The zombie genre is defined by its remarkable adaptability. Since its modern inception, the undead have been used as a canvas for social commentary, a catalyst for intense survival horror, and even a backdrop for dark comedy. The core concept of the dead returning to life is so potent that filmmakers are constantly finding new ways to interpret it, resulting in a genre that refuses to stay buried. This innovation is the key to its longevity, as each new entry has the potential to either refine a classic trope or introduce a radical new twist that changes the apocalyptic game entirely. As a result, from shuffling hordes to sprinting infected, the zombie apocalypse remains one of cinema’s most versatile scenarios.
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While many of the genre’s biggest hits have spawned sprawling franchises, some of its most creative and compelling entries remain frustratingly self-contained. These are the films that introduced a unique world, a fascinating new type of zombie, or left their characters in a tantalizingly unresolved situation, only to fade to black without a follow-up. Here’s our pick for the best zombie movies we still want a sequel, even though we’ve been waiting for years.
7) Pontypool
The 2008 Canadian horror film Pontypool stands as one of the most inventive entries in the entire zombie genre, primarily because its threat is not biological but linguistic. Set almost entirely within the confines of a small-town radio station, the story follows shock jock Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) as he and his production team begin to receive bizarre reports of violent riots breaking out in their community. They slowly realize that a virus is spreading through the English language itself, turning infected individuals into mindless rage-fueled zombies when they understand certain words.
Pontypool‘s cerebral approach to the zombie apocalypse is precisely why it is so deserving of a sequel. The film’s claustrophobic setting is effective, but it only offers a tiny glimpse into a world-altering event. In addition, the narrative deliberately keeps the larger situation ambiguous, leaving the audience to wonder how such a unique pandemic is affecting the rest of the world. Finally, the movie’s cryptic post-credits scene suggests the virus has mutated and spread in new ways, creating a perfect launchpad for a follow-up.
6) Maggie
Breaking from the high-octane action typically associated with the genre, Maggie is a heartbreaking character drama set within a zombie apocalypse. The film features Arnold Schwarzenegger in one of his most restrained performances as Wade Vogel, a father trying to care for his teenage daughter, Maggie (Abigail Breslin), who has been infected with a virus that will slowly and inevitably turn her into a cannibalistic zombie. The world has established protocols for this “necroambulist” virus, with infected individuals eventually being taken to quarantine zones. Wade, however, refuses to give up on his daughter, choosing to spend her final weeks with her on their isolated farm.
Maggie is deeply focused on the personal tragedy of one family, but it hints at a much larger and more complex society struggling to cope with the ongoing crisis. A sequel could shift its focus from this intimate story to the wider world, exploring the social and political ramifications of the government-run quarantine system. Following a different set of characters, a new film could also examine the moral compromises and brutal realities of a society that has learned to live with zombies, turning its quiet horror into a broader and equally compelling narrative.
5) Fido
The 2006 film Fido is a sharp and stylish zombie comedy that imagines a 1950s-esque suburban world where the “Zombie Wars” have ended and the undead have been domesticated. Thanks to a special collar developed by the monolithic corporation Zomcon, zombies are now used as servants, gardeners, and paperboys. The story follows a young boy, Timmy Robinson (K’Sun Ray), who forms a wholesome friendship with his family’s new zombie, whom he names Fido (Billy Connolly). However, when Fido’s collar malfunctions, his killer instincts return, setting off a chain of events that threatens to unravel the carefully constructed peace of their idyllic neighborhood.
With its vibrant technicolor aesthetic and biting social satire, Fido creates a unique world that is ripe for further exploration. The film ends with the immediate threat resolved, but the underlying premise of a society built on the enslavement of the undead is inherently unstable. A sequel could explore the cracks in this Zomcon-controlled society, perhaps showing a full-scale zombie uprising or a civil rights movement for the undead. The potential to expand on the film’s dark humor and satirical commentary on consumerism and conformity is immense, and a follow-up could easily build upon the original’s brilliant foundation to tell a larger story.
4) The Girl with All the Gifts
The Girl with All the Gifts presents a fascinating evolution of the zombie mythos. In the movie, humanity has been devastated by a fungal infection that turns its victims into mindless, flesh-eating “hungries.” A small group of hybrid children, however, have emerged who retain their intelligence and emotions but are still driven by a carnivorous hunger. The story centers on one such child, Melanie (Sennia Nanua), a brilliant girl held in a military facility. When the base is overrun, she escapes with a small group of survivors, including her caring teacher, a pragmatic scientist, and hardened soldiers.
The film’s devastating climax makes a sequel feel not just wanted but necessary. In the final act of The Girl with All the Gifts, Melanie chooses to release the fungal spores into the atmosphere, ensuring the end of the old human race and the birth of a new world populated by hybrids like herself. The movie ends with the few remaining human survivors living in a sealed laboratory, dependent on Melanie to bring them food and teach a new generation of hybrid children. This ending is a monumental cliffhanger, establishing a strange and unsettling new status quo. A sequel to The Girl with All the Gifts could explore the dawn of this new world, the complex relationship between the last humans and the dominant hybrid species, and the challenges of building a future from the ashes of the past.
3) World War Z
Unlike many zombie films that focus on small groups of survivors, World War Z delivered a true global pandemic on an epic scale. The film stars Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane, a former United Nations investigator who is pulled back into service when a mysterious plague rapidly transforms people into hyper-aggressive and fast-moving zombies. Lane’s mission takes him from the United States to South Korea, Israel, and Wales as he races against time to find the source of the outbreak and a potential weakness.
A sequel to World War Z seems like one of the most obvious missed opportunities in modern blockbuster filmmaking. The movie itself ends with the development of a camouflage that allows humanity to fight back effectively, but no final solution to the zombie problem. Plus, Gerry Lane’s closing narration explicitly states that the war has just begun, a direct and unfulfilled promise of a larger conflict to come. A follow-up was in active development for years, with director David Fincher even attached at one point. Recently, Paramount signaled that it’s willing to develop World War Z 2, but only time will tell if the sequel will materialize.
2) Planet Terror
A key part of the 2007 Grindhouse double feature, Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror is an outrageously over-the-top homage to exploitation B-movies. The plot kicks off when a deadly experimental gas is released from a military base, turning the infected into pustule-covered mutants known as “sickos.” The film follows a ragtag group of survivors, including a go-go dancer named Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan), who famously has her lost leg replaced with a machine gun, and her mysterious ex-boyfriend El Wray (Freddy Rodriguez). Together, they fight their way through hordes of infected soldiers and melting zombies in a gory spectacle.
Planet Terror‘s unapologetic commitment to schlocky fun is what makes it a classic, and its ending provides the perfect setup for a sequel. After blowing up the source of the infection, the small band of survivors escapes to the beaches of Mexico to start a peaceful society. This post-apocalyptic safe zone, led by a battle-hardened Cherry Darling, is an ideal starting point for a new adventure. A sequel could show this fledgling society defending itself from leftover sickos or even a new and more bizarre threat, all while retaining the original’s signature grindhouse aesthetic. The world of Planet Terror is too wildly entertaining to be confined to just one story.
1) Anna and the Apocalypse
No other film has blended genres quite as successfully or as charmingly as Anna and the Apocalypse. This 2017 Scottish film is a Christmas movie, a high school musical, and a zombie horror-comedy all rolled into one. The story follows Anna (Ella Hunt) and her friends as their small town is suddenly overrun by the undead on the morning of their school’s Christmas show. The group is forced to sing, dance, and fight their way through a zombie horde in a desperate attempt to reach their loved ones and find safety.
The reason Anna and the Apocalypse is the most deserving film on this list is its perfectly bittersweet and open-ended conclusion. By the end, the surviving group is much smaller, having suffered heartbreaking losses that completely shatter the film’s initial lighthearted tone. They find a potential safe haven, but their future is deeply uncertain as they stare out at a world that has been irrevocably changed. A sequel to Anna and the Apocalypse could pick up directly from this moment, following the survivors on their journey and exploring how they use music and hope to cope with their trauma in a now-desolate world.
Which other zombie movies do you think are long overdue for a sequel? Share your picks in the comments!
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