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When looking at the best horror movies, many of them feature zombies. After all, the general public finds the idea of a zombie apocalypse terrifying, and who can blame them? From The Walking Dead to 28 Weeks Later, we’ve seen several iconic zombie-themed productions shine in recent times, highlighting the appetite for them. Not every zombie movie has hit the spot with viewers, though.
When assessing the genre, alongside hit movies like Night Of The Living Dead, there have been some truly terrible productions to avoid. It’s a genre that doesn’t always work. For example, even in the gaming world, for every hit slot game like Zombie Carnival, there’s a shoddy product like Zombies Chronicles. The same applies in the movie category of entertainment, with the genre being swamped with some painfully bad zombie movies over the years.
So, while it’s a genre that has witnessed some iconic releases in its time, there are also dreadful zombie movies fans of the genre will undoubtedly want to forget. Below, we take a brief look at some of the worst of them.
The Astro-Zombies
Released in 1968, The Astro-Zombies definitely isn’t a cult classic. Of course, it can’t compete with some of today’s big-budget productions anyway, but The Astro-Zombies even struggled to entertain audiences back then. It was a dull watch as not a great deal happened, and while there were some memorable scenes, the negatives far outweighed the positives, especially when factoring in its ridiculous premise.
Zombie Strippers
When Jay Lee took on Zombie Strippers in 2008, it was surely a project he knew needed a lot of work. Lee does deserve some respect for the ridiculous number of roles he took on, including the production, shooting, and editing of the movie, but it was clearly just too much responsibility for him. In fact, there’s an argument to suggest the film was never going to work anyway, given its ridiculous storyline. While a blend of sex and violence works in other areas, when zombie strippers are the main characters, it serves up more comical value than it does terrifying scenarios.
House of the Dead
Based on a video game people warmed to, House of the Dead was a truly cold offering. As far as video game adaptations go, it’s one of the worst ever. Released in 2003, the film massively bombed and was maligned by almost every expert in the industry. The effects were poor, the story was weak, and the zombies themselves were awful. A movie that simply doesn’t work in almost all areas, House of the Dead is well worth avoiding.
The Dead Don’t Die
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A 2019 release, even though The Dead Don’t Die had a cast full of stars, it was one to forget. With the story revolving around a small town that comes under attack from zombies, it’s hardly original. Throw in the silliness it offers and some terrible jokes, and it’s a painful viewing experience. A movie many horror fanatics were looking forward to, The Dead Don’t Die was a major disappointment.
Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave
We should probably start by saying some people did enjoy Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave, but they’re definitely in the minority. The second installment from a poor series, Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave, definitely wasn’t an upgrade on its predecessor. Featuring a Halloween party that takes a turn for the worse, the story focuses on drugs that turn people into zombies. Yes, you did read that correctly. And yes, it really is that bad.