Prepare for the most spine-chilling zombie transformations ever captured on film! We're diving deep into the most horrifying, gruesome, and shocking metamorphoses that will make your skin crawl. From classic horror to modern blockbusters, these undead transformations redefine terror and push the boundaries of practical effects.
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00:00Uh, this is nothing. This is nothing. I didn't do this. No!
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most effective on-screen zombie metamorphosis.
00:20Number 30. Madison, Zombieland Double Tap.
00:23We immediately fell in love with Madison's ditzy airhead character in Zombieland Double Tap.
00:29That's why we had to open up our list with this little cheat,
00:32since the characters here only think Madison is turning into the undead.
00:36My son.
00:38My son?
00:40My son!
00:40Hey, boss.
00:41Bill!
00:42Yeah?
00:42You're gonna want to pull over, right?
00:43The gross and frankly realistic zombie transformation is actually the result of Madison's nut allergy,
00:50but Columbus and the gang don't know this fact.
00:52Columbus can't bear to put Madison fully down, so he shoots above her head in order to frighten her away.
00:58This makes the lovable blonde's surprising return all the more welcome when she arrives driving an ice cream truck.
01:04Hi, old guy!
01:07Let's hang out.
01:08God, it is so weird to see you. The last time I saw you, you were like a... you were a zombie.
01:13I was. Stupid nut allergy.
01:16Number 29. Tommy, After Death.
01:19Hey, Tommy! Look at this!
01:21We got M16s again, just like in the old days. We can fight anything now.
01:25He can't hear you.
01:28I think he's almost in a coma.
01:29The law of diminishing returns does not apply to this Italian zombie franchise.
01:34Zombie 3 proved that directors Lucio Fulci and Bruno Mattei could get bloody on a budget.
01:40Meanwhile, the screenwriter of that film, Claudio Fragasso, directed Zombie 4, After Death, in 1989.
01:47The end result is more messy fun, particularly the scene where a mercenary named Tommy turns into one of the undead.
01:54Actor Don Wilson fully commits to bulging his eyes and letting some vicious goo pour from his mouth.
02:00The zombies in After Death are also fairly spry, going hard with their performances,
02:05as the film's righteous, hard-rock theme song sounds the charge.
02:18Number 28. George Meaning, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie.
02:23Arthur Kennedy's inspector character is a fairly unlikable fellow,
02:27a man with clear prejudices against the film's main characters, George and Edna.
02:31Oh, can't you see, Peggy? I've got nothing to do with this. I've got my house to look after.
02:35Will you tell him that I was...
02:36Listen, boy, you keep getting on my nerves, and I'm gonna give you another kind of house to look after,
02:42one with lots of bars in the windows!
02:45We're initially led to believe that the inspector is going to come out on top,
02:48after shooting George in cold blood near the film's climax.
02:52The papers will be going crazy over it. I like you. It looks like you'll be a regular hero.
02:59Justice has been a bit slow in these parts, with all this permissive rot going on.
03:04Maybe people learned a thing or two from my example here.
03:08However, justice is served, when George's zombified visage is revealed,
03:13and the unfairly persecuted protagonist takes his bloody revenge.
03:18The make-up effects on both Ray Lovelock and his co-star Christina Galbo are super effective,
03:23as are the other zombies in the film.
03:25There's an overarching sense of doom that permeates this European co-production,
03:30also known by its foreboding title of The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue.
03:39Giovanni Lombardo Radici was an Italian character actor who earned infamy for his death scenes.
03:45Graphic, morbid, and over-the-top death scenes.
03:48His character of Bob and Lucio Fulci's City of the Living Dead received a particularly nasty one
03:54halfway through the film via a table drill.
03:58What are you trying to do to my daughter? Huh?
04:03Please let me explain, Mr. Ross. I was only looking for a place to sleep. I swear.
04:09This isn't the end of Bob, though, since we see him return at the film's climax, leading an undead horde.
04:15Daniela Doria, Janet Ogden, and more all receive the zombie treatment,
04:19and their horrid make-up effects stand amongst some of the finest ever achieved in an Italian horror flick.
04:25Well...
04:28Time was family, too. Now what?
04:35One of the aspects of this movie that works best is its pitch-black sense of humor.
04:39This is seen not only with director John Landis' decision to pepper his soundtrack with moon puns,
04:45but also the character of Jack.
04:47It's a sheepdog or something. Come on, turn slowly, let's walk away.
04:50Nice doggie. Good boy.
04:53David Kessler's friend is murdered on the moors by the titular American werewolf, but he returns to haunt David.
04:59Jack is more and more decomposed with each visit.
05:02It gives him an appearance that may not be a zombie in the traditional sense,
05:07but it's more than iconic enough to make our list.
05:14You're not real.
05:16Don't be a putz, David. Come here.
05:23Director Michele Soavi proved that the Italian horror cycle
05:27still had some inspirational gas left in the tank with 1994's Cemetery Man.
05:33This insanely imaginative horror flick starred Rupert Everett early in his career
05:38as a caretaker who's tasked with putting down returners that arise from their graves every night.
05:44Hey, visiting hours are over.
05:46Nobody's gonna take me away from him!
05:48One particularly memorable example of Everett's work is when an accident victim
05:53rises from his grave, motorcycle in tow.
05:56The practical effect of the zombie's mangled helmet is particularly well done,
06:00as is the grieving pathos of the girlfriend who's left behind.
06:04The pair abscond from the cemetery and engage in a brief reunion.
06:08That is, until Everett's Francesco della Morte blows them both to kingdom come.
06:16No, please don't! He's only eating me!
06:19Move aside.
06:20Mind your business! I shall be eaten by whoever I please!
06:24This is my business. Pay me for it.
06:30This Italian horror effort from 1980 manages to be trashy, silly and violent,
06:36sometimes all at the same time.
06:38That said, if Hell of the Living Dead was low-budget B-movie fare,
06:42nobody told little Oscar Daniel.
06:45Mama! Mama!
06:48This child actor gives it his all with a performance that plays it completely straight.
06:52Director Bruno Mattei was never one for moments of emotional pathos,
06:56but the look on Daniel's face is pretty effective as it's revealed he's turned into a zombie.
07:09Killing off a child is always a dicey proposition in a movie,
07:13but Hell of the Living Dead has no such qualms about icing this little zombie for good.
07:18Number 23. Susan Barrett. Zombie 2.
07:22This character has a rough go of it in Lucio Fulci's Zombie 2.
07:26For starters, she gets eaten by what's probably one of the film's most iconic zombies.
07:31What is it?
07:32It's a helmet.
07:35Must be all of 400 years old.
07:37She returns later at the film's climax to chomp on her husband Brian,
07:41in a scene that's admittedly been done many times in the past.
07:45The trope of I can't kill my loved one just because they're a zombie
07:49gets a new lease on life, however, thanks to the goopy makeup.
07:53Zombie 2 was one of the most infamous zombie pics of the VHS era,
07:57and looking back now, it's easy to see why.
08:00I don't want to become like...
08:03Take me home, Peter.
08:05Save me.
08:07Number 22. Carmen. Demons.
08:10The movie calls them demons, but they look an awful lot like zombies to us,
08:14especially with those incredibly gruesome practical effects.
08:18The infected nature of the monsters and the siege elements of demons
08:22also make the film feel in line with other Italian zombie flicks of the 80s.
08:37Meanwhile, Carmen's actual transformation
08:40goes far beyond the so-bad-it's-good nature of a typical low-budget horror movie.
08:45Instead, this is genuinely wince-inducing stuff that feels visceral and gross.
08:50In other words, it's exactly what you want from a scene like this one.
09:03Number 21. Joe the Plumber. The Beyond.
09:06The deaths in Lucio Fulci's The Beyond pushed the boundaries of cinematic gore back in 1981,
09:12and they're still pretty gross today.
09:15You are Liza, aren't you?
09:19Yes.
09:20My name is Emily. I've been looking for you.
09:24The death of Joe the Plumber early on in the film features some traumatic eyeball action
09:29that will make you squirm in your seat.
09:31Later, his corpse reanimates from a bathtub inside the demonic Room 36.
09:37Joe's blind and waterlogged face emerges to dispatch Martha,
09:41a maid who's working to renovate the Seven Doors Hotel.
09:44Her death is equally gruesome and boasts similar eye damage to Boot.
09:49These scenes, combined with an infamous headshot to an undead little girl later in the film,
09:54helped make The Beyond a cult classic from the underground.
09:58Impossible. Impossible.
10:01Number 20. Stephen Flyboy Andrews' Dawn of the Dead.
10:05There are hundreds of movie zombies out there, but none quite like Flyboy.
10:09You did alright this time, Flyboy. How about it?
10:14In the original Dawn of the Dead, David Emge plays Stephen, who meets his maker in the bloody climax.
10:19He's attacked by a group of zombies inside an elevator and bitten on the neck and leg.
10:24The next time we see him, well, he doesn't look so good.
10:28Emge brushes the elevator button with its finger,
10:30revealing the iconic zombie Flyboy with a terrifying musical cue.
10:34His head is cocked, he's covered in blood, and he walks with a memorable stumble owing to his crooked foot.
10:40Between Flyboy and Roger earlier in the film,
10:43Dawn of the Dead proudly claims some of the best zombie transformations in the business.
10:47We've got to. There's no choice. It has to be. It's that or the end.
10:55Number 19. Dr. Alexander Isaac's Resident Evil Extinction
10:59The Resident Evil franchise is known for mixing zombies and monsters,
11:03and Dr. Isaac's is a terrifying combination of the two.
11:06Continue with your research, Doctor. While it still is your research.
11:12The scientist attempts to train zombies and send an army of them against Alice and her convoy,
11:17but his own pet comes back to literally bite him with a zombie chomping on his shoulder as he enters an escape helicopter.
11:23He then pumps himself full of chemicals and turns into the Tyrant.
11:27He rises to his feet after being shot and hurls some newly formed tentacles into his adversaries,
11:33which takes them out in exceedingly gruesome fashion.
11:36It's quite the turnaround, and with it,
11:38Isaac's successfully bridges the gap between intelligent human and vicious monster.
11:43You can't kill me.
11:45Number 18. Zoe McConnell, The Lazarus Effect
11:49Zoe McConnell is a medical researcher who works with her fiancé, Frank.
11:53Together, the scientists develop a serum called Lazarus,
11:56named after the biblical figure who's brought back to life by Jesus.
12:00Like the story from which it's named, Lazarus resurrects the dead.
12:04The goal here is simple, to give healthcare professionals more time to do their jobs,
12:09to prolong that period where you can safely bring someone back.
12:12Zoe herself dies when an experiment goes awry.
12:15A grieving Frank injects her with their serum and brings her back from death.
12:19Unlike other zombie transformations, this one isn't particularly violent,
12:23just very eerie and unnatural.
12:26The image of Zoe sitting on the table underneath the sheet is incredibly unnerving.
12:30Her zombie also veers into the uncanny valley as she appears conscious,
12:34but is very pale and stares blankly ahead.
12:37The lights are on, but nobody's home.
12:40Hey, sweetheart, it's me.
12:43Alright, she's in shock. I need a blanket, please.
12:45Yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:47Hey, baby, it's me. You're okay.
12:51Number 17. Julie Walker, Return of the Living Dead 3
12:55Who knew that a goofy horror comedy would have one of the most unique zombie transformations ever put to film?
13:01Julie Walker is the girlfriend of Kurt Reynolds, whose father works at a military base.
13:06This base reanimates corpses with a special gas called trioxin.
13:11The steel frame allowed me to control the deceased units
13:14and at the same time offer the mobility to make them highly effective bioweapons.
13:18During one fateful joyride on Kurt's motorcycle, Kurt crashes and sends Julie into a telephone pole.
13:24The impact causes devastating injuries and she dies.
13:28Kurt then brings her corpse to the military base and uses trioxin to bring her back to life.
13:33Her body undergoes some disturbing twitching before she gasps back to life and kisses her boyfriend.
13:39It's not a typical zombie transformation, but that twitching sure is creepy.
13:43Oh, my God. Julie!
13:47Number 16. Cholo DeMora, Land of the Dead
13:51The fourth entry in George A. Romero's legendary franchise
13:54co-stars John Leguizamo as bad guy Cholo DeMora.
13:58Cholo is bitten on the hand and he immediately knows that his time has come.
14:02But unlike many characters with similar fates, Cholo actually embraces his transformation
14:07and states with confidence that he wants to live as a zombie.
14:10It's your choice, bro.
14:16You know, I always wanted to see how the other half lives.
14:18We see Cholo's final moments as he weakly approaches the crooked Kaufman
14:22in the shadows of a parking garage.
14:24The lighting is fantastic, with Cholo mostly hidden in the darkness.
14:29There's also a creepy air of mystery to it as we don't yet know if Cholo is alive or already a zombie.
14:35But it doesn't take long for them both to return to the grave permanently.
14:39You're dead.
14:43Oh, my God. You are dead.
14:45Number 15. Burt Cummings, Army of the Dead
14:49A spiritual successor to Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead,
14:52Army of the Dead sees the director working within a zombie blockbuster framework.
14:56Snyder brings a few good ideas to the table, including the concept of alpha zombies.
15:03Security guard Burt Cummings is injured by Lily and offered up as a sacrifice to the alphas.
15:08Looks like they're taking him to the Olympus.
15:10Good. Now we know where not to go.
15:12The weakened Cummings is taken to a casino and bitten on the arm in some type of nightmarish ritual.
15:18It's something that's never been seen before,
15:20and it helps establish the zombies as intelligent members of a functioning undead society.
15:25That's a frightening concept that we do not wish to contemplate.
15:33Number 14. Manu, Wreck
15:38An effective found-footage movie,
15:40Wreck follows a group of people trapped inside an apartment complex as a zombie outbreak occurs.
15:56We follow reporter Angela and her camera operator Pablo,
15:59who befriend a heroic firefighter named Manu.
16:02Unfortunately, Manu is eventually bitten by a zombie,
16:05and Angela and Pablo are forced to continue on their own.
16:08This sets up a wonderful and utterly horrifying reveal.
16:12As Angela and Pablo leave a room,
16:14they look down a staircase and see a large horde of writhing zombies.
16:18In the middle of them is a freshly turned Manu,
16:20who screeches up at them with bloody eyes.
16:23Manu!
16:31It's a disturbing combination of visuals and sound,
16:34and seeing the heroic character resorted to a violent screeching zombie is highly discomforting.
16:40Number 13. Barbara, Shaun of the Dead
16:44Edgar Wright is a very talented director who can have us laughing one moment and crying the next.
16:49Simon Pegg stars here as slacker Shaun,
16:52who attempts to lead his friends and family to safety during the zombie apocalypse.
17:05He brings along his mother, Barbara, who's bitten after becoming separated from the group.
17:09Not wanting to worry Shaun, she keeps this bite secret until it starts to take her life.
17:14She grows weaker and weaker before dying in Shaun's arms.
17:18Shortly after dying, Barbara rises to her feet,
17:21her blank eyes now a milky blue.
17:24The makeup, acting, and framing of this sequence are all spectacular,
17:28especially the bone-chilling sight of zombie Barbara rising in the background.
17:33Shaun! Babe!
17:36I know you don't want to hear this!
17:42Laughter, emotion, and then utter fear.
17:45Number 12. 406. Zombieland
17:49For such a funny movie, Zombieland has a stellar transformation sequence.
17:53Columbus recounts the story of his first zombie kill, and it involves his attractive neighbor.
17:59Known only as 406 after her room number, the woman barges into Columbus' place asking for help.
18:05He's happy to oblige, finding her quote, insanely hot.
18:09I don't usually unlock my door to the sounds of panic, but my neighbor 406 is insanely hot.
18:14She lies down on Columbus to go to sleep, and he passes out as well.
18:18When he wakes up, he's met with the ghastly sight of a freshly zombified 406.
18:23The staging of this scene is quite effective.
18:26The slow pacing lulls us into relaxation just as it does Columbus,
18:30and then we're met with a sharp music cue and a frightening visual as 406's bloody face zooms into frame.
18:37Sleep time is over.
18:39Oh my god. Are you okay?
18:43Number 11. Bloated Woman, Dawn of the Dead
18:47Zack Snyder sure knows how to direct a zombie movie.
18:50This remake of George A. Romero's classic has a huge cast of characters,
18:54including one known only as Bloated Woman.
18:57This character was bitten off screen and arrives at the mall in a desperate state with no one knowing her name.
19:03Died without a name? Damn.
19:08She's unable to speak and eventually dies from her injuries.
19:11This in turn prompts one of the scariest sequences of the movie.
19:15Her corpse rises inside of its blanket, opens its now yellow eye,
19:20and produces a high-pitched screech as it zeroes in on Anna.
19:29It then pounces from the bed and runs towards her, her speed betraying her large frame.
19:34Despite being an unnamed character, this zombie is unforgettable.
19:39Number 10. The First Transformations, World War Z
19:43We know, we know, World War Z is nothing like the beloved book.
19:46But it's still a very entertaining zombie movie when taken on its own terms
19:50and contains many effective sequences.
19:58The opening sequence is among them, as Jerry and his family witness the rise of the zombies.
20:03Out of nowhere, people stuck in traffic start transforming into fast and bloody killers.
20:13They contort in grotesque manners, slam their heads into windshields and, you know, bite people.
20:19This understandably causes a lot of fear and panic,
20:22and the scene's use of shaky cam and quick cuts places viewers in the middle of the pandemonium.
20:27Now this is how you start a movie.
20:34Number 9. Reign, Resident Evil
20:37Just by virtue of being played by Michelle Rodriguez, we knew that Reign would kick some butt.
20:43Unfortunately, she's the first member of the team to get bitten, and the clock tragically begins ticking.
20:48Reign's transformation throughout the movie is slow and difficult to watch.
20:58It becomes very obvious that she's dying.
21:00She becomes weaker and more fatigued, her skin turns a pale white,
21:04and she sweats so much she looks like she just hopped out of the shower.
21:07I'm not dead yet.
21:08Her final transformation is also quite creepy, as she stands up normally and cranes her neck
21:13before revealing those terrifying bright blue eyes.
21:16Why her teeth suddenly became rotten, we don't know.
21:22Number 8. Dawn, 28 Weeks Later
21:25The 28 series famously reinvented the zombie genre.
21:28They aren't really zombies, they're infected.
21:30They don't mindlessly shamble about, they run.
21:33And coolest of all, it doesn't take hours or days to turn.
21:36It takes about, oh, 10 seconds.
21:38The movie takes full advantage of this with the horrifying transformation of Dawn.
21:42Dawn kisses his wife Alice, not knowing that she's an asymptomatic carrier.
21:55He immediately begins twitching and frothing at the mouth,
21:58and it really isn't long before he's writhing on the floor and spitting up blood.
22:02He then attacks his wife, and it is grisly.
22:06No!
22:11It's a great sequence, containing effective uses of music and sound design.
22:16Dawn actor Robert Carlyle is also excellent,
22:19his changing body language and expressions speaking volumes.
22:26Number 7. Jennifer, Wreck
22:29As you'll recall, this short but sweet Spanish zombie movie follows news reporter Angela,
22:34who accompanies a fire station to a call from a nearby apartment complex,
22:38which is being quarantined by the local authorities.
22:41While at the complex, Angela meets a sick young girl named Jennifer,
22:44whose mother claims is suffering from tonsillitis.
22:53The truth is, quite obviously, far more terrifying.
22:56In one of the movie's most effective sequences,
22:58little Jennifer suddenly bites into her mother's face
23:01before screeching at some responders and running upstairs.
23:10It's a startling sequence that's brilliantly filmed,
23:12and it's with this transformation that the movie veers into full nightmare territory.
23:22Number 6. Lieutenant Muldoon, Planet Terror
23:25This zombie film from Robert Rodriguez is intentionally ridiculous.
23:29Originally released as one half of the Grindhouse double feature,
23:33it harkens back to the cheap, exploitative, and astoundingly gory horror films of the 70s.
23:38In this one, some type of biochemical agent is released into the air,
23:42turning the small-town citizens into zombies.
23:45Lieutenant Muldoon explains the origins of the gas,
23:48before turning into some type of outrageous and grotesque monster.
23:52Could infect a large enough populace?
23:55We watch in horror as his face starts breaking out with gross, bubbling boils,
23:59and before we know it, he's a giant, slimy monster.
24:02I never had a choice.
24:04Despite the silly nature of the scene,
24:06there's a certain degree of unease to it, not to mention grossness.
24:11God bless you and your service to this country.
24:13Number 5. Lee Sang-chul, Hashtag Alive
24:17A South Korean horror film, Hashtag Alive effectively blends two pop culture fascinations,
24:23zombies and streaming.
24:25Oh Joon-woo is streaming video games when a zombie apocalypse begins outside his apartment.
24:31Naturally, he remains inside to stay safe.
24:34But, curious, he cracks his door open,
24:36and accidentally lets in a bitten neighbor named Lee Sang-chul.
24:40It goes about as well as you'd expect.
24:42It's not long before Sang-chul starts bleeding from his eyes
24:45and contorting in quick and jerky movements.
24:52He then attacks Joon-woo with a jump scare,
24:54capping an already horrific sequence with an effective startle.
24:58Number 4. Andy, Dawn of the Dead
25:01Clearly, movies called Dawn of the Dead contain many effective zombie transformations.
25:05Perhaps the creepiest of them all is Andy's.
25:07The owner of a distant gun shop,
25:09Andy spends most of his apocalypse days on the roof,
25:12taking pot shots at zombies and playing chess with Kenneth.
25:15He's also known for being a big fan of the zombie genre.
25:18He's also known for being a big fan of the zombie genre.
25:21He's also known for being a big fan of the zombie genre.
25:23He's also known for being a big fan of the zombie genre.
25:26taking pot shots at zombies and playing chess with Kenneth.
25:29The mall group decides to send food over to Andy,
25:32but zombies break in during the attempt and bite him.
25:35Andy soon starts voraciously scribbling on his whiteboard,
25:38and through a wonderfully creepy reveal, we realize that he's turned.
25:45It's a very well-filmed and edited sequence,
25:48and further tension is added when zombie Andy starts chasing Nicole.
25:52Number 3. The first train zombie, Train to Busan.
25:56Another great Korean film, Train to Busan mostly takes place on the titular locomotive.
26:01This naturally causes a lot of great tension,
26:04with the enclosed train setting offering palpable feelings of claustrophobia and panic.
26:09This gimmick is evident in the first transformation scene,
26:12which comes via a sick stowaway.
26:15Are you okay?
26:19The young woman collapses, but when a train attendant radios for help,
26:23she slowly rises to her feet in the background.
26:26This photography trick has been done lots of times before, but it remains compelling.
26:30Adding to the horror is the woman's cracking neck and zombified appearance,
26:34which includes pale eyes and dark veins.
26:45Props to the makeup department on this one. That is one creepy zombie.
26:57Number 2. Chase's Resurrection, Overlord.
27:01This horror film from producer J.J. Abrams shares much in common with Planet Terror,
27:06including a similar grindhouse-y tone.
27:08In Overlord, a paratrooper squad lands in a small Nazi-occupied village
27:13and discovers grotesque human experiments underneath the church.
27:16A soldier named Chase is shot and killed by a Nazi soldier,
27:20but fellow American Boyce injects him with an experimental serum
27:24in the hopes of bringing him back to life.
27:31Not a good idea.
27:33It works, yes, but Chase quickly turns into a violent, zombie-like creature.
27:37It's a horrific transformation,
27:40complete with lots of grisly visuals and revolting sound effects.
27:43Actor Ian DeCastiker certainly commits to the bit,
27:46what with his contortions and blood-chilling screams.
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28:07Number 1. Frank, 28 Days Later.
28:10Poor Frank was the heart of 28 Days Later,
28:13and he's the only one of the four main characters to die.
28:17His death is both scary and deeply tragic.
28:20Frank suffers the worst luck of all,
28:22when a small drop of infected blood falls into his eye.
28:30Frank quickly begins growling and snarling as his body contorts,
28:34and his young daughter is forced to watch her loving father go mad.
28:38Luckily, incoming soldiers put him down before protagonist Jim is forced to act.
28:44Brendan Gleeson's physicality is terrific,
28:47as is the music and the sound design of the snarling.
28:57The fact that it's so painfully quick,
29:00combined with the fact that Frank dies in front of his daughter,
29:03makes it even scarier.
29:06How young were you when you watched your first zombie movie?
29:09Let us know in the comments!