The Most Memorable Zombie Characters in Film

I have seen many many zombie films from the classic to the comedic and through the years there have some zombies that have stick out as the cream of the undead crop. There iconic creatures have captured the hearts, both literally and figuratively, of people around the world. I am sure some will disagree with my suggestions and that’s more than fine, feel free to add your own favorites to the comments below.

5. Cemetery Zombie in Night of the Living Dead: Bill Hinzman played the role of the first Romero zombie ever to appear on film in the original Night of the Living Dead. Siblings Johnny and Barbara visit the cemetery only to be attacked by a pale man seemingly after their flesh. There may have been other zombies before him, but Hinzman became the poster boy for zombie kind and when ever I think of Night of the Living Dead he face is what I see. His significance to the zombie genre cannot be forgotten.

4. Bud the C.H.U.D. in : There are several zombie movies that are meant to be tongue and cheek, but few of them have a bevy of mid-level Hollywood stars to bolster an already amazingly fun character. Bud Oliver was a soldier that became part of the cannibalistic humanoid underground dweller experiment to create the next super weapon. Affectionately known as Bud the Chud, he is stolen away by a couple of high school kids playing a prank and begins to chomp down and convert the townspeople. Unlike many other zombies, Bud had a personality and you felt for the guy. Played by Gerrit Graham, Bud separated himself from the other zombies because he was just a cool guy. It didn’t hurt he had 80’s B-list celebs such as June Lockhart, Norman Fell, Robert Vaughn, Larry Linville, Rich Hall and Bianca Jagger supporting him.

3. Bub in Day of the Dead: Never have I felt so much for an undead creature. Whether you are talking about the pathetic creature trying to kill Captain Rhodes in the original movie or the lovesick zombie that sacrifices himself for the one he loves in the remake, Bub was the first Romero zombie that actually had a personality. He still liked eating brains, but he also had a fondness for his master. In the Mena Suvari remake, Bub gets torn apart by his own kind saving his friends and you wish that he could have survived, but deep down you knew that his zombie nature would eventually take over. Ok, the remake sucked and you didn’t really care, but Bub is still a memorable character.

2. Paramedic Zombie in Return of the Living Dead: Return of the Living Dead is a classic in its own right, but the zombie that has stuck out in the mythos is who I like to affectionately call, Paramedic guy. The city is being taken by the undead and police and paramedics are being dispatched and eaten. One zombie hears the crackle of the ambulance radio and simply states, “Send more paramedics.” That one line summed the entire existence of zombies and out things into perspective for the audience watching the movie. They have no agenda. They don’t want power. They don’t want money. They simply want to eat.

1. Shark Guy in Zombi 2: There are many reasons why Lucio Fulti’s Zombi 2 is a classic. Not only was this not a sequel to any real movie, the goal was to make it sound like it was a sequel to Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. It is in this piece of cinematic genius where we see a zombie fighting off a tiger shark under water. Yes, this did really happen. Ramon Bravo was the shark trainer that actually went underwater and took on a tiger shark. Of course, he didn’t actually take a big chunk out of shark, but he did face off against one of nature’s biggest predators finally answering the age old question of who would win between a shark and zombie.