The idea of being trapped in a zombie apocalypse is a terrifying proposition, but there are some zombie movie worlds that were much more survivable than others. While survival may appear impossible in the fast-moving zombie landscapes of 28 Days Later and World War Z, other movies showcase societies that have managed to keep things under control.

The best zombie movies of all time all offer unique insight into the nature of humanity and civilization, but some zombie movies were much more ᴅᴇᴀᴅly than others. Although most zombie movies feature mindless unᴅᴇᴀᴅ creatures, there were even some zombie rom-coms that depicted worlds in which it was possible to hold a romantic relationship with a ghoul.

6

Shaun Of The ᴅᴇᴀᴅ (2004)

Directed by Edgar Wright

With slow, clumsy zombies that poked fun at the snail-paced shuffling of George A. Romero’s Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ series, the ghouls of Shaun of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ appeared pretty easy to escape from. With unᴅᴇᴀᴅ creatures you could evade by simply running or even walking away from them, this post-apocalyptic spoof never felt particularly harrowing.

With Shaun and his friends managing to survive several ᴅᴇᴀᴅly situations while out traversing an urban landscape on their way to find refuge. They even trick the zombies just by pretending to be one and walking with them. With the entire premise being about making it to a local pub until it all blows over, to survive looks pretty easy.

The zombies in Shaun of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ are easily fooled, and the normal societal destruction of most zombies doesn’t seem to have taken place, as the government and military still function. In the world of Shaun of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, if you want to make it out alive, it looks like all you need to do is stay inside.

5

Warm Bodies (2013)

Directed by Jonathan Levine

The paranormal rom-com Warm Bodies was an unᴅᴇᴀᴅ reimagining of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet set during the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. However, rather than being mindless, bloodthirsty threats, the zombies of this world maintain some sense of their humanity.

This meant that it was not only possible to survive in the world of Warm Bodies, but the young woman Julie (Teresa Palmer) even carves out a romance with the zombie R (Nicolas Hoult.) As a film that’s actually told from R’s perspective, the presentation of a zombie’s existence in this Jonathan Levine film was very different from traditional zombie movies.

While the zombies in Warm Bodies were still a major threat, and R constantly craved human flesh as he could “feel alive” through experiencing his victims’ memories when he eats them, he also felt guilt for his actions. Taking all these aspects into consideration, it wouldn’t be too difficult to survive if you were careful and avoided dangerous situations.

4

Zombieland (2009)

Directed by Ruben Fleischer

Even though the fast-moving and aggressive unᴅᴇᴀᴅ of Zombieland were harder to avoid than in other movies, some important rules taught survivors how to make it out alive. These rules appear repeatedly throughout Zombieland and remind viewers of important facts like zombies aren’t very fast and to always shoot them in the head just to make sure.

In most zombie media, survivors flail around without any guidance or advice on how to ensure they don’t get bitten, killed, or turned into an unᴅᴇᴀᴅ creature of the night themselves. While the zombies faced by the trio played by Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, and Emma Stone were violent, it wasn’t a totally hopeless world.

Another aspect that set Zombieland apart from other post-apocalyptic landscapes was that the survivors were generally willing to look out for one another. This was in stark contrast to the homicidal maniacs or opportunist psychopaths in other zombie movies, who are often a much larger threat than the creatures themselves.

3

The Girl With All The Gifts (2016)

Directed by Colm McCarthy

The Girl with All the Gifts was an excellent adaptation of Mike Carey’s original novel that depicted a society in the aftermath of a parasitic fungus that had turned much of society into mindless zombies. Yet, a group of seemingly immune children provides hope that humanity might one day be able to return to normalcy.

While it would have been incredibly difficult to survive the initial outbreak of these unᴅᴇᴀᴅ creatures, the zombies in The Girl with All the Gifts go into a state of hibernation if they don’t eat and only wake up when they hear loud noises. This means simply staying quiet might be a good enough strategy to survive.

With the outbreak kept under control through intense militarization and armed guards, even though survival was never ᴀssured, it’s clear that the zombies can be kept under control. While it might be possible to survive the world of The Girl with All the Gifts, the inhuman way the survivors treated the innocent immune children was more horrifying than the zombies.

2

Train To Busan (2016)

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho

At first glance, the zombie outbreak in Train to Busan looks terrifying and difficult to survive. However, upon closer inspection, the zombies may be violent and fast, but they’re also incredibly dim. Rather than relentlessly seeking out their victims, if you can stay out of their eyeline and not make much noise, they will calm down and forget about you.

The zombies in Train to Busan struggle to open doors and can be contained in a way that other unᴅᴇᴀᴅ creatures cannot. It will take a calm, capable, and clever person to carve out an existence in the world of Train to Busan, but it’s not totally impossible to find a way to outsmart and overcome these zombies time and again.

While living in the world of Train to Busan would be an endless nightmare where you can never get complacent, the way that Seok-woo tirelessly ensured the survival of his young daughter Su-an proved it was possible. Life wouldn’t look anything like we know it as today, but those with enough sense can find ways to survive Train to Busan.

1

Night Of The Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ (1968)

Directed by George A. Romero

As the movie that laid the foundations for the zombie genre as we know it today, the ghouls in Night of the Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ hold an esteemed place in horror history. However, as slow-moving, unᴅᴇᴀᴅ shufflers that can be outrun and outmaneuvered, these zombies were easily avoided by those who had the sense to avoid a horde of them.

These zombies are not smart; they don’t lay traps and have limited intelligence. In a world where the zombies are driven by basic instinct, survivors would have to just learn their patterns and be vigilant about not getting swarmed by them. It would be a difficult existence, but not one where death lurks around the corner at every waking moment.

Much like in the way survivors manage to keep the zombies out by barricading themselves in a local farmhouse in Night of the Living ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, survivors could stay alive by keeping barriers between themselves and the unᴅᴇᴀᴅ. The ghouls are also very afraid of fire, so to keep one lit at all times would add an extra layer of zombie protection.