The original idea behind Southern Exposure was to tell a story that paid homage to my favorite zombie movies. As you read Southern Ex, you will definitely see some similarities (many of them intentional) to these and other movies. Here’s a list of my top 10 zombie movies and why I love them so much:

10. Dawn of the Dead (1978)- Romero’s follow up to Night of the Living Dead was an in-your-face indictment of consumerism.  Though the movie feels extremely low-budget at times, the overall concept and execution is so strong you never really get taken out of the film.

9. Shaun of the Dead- A zombie movie that manages to be brutal, touching and hilarious at the same time.  The screenplay is airtight and the zombies look and feel great, but the real gem here is the interplay between the lead characters, notably Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

8. Army of Darkness- Sam Raimi’s third entry in the Evil Dead franchise is an over-the-top departure from the first two flicks, but for sheer insanity it’s my favorite.  Bruce Campbell once again proves that he’s one of the best physical actors of our generation and he delivers some of geekdom’s best one-liners as our favorite whipping boy, Ash. 

7.  Planet Terror- Robert Rodriguez nails the feel of low-budget 80’s horror and action with the ridiculously entertaining first half of Grindhouse.  This movie holds a special place in my heart because when I grew up in Trinidad the Grindhouse movie-watching experience was the norm for us, replete with missing scenes, scratched and choppy film, warped sound and the ever present smell of marijuana and urine. 

6.  Zombieland- The first zombie/road movie features brilliant performances, particularly Woody Harrelson playing crazy, and some unique details that give a real jolt to an otherwise simple story.  It also has one of my favorite opening sequences in a horror movie to date.

5.  28 Weeks Later- A polarizing follow-up to the Danny Boyle original, 28 Weeks is a much darker chapter than its predecessor.  The movie is extremely brutal and unrelenting and offers a bleak perspective on how quickly things can fall apart… again.

4.  28 Days Later- Though not really a pure zombie movie, it (along with the sequel) has most of the elements of a tale of the undead: a mindless hoard of murderous infected, a struggle for safety and resources, and lots and lots of running.  Cillian Murphy is brilliant in his role as a bike messenger who wakes up from a coma to find that the world has suddenly gone to sh*t.  The first act of the movie, where he navigates a deserted London is haunting and brilliant.

3.  Return of the Living Dead- This is the first zombie movie that I remember seeing as a kid and it scared the piss out of me so badly that even when I watch it today I still feel echoes of that terror.  The fact that the movie is a comedy didn’t really register until years later.  I love the heavy metal soundtrack, the punks, the effects, the hilarious dialogue (not hard when you name two major characters Bert and Ernie) and the ending that blends cinematic horror with 80’s nuclear paranoia.

2.  Night of the Living Dead (1968)- Romero’s first zombie flick is a true masterpiece.  Shocking and graphic, it quickly overcomes its budgetary constraints with its serious tone and ambitious message.  The movie is unsentimental and does not ever shy away from the gravity of its premise.   A true masterpiece.

1.  Dawn of the Dead (2004)- The reason I love this movie so much is because it has what most great horror movies lack: production value.  Zack Snyder (working on a solid screenplay by James Gunn) really opens up the scope of the original and offers us a well acted, well executed genre entry.  The debate rages on about fast vs. slow zombies but I see no problem with them, and the complaint that the movie jettisons much of the subtext of the original is fine by me since we all got the message the first time around. 

RELATED:

Read Wendell Riley's interview about Southern Exposure here.

Check out Southern Exposure here.

Love/hate my list?  Have others that you think deserved mention? Drop me a line at wendellriley@threequartercomics.com.