The 10 Best Zombies in TV Shows and Movies

There are several awesome zombie TV shows and movies out there. But most have one fault in common: They tend to focus so much on the living survivors of the apocalypse than the real stars of the genre. The zombies have often been pushed aside.

Well, no more! In this list, we are going to put the spotlight on the true icons of the shows. We count down the 10 best zombies in TV shows and movies, by the level of the threat they pose.

So, let’s have Walkers vs The Undead, C-Virus Zombies vs Monsters, Sickos vs The infected!

1. Walkers (The Walking Dead, TV show)

best zombie in TV shows, #10 the walking dead
Walkers – The Walking Dead – Season 3, Episode 7 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

The Walking Dead is a horror tv show set in a worldwide zombie apocalypse. A group of humans led mostly by former sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes, try to avoid being bitten or scratched by zombies only to find out that the zombies are the least of their problems. Sorry, Robert Kirkman, you know we never miss an episode, but the Walkers, however menacing and threatening, are as dumb as zombies come and quite sluggish too.

A single experienced survivor is often shown to be able to handle ten of them at a time. The Walkers tend to attack separately and stagger toward their prey, bumping into everything in their path. Having said that, Walkers are dangerous in large numbers. In tight spaces, they are pretty hard to truly kill even by the best show’s zombie killers. Which can only be done by destroying their brains.

2. The Undead (World War Z, movie)

Paramount Pictures

The World War Z undead are the “fast” type of zombies, capable of running towards their would-be victims with ferocity. Also, they appear to have behavior heavily based on that of animals.

For example, they are able to climb atop one another to form a “pillar” or “wall” of zombies, allowing them to cross high walls, a characteristic taken from ants. Some zombies can lunge at humans, similar to tigers or lions.

The undead also behaves like viruses themselves, as their only interest is in spreading the infection and seem to have no real interest in consuming their prey. Once they manage to land a bite on a victim, they quickly lose interest in that victim and cease their attack to immediately chase after another uninfected person. When a human is infected, it is a matter of seconds before they turn. World War Z is an action horror movie about a former United Nations investigator who travels the world gathering clues to find a way to stop a zombie pandemic.

Zombies Faceoff Poll: Walkers vs The Undead

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3. C-Virus Zombie (Resident Evil, movie series)

Sony Pictures Releasing

C-Virus zombies are human beings who have mutated following exposure to certain strains of C-Virus via inhalation. These zombies are significantly resilient and produce a great deal of stomach acid that can be highly dangerous when making contact with a living creature.

Not only are they able to produce this acid, but they are also able to spit it across great distances. Although they suffer from necrosis of the epidermis and brain tissue resulting in brain damage, the C-Virus zombies are quite smart and have been seen using blunt weapons. They are also more maneuverable than your regular zombie, being known to jump on prey.

Based on the Japanese video game franchise, the Resident Evil action-horror films follow Alice, a former security specialist and covert operative who battles the Umbrella Corporation, whose bioweapons have triggered a zombie apocalypse.

4. Monsters (Kingdom, TV show)

zombie tv shows
Netflix

Monsters are corpses that have been reanimated by the Resurrection plant (actually, by parasitic worms). The infection evolved and soon became an epidemic that could make any living humans that had bitten transform into mindless, cannibalistic, blood-thirsty creatures. The monsters will attack any humans in their sight and eat their victims. They are fast-moving and agile and have rabies-like symptoms such as agitation and fear of water. Beheading, burning, or drowning are the only ways to incapacitate or kill them.

“Kingdom” is a 2019 South Korean political period zombies tv show. Set in Korea’s medieval Joseon period, it tells the story of Crown Prince Lee Chang, who becomes embroiled in a political conspiracy and is forced to embark upon a mission to investigate the spread of a mysterious undead plague that has beset the current emperor and the country’s southern provinces.

Zombies Faceoff Poll: C-Virus Zombie vs Monsters

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5. Sickos (Planet Terror, movie)

best zombies in TV shows, #6 Sickos (Planet Terror, movie)

The Sickos are humans who were infected by a highly- deadly disease known as DC2, (code name: Project Terror). The infection is a bacteria that kills the host but keeps the organs working, also giving the host a hunger for flesh.

The Sickos are covered in pimple-like bumps all over their face and body. They walk very slow and do not seem to run but are very strong in their arms, teeth, and biceps. The Sickos can pick a man up and throw him and rip a body part off in seconds. They are fast eaters, as well. Planet Terror is a horror-comedy film. The plot follows a group of people attempting to survive an onslaught of zombie-like creatures as they feud with a military unit.

5. The infected (28 Days Later, movie series)

Fox Searchlight Pictures

The infected are people that are infected with the Rage Virus, causing mindless, uncontrollable rage and aggression. The Infected individual is driven by constant, rabid, all-consuming rage with a single-minded drive to always violently attack and pursue any uninfected individuals they find. Due to the virus’s easy transmission, very short incubation stage, and the extreme effectiveness of the rage-fuelled, mindless vectors; a single Infected can induce a severe domino effect in crowded areas, causing the Infection to spread like wildfire as the Infected rapidly multiply.

The Infected seemingly retain basic problem-solving intelligence. They have been known to instantaneously disregard the uninfected they were attacking or pursuing if they abruptly die before the Infected can infect them.

The Infected are shown to retain some spatial awareness, as they can calculate complex routes to unseen targets. They have been known to go through doors, windows, and entrance points and navigate around other obstacles to reach sources of possible uninfected activity. The Infected possess seemingly adrenaline-heightened mobility that enables them to run fast.

28 Days Later is a British post-apocalyptic horror drama film. It depicts the breakdown of society following the accidental release of a highly contagious virus and focuses on the struggle of four survivors to cope with the destruction of the life they once knew while evading those infected by the virus.

Zombies Faceoff Poll: Sickos vs The Infected

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4. Ghoulies (Daybreak, TV show)

best zombies in TV shows, #4
Ghoulies (Daybreak, TV series)
Empire Pictures

Ghoulies are reanimated bodies of adult humans that died in a biological-nuclear blast triggered by China and Russia. Once a Ghoulie is made, they only say the last thing they had on their mind before the explosion. Ghoulies particularly crave human blood but will eat anything dead, alive, or not living.

They instinctively bite whatever they come in contact with, but have also been seen clawing at, tearing, and even fighting humans to topple them, which makes them far more dangerous than regular zombies.

They can be quite fast at times and appear to have some sort of intelligence, enabling them to do semi-complex tasks such as destroying objects and hunting. Daybreak is a post-apocalyptic action-comedy tv show set in the aftermath of a nuclear event that either killed everybody over the age of 18 or turned them into pseudo-zombies, leaving the youthful survivors splitting up territory like a high school cafeteria by way of Mad Max: Fury Road.

3. Wights (Game of Thrones, TV show)

best zombies in TV shows, #3 Wights (Game of Thrones, TV series)
HBO

A wight is a reanimated corpse, raised from death by the Master Of White Walkers using the potent dark magic of necromancy to act as their minions. Wights are nigh-indestructible and can withstand an injury that would normally be fatal, including stab wounds and the removal of limbs.

Even decapitation is ineffective, as the headless corpse would keep moving, albeit robbed of its sensory organs. Wights are not particularly intelligent, and it is debatable if these creatures are truly sapient and possess self-awareness. They do seem to be able to carry out the basic attack commands of the White Walkers but function on more of a “zombie” level of instinct.

Wights can communicate with each other in a way by letting out an ear-piercing screech that alerts other wights to rush to the caller’s position. They can remember how to use a sword, albeit in a crude hack-and-slash attack, but they were observed using bows and arrows or other complex tools.

Set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, Game of Thrones is a tv show that follows a web of political conflicts among the noble families either competing to claim the throne of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros or fighting for independence from it.

Zombies Faceoff Poll: Wights vs Ghoulies

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2. Mad Zs (Z Nation, TV show)

best zombies in TV shows, #2 Mad Zs (Z Nation, TV show)
SYFY

Mad Zs are undead who look like regular zombies but are much faster and have greater physical prowess. They are also more aggressive and much more resilient. Despite trauma to the head that would neutralize a regular Z, they go on, risking to hurt or kill anyone unlucky enough to cross their path. Even near-complete destruction of the brain may not kill them.

Mad Zs have shown superior intelligence compared to normal Zs though not by much. They will try to disarm and separate people to gain an advantage. They seem to be able to hunt their prey using tactics like stalking and picking off prey one by one.

Z Nation is an action/horror/comedy-drama set three years after a zombie virus gutted the United States. A team of everyday heroes must transport the only known survivor of the plague from New York to California, where the last functioning viral lab waits for his blood.

1. T-800s (Zombieland: Double Tap, movie)

Sony Pictures Releasing

Named after the Terminator, T-800s are advanced zombies. They are faster than normal zombies, but their main distinction is their seeming indestructibility. So much so that when Tallahassee encountered one, he “killed” it via the usual double tap method (meaning, he dead-checked the zombie), only for it to get back up again.

Tallahassee repeatedly shot in the head until he ran out of bullets, and although the T-800 dropped to the ground, it continued to crawl toward Tallahassee until he crushed its skull with his foot. When Tallahassee hit another T-800 with his truck, breaking its neck, it stood up, fixed its neck, and took off.

Also, if you get bitten by a T-800 you turn into a T-800 at a far more rapid rate than regular zombies. This indicates a more lethal infection, and that the strain of the virus dictates the form of zombie a person takes. Therefore, the T-800s are our top choice for the most dangerous zombie title.

Zombieland follows a geeky college kid making his way through the zombie apocalypse, meeting three strangers along the way and together taking an extended road trip across the Southwestern United States in an attempt to find a sanctuary free from zombies.

Zombies Faceoff Poll: Mad Zs vs T-800s

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Didn’t make the list, but worth mentioning:

Liv Moore (iZombie, TV show)

best zombies in TV shows, Liv Moore iZombie
Warner Bros. Television Distribution

Liv is a medical resident who was scratched by a zombie at a disastrous boat party and woke up as a zombie. As a result, at least once a month, she must feed on her brain to survive. She took a job at the King County Medical Examiner’s Office to have access to the brains she needs. With each brain eaten, she absorbs new memories and traits. She then begins to help solve the deaths of the victims whose brains she’s eaten.

iZombie is a supernatural procedural crime drama tv show.

Sheila Hammond (Santa Clarita Diet, TV show)

best zombies in TV shows, Sheila Hammond, Santa Clarita Diet, TV show
Netflix

Sheila lives with her husband, Joel, and her daughter, Abby Hammond, in a suburban neighborhood in Santa Clarita. When she suddenly falls ill and becomes undead for unknown reasons, her newfound uncontrollable lust for human flesh turns her family’s average life upside down. To complicate matters further, her personality transforms as well, making her “80% bolder.”

She is now driven primarily by her impulses however she retains her memories and human emotions. With time she develops some control but still needs to be energetic and eat to not lose control. Her penchant for impulsively murdering and eating hapless humans proves difficult to manage.

Santa Clarita Diet is a horror-comedy streaming television series.

Zombies Faceoff Poll: Liv Moore vs Sheila Hammond

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Zombill (Zombiedumb, TV show)

best zombies in TV shows, Zombill, Zombiedumb, TV show
KBS1, Disney Channel, Netflix

Zombill is a narcissistic artist zombie who occasionally plays his guitar, dreaming of becoming a rock star. He thinks that he’s smarter than the other zombies, but there isn’t much of a difference. He often makes wrong decisions in uncertain situations which would cause trouble, but strangely enough, they always end up well all the time.

Kid Carrion (Freakazoid, TV show)

best zombies in TV shows, Kid Carrion (Freakazoid, TV show)
Warner Bros. Television Distribution

Kid Carriopn is a zombie cowboy and a villain. He wants to defeat Freakazoid, the protagonist of the zombies’ tv show, and for that teams up with other villains. When he laughs he has an insane high-pitched giggle.

Zombies Faceoff Poll: Zombill vs Kid Carrion

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Undead Mage (Dark Souls, video game)

FromSoftware

The Undead Mage is an enemy that attacks the player in the Dark Souls video game. It is an undead figure carrying a Skull Lantern that appears in numerous parts of The Catacombs. The Skeletons in the area nearby to their location will simply get back up after they are killed until you kill the Undead Mage.

The Infected (Dying Light, video game)

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

The Infected are the primary enemies in Dying Light. They are the people who contracted the Harran Virus which spread through the entire city of Harran. They possess reduced higher brain function, attacking and subsequently infecting any uninfected targets around them on sight, mainly with their arms or with handheld weapons. The behavior of the infected depends on the Day/Night cycle. During the day, the infected are sluggish and cumbersome and demonstrate the inability to climb or run after the player. During the night the infected are stronger and more agile making exploration more dangerous for the player.

Zombies Faceoff Poll: Undead Mage vs The Infected

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Pop-culture obsessive girl. She worked professionally in the entertainment and media industry in Los Angeles. Edited many prime-time TV shows and award-winning documentaries. Worked for companies such as HBO, CBS, NBC, FOX, RESHET.