• PDI Press

    PDI Press

    BETTY WHITE VS THE STUPID WORLD: The Movie

    PDI Press
    January 17, 2022 2

    Betty White Vs the Stupid World (Chapter Seven)

    PDI Press
    January 16, 2022 1

    Betty White Vs the Stupid World (Chapter Six)

    PDI Press
    January 15, 2022 3

    Featured

    BETTY WHITE VS THE STUPID WORLD: The Movie

    John E. Meredith
    PDI Press
    January 17, 2022 2
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-D
    • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Anything Joes
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Cahiers du Horror
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • Dungeons & D-Listers
  • Columns F-P
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
    • Marvel at the Movies
    • Muppets 101
    • Page to Screen
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • The Psycho Drive-In Podcast
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
  • Columns S-Z
    • Schlock & Awe
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Unnatural Selections
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews

    Reviews

    Superman (2025)

    Movies
    July 10, 2025 48

    Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)

    Movies
    June 26, 2025 8

    Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)

    Movies
    June 8, 2025 13

    Featured

    Superman (2025)

    Nate Zoebl
    Movies
    July 10, 2025 48
    • Books
    • Comics
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews

    Interviews

    Interview with Indie Horror Master, Chris Bickel

    Interviews
    July 13, 2018 397

    David Black: Carnies, Carnage, and the Creative Chaos of Darkness Visible

    Interviews
    March 7, 2017 223

    Jaiden Kaine joins the Marvel Universe as new Luke Cage baddie, Zip

    Interviews
    September 29, 2016 8

    SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Batman: The Killing Joke

    Interviews
    July 28, 2016 61

    SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Syfy’s Van Helsing

    Interviews
    July 27, 2016 3

    Wondercon Interview: The Cast of Damien

    Interviews
    April 16, 2016 3

    Featured

    Interview with Indie Horror Master, Chris Bickel

    The Final Girl
    Interviews
    July 13, 2018 397
  • News

    News

    Regular Show: The Complete Series DVD is here!

    News
    February 9, 2025 20

    “PATER NOSTER AND THE MISSION OF LIGHT” UNLEASHES TERRIFYING UNDERGROUND HORROR – A PSYCHEDELIC CULT MOVIE EXPERIENCE COMING SOON!

    News
    November 15, 2023 74

    Breaking Down The Upcoming DC Studios Slate

    Shot for Shot
    February 1, 2023

    Featured

    Regular Show: The Complete Series DVD is here!

    Paul Brian McCoy
    News
    February 9, 2025 20
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Shop
Breaking
  • Superman (2025)
  • Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)
  • Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)
  • From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025)
  • RSS
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Who We Be
  • Contact
    Home
    Columns
    We Got Lists

    Halloween Top Five International Zombie Films

    Paul Brian McCoy
    We Got ListsZombies 101
    October 24, 2011 1

    Zombies are everywhere these days. They’re on our TVs, they’re in our videogames, they’re in books, comics, cartoons, and even toyshops. Little did Old Uncle George realize back in 1968 that he wasn’t just crafting a scary little low-budget horror film; he was creating a bona fide new monster sensation.

    Regardless of the intention or the inspiration (Viet Nam? Carnival of Souls? Pittsburgh?), the horror film world changed in 1968 and has never been the same. Night of the Living Dead sent shockwaves around the world, most notably in Italy, but nearly every country on the planet with a film industry has dipped their toes into the bloody pool.

    So, leaving the obvious honorable mention films like the Italian films of Fulci (don’t want to overwhelm the list, after all), as well as Peter Jackson’s zombie opus Dead Alive, the UK TV mini-series Dead Set, and the kinetic Japanese yakuza epic Versus, here are my favorite picks for your Top Five International Zombie Films you may not have seen before:

    #5: To Kako (Evil) (Greece 2005)

    Billed as “The First Greek Zombie Film!” Evil is a bit of a mixed bag, which is why it places as Number Five on my list. But being a mixed bag isn’t really a bad thing, when the film takes inspiration from all over and blends it all together into a satisfying mix.

    Evil is about a zombie outbreak, triggered by the underground discovery of a mysterious cave and a very Evil Dead-style formless evil. The workmen who discovered the cave, go home, go about their lives, and then violently erupt into zombified murder machines.

    It’s a quick and efficient way of getting the mayhem started, and before too long we’ve met our main characters and their struggle for survival has begun. But it’s not all doom and gloom.

    In fact, while this film does take the situation seriously for the most part, it has a pretty entertaining splatterstick approach to zombie fighting and we are treated to heads being knocked off, holes being punched in zombie bodies, and the obligatory kung fu fighting.

    It’s not the greatest work of zombie film ever released, but it’s extremely entertaining. Plus there’s a sequel out now with Billy Zane as a zombie fighting monk in Ancient Greece. Watch this one to get you ready for that one!

    #4: Bio-Zombie (Hong Kong 1998)

    Inspired by Dawn of the Dead, Bio-Zombie takes place in a Hong Kong shopping center as a zombie epidemic spreads, infecting nearly the entire world. There’s a lot of splatterstick humor here, too, as well as some early videogame references that we wouldn’t see in other zombie horror films for a few years to come.

    Our two heroes are Woody Invincible (Jordan Chan) and Crazy Bee (Sam Lee), and with names like those what more do you need? They’re lovable losers stuck working at the mall selling bootleg video discs when they are partially responsible for the zombie outbreak.

    You see, they accidentally run over a guy who just happens to be leaving a secret meeting where biological weapons were being bought and sold. The weapon is put into a soft drink and when they give it to the injured man, guess what happens?

    Yeah, it’s silly, but that’s beside the point. As Woody and Crazy Bee deal with the zombie holocaust, they also develop into likeable characters with a tragic future in store. In fact, this movie is so much fun that the bleak ending is a bit of a shock.

    #3: Dead Snow (Norway 2009)

    2009 was a good year for the undead, as the next three films demonstrate.

    Rounding out the comedic zombie films on the list is Norway’s Dead Snow, a cross between a “Young People in a Remote Cabin” shocker and well, “Zombie Nazis.” What more do I have to say?

    Okay, a little more, then.

    After a fairly tedious bit of character introduction (yes, it is clear that the filmmakers love old horror films) and the “Fun in the Snow Montage,” we get down to business. These zombies are part of a secret Nazi experiment that are brought back to life when one of our heroes pockets some lost Nazi gold.

    Yes. Nazi gold.

    The zombies here aren’t your garden variety mindless brain-eaters. They’re smart, fast, and led by Standartenführer Herzog (Orjan Gamst), who will stop at nothing to get his gold back. Not only are the gore effects top notch, the deaths are violently horrible and there are quite a few laugh-out-loud funny bits.

    Oh, and one cringe-inducing self-mutilation that is both horrifying and hilarious.

    #2: Mutants (France 2009)

    And that’s it for the fun. Now things get serious. And who does serious better than the French?

    What we have here is a horrifying, nightmare of a plague film. Technically, Mutants isn’t about zombies, but the mutated infected. Sure, they turn into monstrous, hard-to-kill flesh eating monsters, so they make the list.

    They’re more zombie-like than the 28 Days Later infected.

    But what really makes this film rank so highly on my list is the sheer existential horror that makes up the centerpiece of the film. We watch as one of our main characters, Marco, who was infected early on, slowly transforms into a monster, shedding his humanity like he sheds his bodily fluids.

    The performances, particularly by Hélène de Fougerolles and Francis Renaud as Sonia and Marco are gut-wrenching. The rest of the cast does well with their roles, but aren’t really required to do much more than provide sounding boards for the exploration and development of Sonia and Marco.

    Anyone who is really bothered by bodily deterioration should probably skip this one. Any cancer or AIDS anxieties will be hammered hard with this film.

    There’s so much time spent watching Marco slowly fall apart that we almost overlook the idea that Sonia was bitten earlier, before the film began, and survived. She seems to be immune, so her desperate hope is to contact the government, let them know she could be the source of a cure, and get Marco there before he completely turns.

    This one’s all about the body horror, folks. Although we do get a healthy dose of gunfire and monsters, too.

    #1: Pontypool (Canada 2009)

    This is my favorite new zombie film in years, although I could see where some people might not care for it. This is a pretty minimalist approach and we really don’t get a lot of zombie action.

    At least not on-screen.

    Pontypool is structured like a radio or stage play, with one main setting and a very limited cast. The story is set in a small radio station headquartered in the basement of an old church in the small town of Pontypool, Ontario.

    Stephen McHattie, as Grant Mazzy, does a great job as the crotchety and cantankerous DJ and his and Lisa Houle’s (radio producer Sydney Briar) chemistry that really make the film work. Director Bruce McDonald also sidesteps the budgetary demands of filming a widespread zombie outbreak by having callers describe what’s happening rather than showing it.

    The script is written by Tony Burgess, who wrote the book upon which this is based. While there isn’t a lot of gore, when there is a chance for some, the film doesn’t disappoint.

    In the end, it was the novelty of the way the infection is spread through language that really won me over, though. It seems that the English language has become infected. Not entirely, you see, but only certain words. Once you say or hear these words, they start to get a grip inside of you and take you over.

    This is a serious film with some very innovative and interesting ideas at its core.

    (Visited 151 times, 1 visits today)

    Related

    Bio-ZombieDead SnowMutantsPaul Brian McCoyPontypoolTo Kako (Evil)zombies

    FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
    Previous The Walking Dead 2.01 “What Lies Ahead”
    Next The Vampire Diaries 3.06 “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
    monsterid
    Paul Brian McCoy
    Co-Founder / Editor-in-Chief / Dreamweaver
    Paul Brian McCoy is the Editor-in-Chief of Psycho Drive-In. His first novel, The Unraveling: Damaged Inc. Book One is available at Amazon US & UK, along with his collection of short stories, Coffee, Sex, & Creation (US & UK). He recently contributed the 1989 chapter to The American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1980s (US & UK). He also kicked off Comics Bulletin Books with Mondo Marvel Volumes One (US & UK) and Two (US & UK) and PDI Press with Marvel at the Movies: 1977-1998 (US & UK), Marvel at the Movies: Marvel Studios (US & UK), and Spoiler Warning: Hannibal Season 1 - An Unauthorized Critical Guide (US & UK). Paul is also unnaturally preoccupied with zombie films and sci-fi television. He can be found babbling on Twitter at @PBMcCoy.

    Related Posts

    The Psycho Drive-In Podcast 07: Superman (2025)

    Paul Brian McCoy
    The Psycho Drive-In Podcast
    July 13, 2025 10

    The Psycho Drive-In Podcast 06: 28 Years Later

    Paul Brian McCoy
    The Psycho Drive-In Podcast
    June 24, 2025 7

    Daily Top Ten

    • superman-headerSuperman (2025) by Nate Zoebl
    • 2001Lost in Translation: The History of Adaptations, 1960-69 by Scott Delahunt
    • men-in-blackLost in Translation: The History of Adaptations, 1990-99 by Scott Delahunt
    • x-files-4-3-headerAll Binge… No Purge: The X-Files S4 Part Three by Rick Shingler
    • Luther-401-13 copyLuther 4.01 by Kelvin Green
    • carry-on-cleo-headerLost in Translation 458: Carry On Cleo (1964) by Scott Delahunt
    • goldfinger-headerLost in Translation: The Bond Project – Goldfinger by Scott Delahunt
    • Chron RiddickRiddick Collection by Adam Barraclough
    • i-spit-on-your-grave-09The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by The Final Girl
    • blame-netflix-headerBig Eyes Smart Mouth: Netflix’s BLAME! by Serdar Yegulalp
    400x400 GI Joe Funko Banner

    Weekly Top Ten

    • i-spit-on-your-grave-09The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by The Final Girl
    • superman-headerSuperman (2025) by Nate Zoebl
    • babylon-5-blu-ray-04Babylon 5 Complete Series Blu-ray Review by Paul Brian McCoy
    • men-in-blackLost in Translation: The History of Adaptations, 1990-99 by Scott Delahunt
    • 80s-headerLost in Translation: The History of Adaptations, 1980-89 by Scott Delahunt
    • 2001Lost in Translation: The History of Adaptations, 1960-69 by Scott Delahunt
    • AT606-visionAdventure Time 6.06 “Breezy” by Dave Hearn
    • star-wars-headerLost in Translation: The History of Adaptations, 1970-79 by Scott Delahunt
    • a-knights-tale-06Lost in Translation 407: A Knight’s Tale (2001) by Scott Delahunt
    • mary-shelleys-frankenstein-headerEZMM 2024 Day 4: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994) by Paul Brian McCoy

    psychodrivein

    We came here to chew bubblegum and write intelligent reviews and commentary on cult TV and movies! And we're all out of bubblegum!

    Today at https://psychodrivein.com The Psycho Dri Today at https://psychodrivein.com

The Psycho Drive-In Podcast 07: Superman (2025)

Join Paul and John on the Psycho Drive-In Podcast as they delve into the first official DC Universe live-action film release, Superman!
—
Listen to the boys at the link in our profile!

#PsychoDriveIn #PsychoDriveInPodcast #Podcast #Superman #JamesGunn #DavidCorenswet #RachelBrosnahan #NicholasHoult #DCU #DC
    Today at https://psychodrivein.com Lost in Transl Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 483: One More Trailer

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a period piece set in the 60s, around the time the comic was first published.
—
Read more of Scott’s article at the link in our profile!

#LostInTranslation #FantasticFour #FantasticFourFirstSteps #MarvelStudios #MCU
    Today at https://psychodrivein.com Superman (2025 Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Superman (2025)

Superman is proof that the DC film universe might actually have the perfect person in charge of charting their cross-franchise courses.
—
Read more of Nate’s review at the link in our profile!

#Superman #JamesGunn #DavidCorenswet #RachelBrosnahan #NicholasHoult #DC #DCU
    Today at https://psychodrivein.com Lost in Transl Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 482: Examining Recent Trailers

Two new trailers dropped that are of interest to Lost in Translation: Spaceballs 2 and The Naked Gun!
—
Read more of Scott’s article at the link in our profile!

#LostInTranslation #Spaceballs2 #TheNakedGun #Trailers
    Today at https://psychodrivein.com Final Destinat Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)

FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES is a return to form for a franchise that never should have been on the brink of death.
—
Read more of Nate’s review at the link in our profile!

#FinalDestination #FinalDestinationBloodlines #AdamBStein #ZachLipovsky #KaitlynSantaJuana #TonyTodd
    Today at https://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: S02E29 - File Card Focus: Big Boa
 
Greg and Jaren return to take a hard look at Cobra’s one-man trainer: Big Boa! 
—
Watch the @AnythingJoesPod gang at the link in our profile!

#AnythingJoes #GIJoe #Cobra #BigBoa #FileCardFocus
    Today at https://psychodrivein.com The Psycho Dri Today at https://psychodrivein.com

The Psycho Drive-In Podcast: 28 Years Later

Paul and John are back with a new PSYCHO DRIVE-IN PODCAST with a brand-new review of 28 YEARS LATER plus a look back at the franchise, its themes, its innovations, and its impact on the genre!
—
Listen to the guys at the link in our profile!

#ThePsychoDriveInPodcast #28YearsLater #28WeeksLater #28DaysLater #DannyBoyle #AlexGarland #AlfieWilliams
 #AaronTaylorJohnson #JodieComer #RalphFiennes
    Today at https://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: Backstock Blacksite - Night Specter (2008)

In Backstock Blacksite, we open the classified crates and dig deep into Greg’s personal G.I. Joe overflow closet, where extras, variants, and forgotten figures wait to be unearthed.
—
@anythingjoespod #AnythingJoes #GIJoe #GIJoeClassified #NightSpecter #BackstockBlacksite
    Today at https://psychodrivein.com Predator: Kill Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)

With Predator: Killer of Killers, Predator fans are feasting, baby!!
—
Read more of Paul’s review at the link in our profile!

#Predator #PredatorKillerOfKillers #KillerOfKillers #DanTrachtenberg #LindsayLaVanchy #DamienCHaas #LouisOzawa #RickGonzalez #MichaelBiehn #JoshuaWassung #MichoRobertRutare
    Follow on Instagram

    Look Who's Talking

    Shawn EH
    Shawn EH - 5/4/2025
    Thunderbolts* (2025)
    Yep, very well done; avoiding the big flashy battle that these heroes (can any of you fly?)...
    Ideonova
    Ideonova - 12/26/2024
    Page to Screen: F. Paul Wilson’s The Keep
    Not living up to the source material? What source material? The book is a predictable, at times...
    Fred L. Taulbee Jr.
    Fred L. Taulbee Jr. - 8/17/2024
    Cahiers du Horror 03: Frank Henenlotter and The Brain that Wouldn’t Die
    I need to see that again. Maybe make it a double feature with All of Me. Steve Martin is someone you...
    RSSTwitterFacebookinstagramtumblr

    Archives

    Large_rectangle_336X280
    • PDI Press
      • PDI Press Catalog
      • PDI Press Writers
        • Fiction
    • Columns A-D
      • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
      • ABCs of Horror
      • All Binge… No Purge
      • Anything Joes
      • Beautiful Creatures
      • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
      • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
      • Cahiers du Horror
      • Dispatches From the Field
      • Drive-In Saturday
      • Dungeons & D-Listers
    • Columns F-P
      • The Final Girl
      • First Looks… Second Thoughts
      • The Flesh is Weak
      • Innocence and Experience
      • Lost in Translation
      • Marvel at the Movies
      • Muppets 101
      • Page to Screen
      • Popcorn Cinema
      • The Psycho Drive-In Podcast
      • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
    • Columns S-Z
      • Schlock & Awe
      • Shakespeare on Film
      • Shot for Shot
      • Sick Flix
      • Unnatural Selections
      • Versus
      • Video Word Made Flesh
      • We Got Lists
      • Women in Horror
      • The Xeno File
      • Zombies 101
    • Reviews
      • Books
      • Comics
      • DVD/Blu-ray
      • Movies
      • TV
      • Series
    • Interviews
    • News
      • Trailers
    • Psychos
    • Shop
    • PDI Press
      • PDI Press Catalog
      • PDI Press Writers
        • Fiction
    • Columns A-D
      • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
      • ABCs of Horror
      • All Binge… No Purge
      • Anything Joes
      • Beautiful Creatures
      • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
      • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
      • Cahiers du Horror
      • Dispatches From the Field
      • Drive-In Saturday
      • Dungeons & D-Listers
    • Columns F-P
      • The Final Girl
      • First Looks… Second Thoughts
      • The Flesh is Weak
      • Innocence and Experience
      • Lost in Translation
      • Marvel at the Movies
      • Muppets 101
      • Page to Screen
      • Popcorn Cinema
      • The Psycho Drive-In Podcast
      • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
    • Columns S-Z
      • Schlock & Awe
      • Shakespeare on Film
      • Shot for Shot
      • Sick Flix
      • Unnatural Selections
      • Versus
      • Video Word Made Flesh
      • We Got Lists
      • Women in Horror
      • The Xeno File
      • Zombies 101
    • Reviews
      • Books
      • Comics
      • DVD/Blu-ray
      • Movies
      • TV
      • Series
    • Interviews
    • News
      • Trailers
    • Psychos
    • Shop
    Type to search or hit ESC to close
    See all results
    Username
    Password
    Remember Me
    Lost password?
    Create an account
    Username
    Email
    Cancel
    Enter username or email
    Cancel