I thought of splitting these six into two separate posts, but I decided I’d get them all out of the way in one shot since they are the only zombie flicks in my watchlists. Now I can take a zombreak and move on to other subgenres. So, were there any winners in this zombatch, or was it the same old same old?
THIS IS NOT A TEST (2025)
It’s not a test, and it’s also almost not a zombie movie. Despite an intense opener, this film focuses more on human trauma rather than hungry zombies for a majority of its runtime.
Note that there are signs of it being Christmastime, but the holiday is never mentioned and has no bearing on the plot.
We quickly learn that our main girl has an abusive father. In the midst of him being a dick to her, they hear a ruckus outside. Zombies! Really fast zombies.
The main girl escapes and joins several other teens at the local high school, where they barricade themselves in. We then get flashbacks showing the kind of home life the main girl had. Her older sister escaped their abusive father and promised to come back for her.
ZomBreakfast Club moment
Eventually, the kids find a teacher, played by cutie Luke Macfarlane, hiding in the school. This is the key to the infection getting inside. But don’t expect zombie hordes. There’s barely even one. Sigh.
Any tragic plot points involving the characters are totally cliché, as is what the main girl discovers when she manages to make her way back to her older sister. It’s predictable. It’s slow. There are very few zombies. Choose wisely.
WE BURY THE DEAD (2024)
I really can’t even comprehend how zombie movie fans are supposed to process this bland film.
We immediately learn of a tragedy in Tasmania that caused mass deaths. Rey from the third Star Wars trilogy joins some sort of aid group that heads there to clean up bodies in hopes of finding her missing husband alive.
This is where things get weird. Some of the dead have come back to life, apparently it’s a known fact, and they just sort of stand around like mindless, well, zombies.
After encountering one in broad daylight, which is creepy even though the zombie doesn’t move, Rey becomes convinced they still have perception and that maybe her husband is one and can be saved.
She travels through Tasmania, occasionally encountering an immobile zombie, including one who looks like she’s applied makeup for an 80s dance party—or an 80s zombie movie.
A hot military guy shows up at some point, and Rey joins forces with him, but it soon becomes clear he has lost his mind. It’s a bizarre sequence, but perhaps one of the most exciting parts of this virtually zombie-free zombie movie.
But don’t despair. Some zombies do finally come alive, and the best scene involves a top-down view of a zombie chasing Rey being through a bus. Eek!
It just gets stranger from there. Things don’t go as Rey hoped with her husband (shocker), and the film ends with a scene that I think involves a zombie that gave birth to a baby out on the street. I wasn’t paying enough attention by that point to fully understand what I was watching.
SILENT ZONE (2025)
A hunky leading man, a muscular alpha zombie, some fast-paced battle scenes, and “borrowing” of the iconic 28 Weeks Later score aren’t enough to mask the fact this this 2-hour movie runs way too long and is riddled with every trope that has been overused in zombie films ever since the popularity of The Walking Dead.
The movie begins with news reports of the pandemic, complete with a guy saying “fake news”…while wearing a mask. Talk about historical inaccuracy.
The opener of a mother trying to escape the outbreak with her young children rocks, especially when her little son gets eaten, as does she. Her young daughter is rescued by our leading man…and then we flash forward to them surviving the aftermath several years later in the middle of nowhere.
The teen and hunk begin encountering various survivors and engage in some major battles with zombies. They finally join forces with a straight couple that is headed for some sort of safe zone. The wife is pregnant, adding to their challenges.
The plot points are predictable, including someone being bitten but keeping it secret, a mad scientist with evil plans for them, and our main characters unintentionally leading zombies right to a community of survivors.
The movie is too slow in between the exciting parts, and the ominous leading muscle zombie is underutilized, if you ask me, because he has a great onscreen presence, and, well, great muscles. And finally, I don’t quite understand the title, because it’s never established that silence has any bearing on this outbreak.
AIR SHIFT (2026)
Finally, an indie zombie movie in this batch that doesn’t attempt to have some elevated plot elements. Not to mention, it’s like Pontypool if Pontypool were actually an entertaining movie with actual zombies.
Our main girl is a DJ at an alternative radio station that is about to close down for good. Turns out there’s a uranium bed underneath the building. It also turns out that guys in hazmat suits are coming to clean up the hazardous waste on one of the last nights the DJ is working.
There also happens to be a serial killer on the loose. He shows up at her little station and takes her hostage. Imagine his confusion when zombies begin surrounding the building.
In the 80s, the struggle was real.
The main girl and serial killer have to work together to survive the mini zombie outbreak. Seems these zombies are totally into alternative music, because they never leave the radio station. Awesome. The two leads have an oddly charming chemistry and engage in light banter in between the zombie fighting, which ensures this one doesn’t become ensnared in its heavy concept. I mean, this woman is trapped with a dude who kills women and then dumps their bodies in the woods!
Naturally, a few more characters come around to provide the zombies and the killer with victims. There’s nothing in the way of gore, there are no scares, and the zombie makeup is pretty basic, but I was totally feeling the throwback vibes to early 2000s SyFy and direct-to-DVD low budget flicks.
OUTBREAK (2024)
I was concerned when I kept seeing this one labeled as a “psychological thriller” online. After watching it, I can see why some might feel the need to label it as such, but looking at the broader picture, the psychological aspect is basically a minor element. Sure, it may be the catalyst for the entire plot, but it doesn’t get in the way of the fact that there are some great, fast-paced zombie sequences that kept me highly entertained.
It takes place in a desert town, where some sort of outbreak has been affecting wildlife. Supposedly, all the locals have been vaccinated against it, but after a park ranger and local law enforcement are attacked by a “rabid” dog, the park ranger encounters a freaky, fast and strong zombie.
He gathers up his wife, who is in a horrible emotional state because their teenage son disappeared a few months ago, and he must protect her as he tries to make it safely to a friend’s house.
There are screeching, running zombies with gnarly faces, a zombie that spider crawls up a pole, and a lot of creepy, disjointed, contorting movements complete with cracking, snapping sounds. Eek!
The action is all familiar and doesn’t cover any new territory, so I assume the twist at the end is intended to make up for all the tropes. Personally, I sensed something was up all along, so I wasn’t totally surprised by the conclusion, but I sure as hell did enjoy all the zombie clichés.
BLOOD THIRSTY (2026)
Minus the 15 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage during the closing credits, this little indie clocks in at pretty much an hour long. And it doesn’t waste a moment of that time.
The opening zombie attack delivers a delicious line of dialogue when a woman calls 9-1-1 for help.
Then we meet our beefy main guy. It’s his and his girlfriend’s anniversary, but she gets called into work. While they’re chatting during a video call, someone looms at the window behind him. Creepy!
Things move fast after that. Our main guy discovers there are zombies roaming around his apartment complex. He has to fend some off, and we also get some quick flesh-eating gore. Nice.
Inevitably, the main guy has to go rescue his girlfriend at her place of employment, where there are even more zombies with mouths dripping with blood.
It’s short and simple, but it really has a great vibe. The basic settings at night actually add to the real feel of the zombies’ presence, and the acting, from both humans and zombies, doesn’t falter. This doesn’t feel like an amateur indie, and it’s the perfect little quick zombie fix flick. It also sets us up for a sequel with a new hero.
