Top 20 Scariest Zombie Transformations in Movies
#20: Stephen “Flyboy” Andrews
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“Dawn of the Dead” (1978) There are hundreds of movie zombies out there, but none quite like Flyboy. In the original “Dawn of the Dead,” David Emge plays Stephen, who meets his maker in the bloody climax. He’s attacked by a group of zombies inside an elevator and bitten on the neck and leg. The next time we see him, well…he doesn’t look so good. A zombie brushes the elevator button with its finger, revealing the iconic zombie Flyboy with a terrifying musical cue. His head is cocked, he’s covered in blood, and he walks with a memorable stumble owing to his crooked foot. Between Flyboy and Roger earlier in the film, “Dawn of the Dead” proudly claims some of the best zombie transformations in the business.
#19: Dr. Alexander Isaacs
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“Resident Evil: Extinction” (2007) The “Resident Evil” franchise is known for mixing zombies and monsters, and Dr. Isaacs is a terrifying combination of the two. The scientist attempts to train zombies and sends an army of them against Alice and her convoy. But his own pet comes back to literally bite him, with a zombie chomping on his shoulder as he enters an escape helicopter. He then pumps himself full of chemicals and turns into the Tyrant. He rises to his feet after being shot and hurls some newly-formed tentacles into his adversaries, which takes them out in exceedingly gruesome fashion. It’s quite the turnaround, and with it, Isaacs successfully bridges the gap between intelligent human and vicious monster.
#18: Zoe McConnell
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“The Lazarus Effect” (2015) Zoe McConnell is a medical researcher who works with her fiancé, Frank. Together, the scientists develop a serum called Lazarus, named after the biblical figure who’s brought back to life by Jesus. Like the story from which it’s named, Lazarus resurrects the dead. Zoe herself dies when an experiment goes awry. A grieving Frank injects her with their serum and brings her back from death. Unlike other zombie transformations, this one isn’t particularly violent, just very eerie and unnatural. The image of Zoe sitting on the table underneath the sheet is incredibly unnerving. Her zombie also veers into the uncanny valley, as she appears conscious but is very pale and stares blankly ahead; the lights are on, but nobody’s home.
#17: Julie Walker
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“Return of the Living Dead 3” (1993) Who knew that a goofy horror comedy would have one of the most unique zombie transformations ever put to film? Julie Walker is the girlfriend of Curt Reynolds, whose father works at a military base. This base reanimates corpses with a special gas called Trioxin. During one fateful joyride on Curt’s motorcycle, Curt crashes and sends Julie into a telephone poll. The impact causes devastating injuries and she dies. Curt then brings her corpse to the military base and uses Trioxin to bring her back to life. Her body undergoes some disturbing twitching before she gasps back to life and kisses her boyfriend. It’s not a typical zombie transformation, but that twitching sure is creepy…
#16: Cholo DeMora
“Land of the Dead” (2005) The fourth entry in George A. Romero’s legendary franchise co-stars John Leguizamo as bad guy Cholo DeMora. Cholo is bitten on the hand, and he immediately knows that his time has come. But unlike many characters with similar fates, Cholo actually embraces his transformation and states with confidence that he wants to live as a zombie. We see Cholo’s final moments as he weakly approaches the crooked Kaufman in the shadows of a parking garage. The lighting is fantastic, with Cholo mostly hidden in the darkness. There’s also a creepy air of mystery to it, as we don’t yet know if Cholo is alive or already a zombie. But it doesn’t take long for them to both return to the grave permanently.
#15: Burt Cummings
“Army of the Dead” (2021) A spiritual successor to Zack Snyder’s “Dawn of the Dead,” “Army of the Dead” sees the director working within a zombie blockbuster framework. Snyder brings a few good ideas to the table, including the concept of alpha zombies. Security guard Burt Cummings is injured by Lilly and offered up as a sacrifice to the alphas. The weakened Cummings is taken to a casino and bitten on the arm in some type of nightmarish ritual. It’s something that’s never been seen before, and it helps establish the zombies as intelligent members of a functioning undead society. That’s a frightening concept that we do not wish to contemplate.
#14: Manu
“[•REC]” (2007) An effective found footage movie, “Rec” follows a group of people trapped inside an apartment complex as a zombie outbreak occurs. We follow reporter Ángela and her camera operator Pablo, who befriend a heroic firefighter named Manu. Unfortunately, Manu is eventually bitten by a zombie, and Ángela and Pablo are forced to continue on their own. This sets up a wonderful and utterly horrifying reveal. As Ángela and Pablo leave a room, they look down a staircase and see a large horde of writhing zombies. In the middle of them is a freshly turned Manu, who screeches up at them with bloody eyes. It’s a disturbing combination of visuals and sound, and seeing the heroic character resorted to a violent, screeching zombie is highly discomfiting.
#13: Barbara
“Shaun of the Dead” (2004) Edgar Wright is a very talented director who can have us laughing one moment and crying the next. Simon Pegg stars here as slacker Shaun, who attempts to lead his friends and family to safety during the zombie apocalypse. He brings along his mother Barbara, who’s bitten after becoming separated from the group. Not wanting to worry Shaun, she keeps this bite secret until it starts to take her life. She grows weaker and weaker before dying in Shaun’s arms. Shortly after dying, Barbara rises to her feet, her blank eyes now a milky blue. The makeup, acting, and framing of this sequence are all spectacular - especially the bone-chilling sight of zombie Barbara rising in the background. Laughter, emotion, and then utter fear.
#12: 406
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. “Zombieland” (2009) For such a funny movie, “Zombieland” has a stellar transformation sequence. Columbus recounts the story of his first zombie kill, and it involves his attractive neighbor. Known only as 406 (after her room number), the woman barges into Columbus’s place asking for help. He’s happy to oblige, finding her “insanely hot.” She lies down on Columbus to go to sleep, and he passes out as well. When he wakes up, he’s met with the ghastly sight of a freshly-zombified 406. The staging of this scene is quite effective. The slow pacing lulls us into relaxation, just as it does Columbus, and then we’re met with a sharp music cue and frightening visual as 406’s bloody face zooms into frame. Sleep time is over.
#11: Bloated Woman
“Dawn of the Dead” (2004) Zack Snyder sure knows how to direct a zombie movie. This remake of George A. Romero’s classic has a huge cast of characters, including one known only as “Bloated Woman.” This character was bitten off-screen and arrives at the mall in a desperate state, with no one knowing her name. She’s unable to speak and eventually dies from her injuries. This in turn prompts one of the scariest sequences of the movie. Her corpse rises inside of its blanket, opens its now-yellow eye, and produces a high-pitched screech as it zeroes in on Ana. It then pounces from the bed and runs towards her, her speed betraying her large frame. Despite being an unnamed character, this zombie is unforgettable!
#10: The First Transformations
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“World War Z” (2013) We know, we know, “World War Z” is nothing like the beloved book. But it’s still a very entertaining zombie movie when taken on its own terms and contains many effective sequences. The opening sequence is among them, as Gerry and his family witness the rise of the zombies. Out of nowhere, people stuck in traffic start transforming into fast and bloodthirsty killers. They contort in grotesque manners, slam their heads into windshields, and, you know, bite people. This understandably causes a lot of fear and panic, and the scene’s use of shaky cam and quick cuts places viewers in the middle of the pandemonium. Now this is how you start a movie.
#9: Rain
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“Resident Evil” (2002) Just by virtue of being played by Michelle Rodriguez, we knew that Rain would kick some butt. Unfortunately, she’s the first member of the team to get bitten, and the clock tragically begins ticking. Rain’s transformation throughout the movie is slow and difficult to watch. It becomes very obvious that she’s dying - she becomes weaker and more fatigued, her skin turns a pale white, and she sweats so much it looks like she just hopped out of the shower. Her final transformation is also quite creepy, as she stands up normally and cranes her neck before revealing those terrifying bright blue eyes. Why her teeth suddenly became rotten, we don’t know…
#8: Don
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“28 Weeks Later” (2007) The “28” series famously reinvented the zombie genre. They aren’t really “zombies” - they’re “infected.” They don’t mindlessly shamble about - they run. And coolest of all, it doesn’t take hours or days to turn. It takes about, oh, ten seconds. The movie takes full advantage of this with the horrifying transformation of Don. Don kisses his wife Alice, not knowing that she’s an asymptomatic carrier. He immediately begins twitching and frothing at the mouth, and it really isn’t long before he’s writhing on the floor and spitting up blood. He then attacks his wife, and it is grisly. It’s a great sequence, containing effective uses of music and sound design. Don actor Robert Carlyle is also excellent, his changing body language and expressions speaking volumes.
#7: Jennifer
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“[•REC]” (2007) As you’ll recall, this short but sweet Spanish zombie movie follows news reporter Ángela who accompanies a fire station to a call from a nearby apartment complex, which is being quarantined by the local authorities. While at the complex, Ángela meets a sick young girl named Jennifer, whose mother claims is suffering from tonsillitis. The truth is, quite obviously, far more horrifying. In one of the movie’s most effective sequences, little Jennifer suddenly bites into her mother’s face before screeching at some responders and running upstairs. It’s a startling sequence that’s brilliantly filmed, and it’s with this transformation that the movie veers into full nightmare territory.
#6: Lieutenant Muldoon
“Planet Terror” (2007) This zombie film from Robert Rodriguez is intentionally ridiculous. Originally released as one half of the “Grindhouse” double feature, it harkens back to the cheap, exploitative, and astoundingly gory horror films of the ‘70s. In this one, some type of biochemical agent is released into the air, turning the small town’s citizens into zombies. Lieutenant Muldoon explains the origins of the gas before turning into some type of outrageous and grotesque monster. We watch in horror as his face starts breaking out with gross, bubbling boils, and before we know it, he’s a giant, slimy monster. Despite the silly nature of the scene, there’s a certain degree of unease to it. Not to mention grossness.
#5: Lee Sang-chul
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“#Alive” (2020) A South Korean horror film, “#Alive” effectively blends two pop culture fascinations - zombies and streaming. Oh Joon-woo is streaming video games when a zombie apocalypse begins outside his apartment. Naturally, he remains inside to stay safe. But, curious, he cracks his door open and accidentally lets in a bitten neighbor named Lee Sang-chul, who then uses his bathroom. It goes about as well as you’d expect. It’s not long before Sang-chul starts bleeding from his eyes and contorting in quick and jerky movements. He then attacks Joon-woo with a jump scare, capping an already horrific sequence with an effective startle.
#4: Andy
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“Dawn of the Dead” (2004) Clearly, movies called “Dawn of the Dead” contain many effective zombie transformations. Perhaps the creepiest of them all is Andy’s. The owner of a distant gun store, Andy spends most of his apocalypse days on the roof taking potshots at zombies and playing chess with Kenneth. The mall group decides to send food over to Andy, but zombies break in during the attempt and bite him. Andy soon starts voraciously scribbling on his whiteboard, and through a wonderfully creepy reveal, we realize that he’s turned. It’s a very well filmed and edited sequence, and further tension is added when zombie Andy starts chasing Nicole.
#3: The First Train Zombie
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“Train to Busan” (2016) Another great Korean film, “Train to Busan” mostly takes place on the titular locomotive. This naturally causes a lot of great tension, with the enclosed train setting offering palpable feelings of claustrophobia and panic. This gimmick is evident in the first transformation scene, which comes via a sick stowaway. The young woman collapses, but when a train attendant radios for help, she slowly rises to her feet in the background. This photography trick has been done lots of times before, but it remains compelling. Adding to the horror is the woman’s cracking neck and zombified appearance, which includes pale eyes and dark veins. Props to the makeup department for this one. That is one creepy zombie.
#2: Chase’s Resurrection
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“Overlord” (2018) This horror film from producer J. J. Abrams shares much in common with “Planet Terror,” including a similar grindhouse-y tone. In “Overlord,” a paratrooper squad lands in a small Nazi-occupied village and discovers grotesque human experiments underneath the church. A soldier named Chase is shot and killed by a Nazi soldier, but fellow American Boyce injects him with an experimental serum in the hopes of bringing him back to life. Not a good idea. It works, yes, but Chase quickly turns into a violent zombie-like creature. It’s a horrific transformation, complete with lots of grisly visuals and revolting sound effects. Actor Iain De Caestecker certainly commits to the bit, what with his contortions and blood-chilling screams.
#1: Frank
“28 Days Later” (2002) Poor Frank was the heart of “28 Days Later,” and he’s the only one of the four main characters to die. His death is both scary and deeply tragic. Frank suffers the worst luck of all when a small drop of infected blood falls into his eye. Frank quickly begins growling and snarling as his body contorts, and his young daughter is forced to watch her loving father go mad. Luckily, incoming soldiers put him down before protagonist Jim is forced to act. Brendan Gleeson’s physicality is terrific, as is the music and sound design of the snarling. The fact that it’s so painfully quick, combined with the fact that Frank dies in front of his daughter, makes it even scarier.