Where to Stream the Best Zombie Movies and TV Shows While You Wait for the Next Episode of ‘The Last of Us’

I love “The Last of Us.” Last night, we got a massive, dramatic gut punch, and all I want to do is get to the next episode. But while we wait to see what happens next in the fight for humanity, there are lots of other zombie movies and TV shows to keep us entertained. (Yes, I know they’re technically “infected,” not “zombies,” but it’s fair to lump all flesh-eating, reanimated corpses into the same group.)

Dawn of the Dead (2004) – Prime Video

This incredibly fun remake of a 1978 classic was one of the first “fast zombie” films. Oscar winner Sarah Polley stars as a nurse who wakes up one morning to find an undead little girl in her home. From then on, it’s a fast and furious race to stay ahead of these amped-up corpses.

This movie features a scary and funny script from future superhero mastermind Sean Gunn and excellent supporting work from Ving Rhames, Matt Frewer, and future “Modern Family” star Ty Burrell as an incredible jerk. Special shout out to Jake Weber’s character – a nice guy turned hero who was just a Best Buy employee before the world went to hell.

Hurry! This title leaves Prime Video on May 1, 2025.

Shaun of the Dead (2004) – Digital Rental

The best zombie entertainment balances horror with humor and “Shaun of the Dead” is a perfect example. Directed by the brilliant Edgar Wright, this movie starts as a buddy comedy that’s truly hysterical before devolving into a full-on nightmare.

Simon Pegg stars as Shaun, just an underachiever with two roommates in England. Will he man up and propose to his long-suffering girlfriend or just keep playing video games and drinking beer at the pub? A sudden zombie apocalypse forces him to reevaluate his priorities.

Most of the movie is laugh-out-loud funny, but Wright is such a skilled director, it often pivots perfectly into genuine tragedy before finding the funny again. It’s a marvelous movie.

Night of the Living Dead (1968) – Streaming Almost Everywhere

George A. Romero is the father of the modern zombie genre thanks to this flick. It follows seven people trapped in a Pennsylvania farmhouse as an army of zombies closes in.

In 2008, the film was ranked by Empire magazine as #397 of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time. The New York Times also placed the film on their Best 1000 Movies Ever list. The Library of Congress added it to the National Film Registry in 1999 as a movie that was “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”

Thanks to a distributor’s goof, this movie is in the public domain, making it incredibly easy to stream. (The famous 1978 sequel, “Dawn of the Dead” is only available as a digital rental.)

Where to Stream “Night of the Living Dead” – STARZ, Kanopy, The Criterion Channel, Max, Screambox, MGM+, Cineverse, The Roku Channel, AMC+, Peacock, Tubi, Shudder, MIDNIGHT PULP, Pluto TV, Fawesome, Freevee.

28 Days Later (2002) – Digital Rental

It’s often said that horror movies reflect the current cultural anxieties in the world. After the September 11th attacks of 2001, our sense of safety was ripped away as even our fellow airline passengers could go crazy and kill us all. “28 Days Later” kicked off the 21st century zombie revival in a stark and savage way.

Animal rights activists are looking to free chimps infected with the “rage virus.” They succeed, and it ends up backfiring in the most intense way. Within moments of coming into contact with any bodily fluid from an “infected,” a person begins to convulse – they quickly turn into rage zombies themselves. Unlike the zombies of old movies, these guys sprint at top speed, letting nothing stand in their way.

It’s a spooky vision of the apocalypse, with shots of an abandoned London foreshadowing what would come our way with the Covid-19 crisis.

“28 Days Later” is anchored by great performances from Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, and Brendan Gleeson.

The sequel, “28 Weeks Later” is not a good film, but the opening sequence is incredible. Another sequel, “28 Years Later” arrives in theaters in 2025.

I Am Legend (2007) – Digital Rental

I recently rewatched this Will Smith movie and found that it doesn’t hold up especially well. The CG zombies look kind of silly, compared to the CGI of today.

That said, it’s really cool to see a New York City decimated by a plague. The music is exceptional. The scenes of the New York evacuation and panic are well done. And Smith shows a strong performance as a man broken by grief.

Yeah, it’s hard to watch any Will Smith movie these days without remembering his infamous slap of Chris Rock, but if you need a zombie fix, it’s worth adding to the list.

“I Am Legend” would have been gutsier to go with the alternate ending, but movie fans still debate this.

The Walking Dead (2010) – Pluto TV or Netflix

We all agree “The Walking Dead” overstayed its welcome. We all agree too many characters had plot armor. We all agree it had one of the worst cliffhangers in TV history… and its resolution alienated fans forever.

Even with all that, “The Walking Dead” was capable of some really great TV. “Shawshank Redemption” director Frank Darabont ran the show in its first season. Back then, it was a slower paced affair focused on its characters. It gave us breakout performances from Steven Yeun and Jon Bernthal. And the big twist of the first season was a very cool idea in the world of zombie fiction.

I can’t honestly recommend watching all of “The Walking Dead.” As time went on, it settled into a predictable pattern where the season premiere resolved a cliffhanger, then everyone survived five episodes until a death in the midseason finale, after the season’s second-half return resolved any cliffhangers, everyone got another five episodes of safety until a season-ending death. It became sadly predictable. Even the stars were killed off as they grew tired of the show.

Even in the bad episodes, ace makeup artist Greg Nicotero brought his A-game with all the zombie gore.

The series led to several spinoffs like “Dead City,” “The Ones Who Live,” “Fear the Walking Dead,” and “World Beyond.”

For 11 seasons and 177 episodes, “The Walking Dead” carried a torch for zombie lovers everywhere. Yes, it meant some dumb plotlines and “jump the shark” moments, but it’s hard to fathom the story of modern zombie media without it.

Train to Busan – Multiple Streamers

If you love the Joel-Ellie father-daughter vibe from “The Last of Us,” you’ll love “Train to Busan.” It’s the story of a dad who has to protect his young daughter as a zombie plague breaks out. Making matters worse, there are zombies on the train.

This movie rocks. It’s got great characters, cool action, and thrills galore. Don’t worry about the subtitles. It’s a winner.

Where to Stream “Train to Busan” – Fawesome, Tubi, Prime Video, Kanopy, Hoopla, Hi-YAH!

Evil Dead II (1987) – Several Free Options

If you love comedy and horror, “Evil Dead II” needs to be on your list. Essentially a remake of the first “Evil Dead,” this Sam Raimi landmark features the always enjoyable Bruce Campbell as our dumb hero, Ash Williams. Ash and his pals head to a cabin in the woods where evil spirits run wild.

It’s a rare horror movie where the hero has to kill his undead girlfriend and fight his own undead hand. It’s an enduring fusion of slapstick, horror, and indie-fueled 80s special effects.

For more undead enemies, be sure to follow Ash to the sequel, “Army of Darkness” (digital rental), and the very fun series “Ash vs. Evil Dead” (STARZ).

Where to Stream “Evil Dead II” – The Roku Channel, Hoopla, Pluto TV, Fawesome, IndieFlix, Kanopy

World War Z (2013) – Paramount+ or AMC+

This Brad Pitt zombie flick gets a lot of hate, but I think it’s undeserved. This movie is really effective at showing the power of a zombie horde. It’s rare that you get to see a team working to understand the zombies instead of just blowing them away. I’m especially fond of the scientific loophole that protects some people from the zombies.

Zombieland (2009) – Digital Rental

If you need some more comedy with your undead monsters, fire up “Zombieland.” Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin try to outrun the undead as they cross America. Keep your eyes peeled for the truly funny Bill Murray cameo!

Did we miss any of your favorite zombie entertainment? Let us know in the comments below!