Top 10 Smartest Decisions in Zombie Movies
Here are some of the most creative and effective solutions characters came up with in zombie films to outsmart the undead:
1. **Using the Pub as a Fortress (“Shaun of the Dead,” 2004)** - Shaun and his friends decide to hole up in their local pub, The Winchester, which they believe to be safe and fortified. While not perfect, the pub serves as a temporary stronghold against the zombies.
2. **Following the Rules (“Zombieland,” 2009)** - Columbus's adherence to his set of survival rules, such as “Cardio” and “Double Tap,” provides him with the necessary strategies to stay alive in a zombie-infested world.
3. **Isolation in an Apartment (“#Alive,” 2020)** - In this South Korean film, a young man barricades himself in his apartment, rationing supplies and using technology to call for help. His decision to stay put and avoid the infected proves to be a smart survival tactic.
4. **Creating a Community (“The Walking Dead,” TV series)** - While not a movie, the survivors in "The Walking Dead" series often find strength in numbers by forming communities, sharing resources, and fortifying their settlements to protect against the undead.
5. **Using Disguises (“Warm Bodies,” 2013)** - R, a zombie who begins to regain his humanity, uses makeup and clothing to disguise himself as a human, which allows him to move freely among the living and undead.
6. **Clearing a Safe Zone (“28 Days Later,” 2002)** - The survivors' plan to clear and secure a section of London, creating a safe zone where they can live and rebuild, demonstrates strategic thinking in the face of a widespread infection.
7. **Using the Environment to Their Advantage (“Train to Busan,” 2016)** - Characters in this film use the train's compartments and knowledge of the zombies' behaviors (such as their sensitivity to light and sound) to maneuver and protect themselves.
8. **Constructing Traps and Barricades (“Resident Evil,” 2002)** - Alice and her team use their environment to set traps and create barricades against the zombies and other creatures they encounter.
9. **Seeking High Ground (“World War Z,” 2013)** - In the face of a fast-moving zombie horde, characters seek high ground or isolated locations (like a walled city) to stay out of reach and limit their exposure to the infected.
10. **Coordinated Offense (“Dawn of the Dead,” 2004)** - Survivors in the mall coordinate a plan to equip buses with makeshift armor and weapons to escape the building and fight their way through the zombies to a safer location.
Which one of these solutions would you use in a zombie apocalypse? Let us know in the comments below!
1. **Using the Pub as a Fortress (“Shaun of the Dead,” 2004)** - Shaun and his friends decide to hole up in their local pub, The Winchester, which they believe to be safe and fortified. While not perfect, the pub serves as a temporary stronghold against the zombies.
2. **Following the Rules (“Zombieland,” 2009)** - Columbus's adherence to his set of survival rules, such as “Cardio” and “Double Tap,” provides him with the necessary strategies to stay alive in a zombie-infested world.
3. **Isolation in an Apartment (“#Alive,” 2020)** - In this South Korean film, a young man barricades himself in his apartment, rationing supplies and using technology to call for help. His decision to stay put and avoid the infected proves to be a smart survival tactic.
4. **Creating a Community (“The Walking Dead,” TV series)** - While not a movie, the survivors in "The Walking Dead" series often find strength in numbers by forming communities, sharing resources, and fortifying their settlements to protect against the undead.
5. **Using Disguises (“Warm Bodies,” 2013)** - R, a zombie who begins to regain his humanity, uses makeup and clothing to disguise himself as a human, which allows him to move freely among the living and undead.
6. **Clearing a Safe Zone (“28 Days Later,” 2002)** - The survivors' plan to clear and secure a section of London, creating a safe zone where they can live and rebuild, demonstrates strategic thinking in the face of a widespread infection.
7. **Using the Environment to Their Advantage (“Train to Busan,” 2016)** - Characters in this film use the train's compartments and knowledge of the zombies' behaviors (such as their sensitivity to light and sound) to maneuver and protect themselves.
8. **Constructing Traps and Barricades (“Resident Evil,” 2002)** - Alice and her team use their environment to set traps and create barricades against the zombies and other creatures they encounter.
9. **Seeking High Ground (“World War Z,” 2013)** - In the face of a fast-moving zombie horde, characters seek high ground or isolated locations (like a walled city) to stay out of reach and limit their exposure to the infected.
10. **Coordinated Offense (“Dawn of the Dead,” 2004)** - Survivors in the mall coordinate a plan to equip buses with makeshift armor and weapons to escape the building and fight their way through the zombies to a safer location.
Which one of these solutions would you use in a zombie apocalypse? Let us know in the comments below!
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Short filmTranscript
00:00I have rules, you know, which is, like, less biblical.
00:02I love rules. Without rules, everything's chaos.
00:05Thank you.
00:06Columbus has quite a few rules.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks
00:11for the top 10 smartest decisions in zombie movies.
00:14I think it's ours this time.
00:17The zombies are not real.
00:19How's that for a slice of fried gold?
00:21Yeah, boy!
00:23For this list, we'll be looking at the creative,
00:25big-screen solutions characters came up with when reanimated beings,
00:29virus-infected lifeforms,
00:31or similarly afflicted creatures became a huge problem.
00:35Since some of these decisions come at big moments,
00:37beware of spoilers shambling your way.
00:40Which one of these solutions would you use in a zombie apocalypse?
00:44Let us know in the comments below.
00:46If you like what you're hearing, be sure to check out the full song at the link below.
00:5910. Using Zombies to Stimulate the Economy
01:07Shaun of the Dead
01:16After the British army contains the zombie outbreak,
01:19the country is left with a surplus of shambling creatures.
01:23Instead of dispatching them,
01:24the government decides to use the remaining members of the horde to benefit the economy.
01:28The fact that the mobile deceased retained their primal instincts
01:32makes them ideal recruitment for the service industry.
01:35A bunch of zombies are placed into blue-collar positions.
01:38Another group of the moaning creatures is featured on reality TV and game shows.
01:43The title character Shaun even plays video games with his zombified former roommate.
01:47Since the creatures don't need money,
01:49a lot of business owners are likely saving a fortune by hiring the horde.
01:53How's that for a slice of fried gold?
01:55This plan should go off without a hitch.
01:57Unless the zombies get together and unionize.
02:009. Turning Buses into Tanks
02:03Dawn of the Dead
02:11The heroes of this zombie film spend most of the runtime safe from the hungry horde
02:16by hunkering down in a mall.
02:17Before they decide to make their way to a getaway boat on the docks,
02:21they spend some valuable time reinforcing two buses.
02:24They make the exteriors virtually indestructible
02:27by adding steel, barbed wire, and big plows to the fronts.
02:31Then they load up the interiors with a good selection of weapons
02:34and some explosive propane tanks.
02:43The buses are able to take a lot of punishment while cutting a path through the horde.
02:47Honestly, the survivors might have been better off staying inside their tricked-out buses
02:51instead of hopping on a boat to the unknown.
02:54Just saying.
02:598. Preparing an SOS Sign
03:0328 Days Later
03:13Surviving the hellish world of 28 Days Later is a near-impossible task.
03:17However, Jim, Selina, and Hannah manage to overcome rage-infected humans,
03:22corrupt soldiers, and the harsh elements to find a safe haven.
03:26When Hannah hears a plane approaching their cottage, the group executes a rescue plan.
03:33They quickly unfurl a huge SOS made out of curtains that spells out the word
03:37HELLO.
03:38It was already pretty smart of them to have a pre-prepared message ready to go,
03:42but the incredibly efficient way that they laid it out suggests that they'd spent some time
03:46practicing it.
03:47Let's just hope they had the pilot at HELLO and he swung around to pick them up.
03:527. Trapping the Infected Inside an Apartment Building
03:59Wreck
04:05Some smart decisions come at a high cost.
04:08The protagonists of 2007's Wreck had to learn this lesson in the worst way.
04:13After firefighters get a call about someone trapped in an apartment building,
04:16they try to assist.
04:18Unfortunately, the woman they try to save is infected with a rabies-like virus and attacks
04:23them.
04:23When everyone tries to leave the woman behind in this building,
04:26they learn officials have locked them in.
04:35This cruel decision contains the virus in one place.
04:38While this choice wisely helps prevent a potential outbreak,
04:42the people left inside the apartment building are trapped with the monsters they can't escape.
04:486. Giving Julie Zombie Camouflage
05:01Warm Bodies
05:09Although R is a zombie, his heart still seems to be working just fine.
05:13When he first laid eyes on Julie, he stopped trying to munch on humans
05:17just so he can see her face.
05:19And after he snacks on the brains of Julie's boyfriend,
05:22he decides to protect her from the rest of the horde.
05:25He transfers some of his own blood to her face to cover up her human smell.
05:30This allows Julie to camouflage among the zombies until R can take her to a safe place.
05:36It's pretty impressive thinking for a creature whose brains technically shouldn't work.
05:40Not only does R's camouflage plan save Julie's life,
05:44but it helps prove that zombies can show humanity.
05:485. Creating Rules for the Zombie Apocalypse
06:03The Zombieland Franchise
06:10One of the best running gags in this comedy horror franchise
06:13is the slowly growing list of rules for survival.
06:16The Cautious Columbus creates and closely follows a set of guidelines to keep him safe
06:21in this dangerous world.
06:22He recommends that survivors should check that bathrooms are safe,
06:26to always wear seatbelts, get some cardio in, and so much more.
06:31His vital survival tips help save lives on numerous occasions.
06:34And although Columbus seems uptight,
06:37he's willing to modify his rules as he gains more experience in the world.
06:47Admittedly, he's not the only survivor to come up with a set of guidelines.
06:51Commandments?
06:52Yeah, just sort of guidelines for staying alive. I've got loads of them.
06:55But seeing as Columbus is still alive at the end of the sequel,
06:58we'd bet our money on his rules.
07:004. Taking Advantage of Dull Zombie Senses
07:05Train to Busan
07:11In Train to Busan, the zombies only attack what they can hear or see.
07:16The survivors take advantage of the horde's poor senses in a bunch of clever ways.
07:20They cover up the windows between train cars with newspapers so that the zombies
07:24don't see them and try to break through.
07:26A few heroes also wait for tunnels to cover the train in darkness before moving.
07:34And when survivors are out of sight, they distract the reanimated goons with sound.
07:39Unfortunately, most of the passengers never make it off the train.
07:42But there would have been no survivors at all if the humans didn't come up with so
07:46many smart ways to get around the zombies' dull senses.
07:503. Pretending the Outbreak is a Game
07:53Little Monsters
08:09A slacker musician named Dave and a brilliant teacher named Caroline are
08:14chaperoning a children's field trip when a small zombie outbreak starts.
08:18After a performer prevents them from seeking shelter in a gift shop,
08:21Dave wisely breaks into the building from the top to let the kids in.
08:25But it's Miss Caroline that has the movie's smartest idea.
08:29When zombies first surround the class, she tells her students it's all just a game.
08:39This clever strategy allows her to keep the kids calm while telling them exactly
08:48what they need to do to survive each phase of the outbreak.
08:54Miss Caroline's strategic white lie ensures every one of her students sees their parents again.
09:012. Making Excellent Use of a Drone… Alive
09:09If protagonist Oh Joon-woo invested his money in a PlayStation 4 instead of a drone,
09:14he wouldn't have survived this movie. After he gets trapped in his apartment during a
09:18zombie apocalypse, the small aircraft becomes his best resource.
09:23Joon-woo uses the drone to get his phone high enough to get reception.
09:31When he's on the brink of starvation, he establishes a direct food line to his
09:35ally Kim's apartment by flying a string into her apartment. Joon-woo even uses it to distract a
09:41zombie from munching on an unconscious Kim. Even though the drone is wrecked before the climax,
09:46Joon-woo is still rescued at the film's conclusion. Why? Because he was also
09:51smart enough to post his address and an SOS on social media.
09:55Before we reanimate our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
09:59Boarding up the hideout, Night of the Living Dead. He makes sure the horde can't get inside.
10:05Keeping the existence of a zombie serum secret,
10:14Overlord. Boyce makes sure no one else will go looking for it.
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10:34notified about our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or
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10:47Injecting deadly diseases to become invisible. World War Z.
10:51Jerry Lane's insane observation skills might make him the most intelligent person to ever
11:06appear in a zombie film. After observing how long it takes for people to turn,
11:10he removes a lieutenant's bitten hand before she becomes zombified.
11:14But that isn't Jerry's best observation. He notices that zombies avoid people with
11:19terminal illnesses. After injecting himself with a deadly disease, he becomes virtually
11:33invisible to the hordes of the walking, or in this case, running dead. Jerry's discovery is
11:39spread across the world. While some people just camouflage and avoid fights, other people use
11:44their invisibility to strike back against the zombies. Jerry's brilliant idea may have given
11:54humanity the edge it needed to win World War Z. So, do you agree with our picks? Let us know in
12:10the comments. And hey, if you're a fan of the song playing right now,
12:13be sure to check out the music video for it right here.