprising me. There are so many unexpected twists, and overall it’s a fun wild ride. My only critique was that the zombies were…strangely slow? Like it took them sooo long to actually bite their target. Maybe it was the editing, but it always just kinda took me out of the mood. Regardless, Ojuju is definitely one of the best international zombie movies, and I always love Nigerian representation!
Stream: KweliTV
Last Ones Out (South Africa)
This is one of the shorter international zombie movies on the list, and not too gory either! The story doesn’t waste any time jumping into the good bits. A young man is in the hospital for an operation when the virus breaks out. Teaming up with the doctors on site, they attempt to escape to the evac zone in one piece. Except…these are some really fast zombies. Pretty straight forward and well-excecuted!
Stream: Shudder | AMC+
Atlantique (Senegal)
Heads up: this film is VERY artsy. And I don’t mean in a way where it’s two degrees removed from the abstract or you need a Master’s degree in film critique to understand it. It’s just truly a different form of “international zombie movie.” The movie follows a young woman who is in love with a young man, but is betrothed to another. Your classic forbidden love. But, when her lover goes missing and young women become “possessed” in the night with their spirits…a new twist arises. I don’t want to give too much away, but the “zombie” angle isn’t the classic Hollywood -gonna eat you- zombie. The movie is more of a tragic romance, and is a slow burn.
Stream: Mubi | Netflix
JeruZalem (Palestine)
This was probably one of the most unique international zombie movies I’ve ever seen! The story follows two Jewish women who are vacationing in Jerusalem, and they meet an anthropologist who is interested in ancient civilizations and people. However, the group learns that the sacred ground has a frightening trait…*spoiler* zombies. It takes almost 40 minutes to get into the zombie bit, but I thought the concept was very original! It also has “Blair Witch” vibes in that it is filmed through google glasses. Also – hi to one of my favorite actresses from Jane the Virgin!
Stream: Shudder | Prime Video
Europe
Unexpectedly, there were a good amount of international zombie movies hailing from Europe, and most of them were easily accessible. I had an especially hard time narrowing down so many films from the UK. Buuut, for the European films that weren’t in English, many of them have dubbed versions (meaning they were voiced over with English voice actors). I cannot stress this enough, but if possible, the originals are so much better than the dubbed versions.
If you decided to buy them from a streaming site, make sure to check which version you are getting. Amazon Prime is notoriously bad at not being clear if it’s subbed (with subtitles) or dubbed (voiced over).
The Night Eats the World (France)
This is a slow movie, but good nonetheless. And honestly, probably the most relatable main character in any zombie movie. The main character, upon realizing he is in the middle of a zombie outbreak, locks himself in an apartment room. And stays there. Like, for a LONG TIME. It was a nice change of pace to see a zombie movie that showed more of the other negative parts of…yanno, being in an outbreak. Like loneliness. And mental exhaustion. Boredom. Hallucinations. Yanno. The usual.
It’s a solid movie, and nice for people who aren’t a fan of super jumpy thrillers. Another good zombie flick from France would be The Horde (which streams on Sling TV!)
Stream: Prime TV
Dead Snow (Norway)
So I actually watched Dead Snow 2 (Red vs Dead) first, but I’ll just speak about both because they both deserve to be on this best international zombie movies list. The movie follows a group of Norweigein students on a casual weekend cabin getaway. But, when the group stumbles upon some hidden gold, they soon discover it belongs to someone -or rather something- dangerous. Nazis. Nazi ZOMBIES to be exact. Overall, I enjoyed both movies, but the second was definitely my favorite. You don’t necessarily have to watch them in order (the second one starts off with a brief summary of the 1st), but you might as well!
Stream: Shudder | Crackle
[REC] (Spain)
My friends really hyped this movie up for me, and in complete honesty, it wasn’t my fav. It was good, don’t get me wrong, but I guess I just expected more. Anyways, basically the movie is about a news reporter shadowing some firemen on their nightly rounds. They get a call from an apartment building about an old woman screaming and in trouble…and you guessed it.
The woman is infected. The characters were a little flat imo, but the story was good and there were some good jumps here and there. I’m just biased against 1st person camera perspective (yanno, like the Blair Witch). I heard the sequel is even better, but I haven’t watched it yet. Be careful not to watched the subbed version, that one sucks.
Stream: Sling TV
The Cured (Ireland)
Omg one of my favorite actors, Elliot Page, is in this movie! But anyways, wowww, this movie was so good, and very unexpected too! Instead of focusing on the start of an outbreak, like most zombie movies do, this one instead showed the after-effects of the zombie outbreak. The virus had been contained and they had even found a cure for those infected. Once finished with their treatment, the “cured” would return to society, though they were faced with violent discrimination, PTSD, and political uncertainty.
Plus, incredible acting, which you don’t see every day in these movies. And for all the action lovers out there, don’t worry, you get some classic zombie action as well. Excellent excellent film – I can’t recommend it enough.
Stream: Hulu | Prime Video
Rammbock: Berlin Undead (Germany)
I saw this international zombie movie a few years ago, so while the details of the plot escapes me, I do remember that I really really liked it. I think the zombies in this movie are especially scary, and while the main characters kind of annoyed me, they were realistically flawed and relatable. This is a zombie movie through and through, but it isn’t a super action-packed hack and slash. It’s very character driven and not too long of a movie either if you’re pressed for time!
Stream: Netflix | Shudder
The End? (Italy)
Omg, I have never been so stressed out before about being stuck in an elevator. The story follows a pretty jerk-y office dude who goes to work in the morning and…surprise, there’s a zombie outbreak across Rome. I don’t want to spoil too much of the story, but I will say that it was surprisingly suspenseful, and also…lots of moments of hopelessness? It was actually really sad ): I don’t think the characters or their backstories were very well crafted, but as a whole, it was pretty solid in my opinion!
Stream: Prime Video
The Rezort (The UK)
I’m guessing most of you expected to name Shaun of the Dead for the UK, one of the most popular international zombie movies, but…I must confess. I didn’t actually like that movie. I know I know, at least wait until you hear what I have to say before you cancel me. One of the best international zombie movies? The Rezort.
Majorrr Jurassic Park vibes. Like any island founded on providing…morally grey entertainment aspects, The Rezort faced a few issues. Mainly, profiteering off tragedy. But the initial appeal to this movie for me is how REALISTIC it seemed. A bunch of rich people paying to hunt zombies at a luxury retreat? Yeah. I can see that. No spoilers, but the end is SO SHOCKING, wow, it’s a game changer for the zombie scene. I love it when movies get unexpectedly political. There’s also The Girl With all the Gifts for a good British zombie flick.
Stream: YouTube (I watched the whole movie for free lol)
Buy Here (careful, make sure it is compatible!)
What We Become (The Netherlands)
YESSSS!! This is the pandemic tension we are all feeling right now! Not many international zombie movies focus on the government trying to get ahead of the issue, but in this Danish town, the people are generally ignoring the news and warnings. Until a total quarantine is enforced. I don’t want to spoil too much, but I will say that the movie isn’t heavily action packed. Instead, it draws you into the characters and personal drama. The zombies and special effects are great, and I highly recommend this movie for anyone that isn’t very big on super scary films.
Stream: Netflix | Shudder
The Americas
And of course, I am going to end this international zombie movies list with the Americas. There are A TON of American movies, however since this is supposed to be an international zombie movies list…I only picked one from the USA. Plus, those are the easiest to find anyway!
Juan of the Dead (Cuba)
I should’ve known I wouldn’t be able to escape Shaun of the Dead. The same makers bring their humor to the island of Cuba. So predictably it wasn’t my favorite, buuut hey, I have a soft spot for Cuba. And as it turns out, it was easier for me to relate to the Cuban focus than the British one. But enough comparing them. The main character, Juan, finds passion in becoming Havana’s premier zombie slayer. Expect crass humor, zany characters, and a hint of political satire. Although it won’t be joining my list of Cuban movies to watch before visiting, it’s definitely a peg in the international zombie movies category!
Stream: I unfortunately couldn’t find it currently streaming anywhere
(Sidenote, since this IS a travel blog and all, check out some of my Cuban itineraries here: Havana, Vinales, Varadero, Santa Clara).
Descendents/Solos (Chile)
When I was initially looking into this movie, the reviews were very polarized. So, I went in giving it the benefit of the doubt. Without giving too much away…I would describe this movie as “artsy.” For one, it’s filmed in a washed out filter, but also because zombies aren’t the REAL story. Someone mentioned it was a nod to the old Chilean dictatorship as well – though I don’t know anything about that. There is very little dialogue, and the story follows a child born after the outbreak and is immune to the virus.
There were parts that I didn’t understand…but it eventually came together at the end. Well, except for the…well, when you get to the end, you’ll know what I mean. Anyways, if you’re looking for a film nouveau type, you have one of the best *artsy* international zombie movies around!
Stream: MovieSphere
Blood Quantum (Canada)
This is one of the only international zombie movies made by Indigenous writers and directors – at least that I’ve heard of! AND it’s pretty dope! The movie takes place on the Mi’gmaq Reserve of Red Crow, and follows the tribal sheriff and his family as they learn Indigenous people are actually immune to the zombie infection. However, that doesn’t mean they still aren’t in danger, especially when the threat of resources comes into play. It also has great commentary on the colonization of the Americas and white settlers…yanno…being white settlers. Ravenous, which is set in Quebec, is also a good one!
Stream: Shudder
Dawn of the Dead (USA)
One of my all time favorite international zombie movies, however since I’m American I guess it’s fairly “domestic” for me, haha. It is a CLASSIC though. You follow an unlikely band of survivors as they hole up in an abandoned mall. IT DOESNT GET MORE CLASSIC ZOMBIE THAN THAT. It gave me flashbacks of Left for Dead (which by the way is one of the best video games for travel lovers and zombie lovers alike). It is based off an original “Dawn of the Dead,” and definitely lived up to its former glory. If I don’t watch this movie at least once a year, my body will literally decompose, no pun intended.
Stream: Netflix
Not So Great Movies…
Anddd I should probably mention some of the international zombie movies that…weren’t so noteworthy. I mean this in the most respectful way possible, but if you come across the following international zombie movies, don’t watch them. They are terrible. I couldn’t even finish them, and y’all know I have very low standards.
- Dead Sands (Bahrain)
- Zombie 108/Call of the Undead (Taiwan)
- Hsien of the Dead (Singapore)
Unable to Find
The below mentioned international zombie movies are those that have eluded me. They were REALLY HARD to find man. So if you happen to come across them, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. And if you’ve seen any of them, also let me know in the comments if you liked them or not! I’m so curious.
- Zombiepura (Singapore)
- Zibahkhana (Pakistan)
International Zombie Movies: Conclusion
So there you have it! My list of the best international zombie movies! Did you see any of your favorites on here? Or did I miss any? Let me know in the comments below which international zombie movies you want to watch!
It’s been an absolute BLAST watching all of these international zombie movies, but I think I need to go de-stress now. Does anyone have a cup of chamomile tea??
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You did not mention La Horde from France, did you see it?
Anyway, thank you for your reviews, I appreciate it 🙂
Yanno, I actually didn’t see La Horde!! Is that a good one too?? I’m putting it on my list to watch for this October!
Zombiepura is on Tubi… I just watched it and thought it was a great movie! Must watch for lovers of this genre!
oh perfect!!!