The latest addition to the much loved [REC] franchise, [REC] Gensis (out on DVD and Blu-ray, 3rd September) takes a fresh new approach to the series. Imagine Braindead meets [REC] and you’re on the right lines. It’s a fun, bloody zombie-slashing roller coaster filled with countless gruesome kills! Just take a look at the infogram on the left for some of the film’s most impressive kills.
So to celebrate the upcoming release of [REC] Genesis, here’s a list of the top 10 zombie kills in cinema history. Enjoy!
1. Braindead’s Lawnmower
Kicking of this killer countdown is perhaps one of the greatest zombie films of ALL time. Directed by Peter Jackson during his early days of crazy cult madness (if you’ve yet to do so, go and watch Bad Taste and Meet The Feebles!), this film is full of awesome and unforgettable zombie scenes. From badly behaved babies, a kick-ass priest and zombie slaying by light bulbs, blenders and gnomes this is easily the most enjoyable zombie film of them all. But the film’s greatest moment has just got to be the iconic lawnmower scene which sees the set spewed in buckets and buckets of that brilliant red stuff.
2. Zombieland’s Piano
Following the vein of Braindead‘s fun with (un)dead people, is Zombieland – one of the most successful zombie films of all time. Which gorgeous gory death to pick? Dueling Banjos? Sending the clown back to the grave? Death of a Ghostbuster? All very close, but they hold no cigar next to the zombie kill of the week! Dropping a piano slap-bang onto a zombies face. That’s the way to do it!
3. Zombie Holocaust‘s Outboard
Going back in time when Italy was king of exploitation, comes this gore-geously gruesome and unintentionally silly undead fest. Also known as Doctor Butcher M.D., Zombie Holocaust features not only group of flesh-eating zombies created by a crazy scientist but a tribe of cannibals too! The greatest kill here has just got to be Ian McCulloch’s use of a boat’s outboard to blitz up the face of one of these living dead munchers.
4. Dawn Of The Dead’s Helicopter
The greatest zombie film of all time? Could be! George A. Romero’s classic Dawn Of The Dead features a scene that stands out amongst the constant exploding heads and flesh-noming. Of course, it’s the zombie’s unintentional suicide by helicopter blades. Those dumb zombies! Spinning helicopter make a great zombie weapon, as demonstrated in the brilliant Planet Terror.
5. The Zombie Dead‘s Decapitation
Italian zombie cinema has given us so many great undead scenes it’s near impossible to create a list without including the majority of them! Whether it’s a Lucio Fulci zom-flick with a zombie fighting a shark or a drill to the head. Or whether it’s something entirely sleazier such as Erotic Nights of the Living Dead or the fun Nightmare City, it’s just to hard to pick a few! So, this entry mixes the sleazy and the gory perfectly with the unintentionally freakin’ hilarious film, The Zombie Dead (the film’s as stupid as the title). With tits being eaten by a zombified disfigured dwarf ‘child’, graveyard frolics and more, one of the top deaths happens whilst casually opening a window. A zombie with a syth comes strolling along and decapitates the poor woman before the pack feast upon here.
6. The Return Of The Living Dead’ Paramedics
“Send more paramedics”. Not only do these zombies run, they’re pretty darn clever too! The scene in which the undead spring to live on two unsuspecting paramedics before chomping on their brains and calling for more remains one of the greatest moments in all of cinema. The undead version of ordering takeaway.
7. Poultrygeist: Night Of The Chicken Dead
Man-sized zombified chickens? Only could Troma pull such trash off perfectly well! Poltrygeist is the best Troma has ever been since the likes of Toxie showed his deformed face and proves to be a constantly fun ride full of sex, blood, chickens, poop and everything that you could possibly call bad taste. It’s here! Laying a giant zombie chicken egg out of your rectum surely has to be one of the worst possible ways to go. That’s gotta clucking hurt!
8. The Walking Dead’s Bicycle Girl
The Walking Dead TV show has brought the living dead into countless homes around the world like never before. It really is quite astounding how far these bloodied monsters have come! Perhaps the most poignant moment in the whole show comes from the (re)death of a zombie cyclist. Unable to move yet still hungry to feast upon, it’s beautifully shot and lets you question just how terrible what has happened is.
9. Night Of The Living Dead’s Finale
Another piognant moment comes from arguably the single most important zombie film of all time. The film in which the living dead lost their flesh-eating virginity wears its social commentary on its blood-sodden sleeves. The finale sequence in which Ben is shot dead by the very much living lynch mob echoes the issues surrounding race during the 1960s, America; a theme that continues to run through Romero’s dead series.
10. The Beyond’s Headshot
Lucio Fulci does it again! The king of Italian gore’s third addition to the zombie genre contains a truly awesome scene that is probably the greatest headshot ever filmed. And it’s on a zombie child no less! Right in the face!
Agree? Disagree? Post your personal favourite kills below!
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