The Last of Us proves there is still plenty of life left in the zombie genre, and some notable emotional zombie movies likewise capture the horror and heart of the acclaimed series. Season 2 of The Last of Us has already managed to break the hearts of fans, and the relationships between the characters continue to be as important to the show as the zombie terror. While zombie movies are often looked down on as mindless gore fests, there are many examples of the genre that are as rich as The Last of Us.

The Last of Us presents the bleak reality of the zombie genre with a more empty world, loved ones lost, and society in shambles. It also focuses on the relationships made in the chaos of this new reality and how the danger puts these relationships in constant jeopardy. While many zombie movies are completely willing to just embrace the wildness of the genre, there are standout examples that deal with similar emotional aspects while finding new, heartbreaking ways of depicting the zombie apocalypse.

8

Night Of The Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ (1968)

Directed By George A. Romero

It is interesting to think that, nearly 60 years after its release, it could be said that Night of the Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ paved the way for a show like The Last of Us to exist. While the zombie genre had already existed, Night of the Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ made it mainstream and remains the most influential movie in the genre, introducing elements and rules to the lore that are still adhered to decades later. George A. Romero’s indie black-and-white movie follows a group of survivors holding up from a zombie attack in an old farmhouse.

For the most part, Night of the Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ delivers on the intense and gripping genre aspects with some iconic set pieces. It is not particularly emotional until it gets to the end, delivering one of the most devastating final moments in cinema history. As a gun-toting mob clears out the zombie threats, Ben, the ground-breaking Black hero of the movie, emerges as the sole survivor, only to be sH๏τ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ by the mob. It is a defining moment that helped shape the hopelessness and cruelty of the zombie plot.

7

The Crazies (2010)

Directed By Breck Eisner

The Crazies is a remake of a lesser-known Romero movie and one of the rare horror movie remakes that is better than the original. Like The Last of Us, it doesn’t technically deal with zombies, and the people infected are turned into emotionless beings who simply want to kill anything in sight. Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell star as a husband and wife desperately trying to escape their small town as the infected take over and the military seeks to stop the spread by any means necessary.

The Crazies feels like the opening segment of the first episode of The Last of Us expanded into a movie, as the characters just try to stay alive as everything around them falls apart. There is a particularly emotional scene not seen in many horror movies when Olyphant’s character very sincerely asks his wife: “Do you wanna give up? You wanna sit here and die, tell me, and I will sit here and die with you.” The Crazies‘ final scene also packs a gut punch you won’t soon forget.

6

Shaun Of The ᴅᴇᴀᴅ (2004)

Directed By Edgar Wright

The Last of Us doesn’t have a lot of humor in it, so it might seem a little strange to compare it to Shaun of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. However, as much as Edgar Wright’s breakout movie delivers huge laughs, it also sneaks in some truly emotional moments. The movie stars Simon Pegg as an aimless man who seeks to turn his life around just as the world is overcome by a zombie outbreak. Along with his best friend, Ed (Nick Frost), he attempts to save his girlfriend, mother, and friends to prove himself.

Wright clearly has a lot of love for the zombie genre while also poking fun at it. However, he also understands that those emotional moments can elevate the movie and knows when to stop the laughs to bring in the heartbreak. Shaun having to come to terms with his mother’s death as well as his sweet farewell to Ed are among the saddest moments in any horror-comedy.

5

28 Weeks Later (2007)

Directed By Juan Carlos Fresnadillo

28 Days Later is a harrowing zombie movie with plenty of bleakness, but it ends on a rather hopeful note. In contrast, 28 Weeks Later begins with hope restored in the world, only to see it come crumbling down. As the тιтle suggests, the movie takes place sometime after the first movie, with a city established for survivors where a sense of normalcy has returned. However, like the community of Jackson in The Last of Us season 2, that security proves to be weaker than they realized.

Seeing people recapturing a bit of their lives makes it all the more painful when it is destroyed again. At the center of the story is a devastating family drama with two children being reunited with their father, only to learn a dark truth about his survival, as well as see him turn into a monster and the catalyst for society’s demise. By the looks of it, the upcoming 28 Years Later will be an equally grimdark return for the franchise.

4

Train To Busan (2016)

Directed By Yeon Sang-ho

There are plenty of South Korean zombie movies to choose from, but it will be hard to ever top the acclaim and popularity of Train to Busan. The movie delivered a thrilling, big-budget zombie thrill ride that re-energized the franchise at a time when it felt like there was little new that could be done. Train to Busan follows a collection of characters on a bullet train heading to the city of Busan, South Korea, when a zombie outbreak happens on board.

Along with the intense horror sequences and non-stop action, the movie is excellent at building characters the audience cares about, making it all the more impactful when they begin dying one by one. Seeing these people make heartbreaking sacrifices or meet tragic ends packs a bigger punch than is typically found in such movies. However, it is the relationship between the absentee father Seok-Woo and his young daughter Su-an that is the heart of the movie and makes for a bittersweet ending.

3

Maggie (2015)

Directed By Naomi Capon

When you hear of Arnold Schwarzenegger starring in a zombie movie, you’re likely picturing the action star blasting the unᴅᴇᴀᴅ with a sH๏τgun while chewing on a cigar. However, Maggie is one of the smallest and most intimate zombie movies you’re likely to see, featuring one of Schwarzenegger’s most dramatic performances. He stars as Wade, a man living in a small town during the zombie outbreak, only to discover that his young daughter (Abigail Breslin) has been infected.

The premise of the movie alone sets it up to be a heartbreaking story as Wade is dedicated to staying by his daughter’s side and taking care of her even as she begins to succumb to the infection. It is as much a story about Wade coming to terms with losing his child as it is about Maggie herself trying to confront this reality on her own terms. It is not hard to see parallels between their relationship and the one between Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us.

2

The Girl With All The Gifts (2017)

Directed By Colm McCarthy

The Girl with All the Gifts features a young girl at the center of its story with an arc similar to Ellie’s in The Last of Us season 1. Melanie is shown to have a unique condition that could mean that she is the key to finding a cure for the zombie pandemic. However, in an interesting twist, Melanie is a hybrid of a human and a zombie, maintaining her intelligence but still battling the desire to feed. She embarks on a journey along with people who see her as a tool, people who see her as a threat, and one person who truly cares about her.

Putting a child in Melanie’s position is heartbreaking, as she has to contend with possibly being the savior of the human race, but also not being seen as human at all. She and other hybrid children are kept locked away as threats, experiencing half of a real child’s life. However, unlike many movies of this kind, The Girl with All the Gifts reaches a conclusion that is more hopeful and equally emotional.

1

Cargo (2018)

Directed By Ben Howling & Yolanda Ramke

There are many zombie stories that deal with relationships between parents and children, with The Last of Us certainly fitting into that category. However, perhaps the most emotional movie of this kind is the smaller horror-drama Cargo. Martin Freeman stars as Andy, a father who is traveling across Australia with his wife and baby, Rosie, when the zombie outbreak strikes. When his wife is killed, and he is bitten, Andy seeks to find someone who can care for his child before he turns into a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly zombie.

The movie is a harrowing allegory about what a parent would do to ensure their child is safe, as well as the tragic story of a parent having to come to terms with sending their child out in the world without their protection. Cargo is perhaps more emotional than most other movies of this kind because Andy understands what is coming. He knows he only has a limited time left with Rosie, but he also knows protecting her is all that matters, again reminding us of The Last of Us.