Top 10 Smartest Decisions in Zombie Movies

“Shaun of the Dead” (2004)
After the British army contains the zombie outbreak, the country is left with a surplus of shambling creatures. Instead of dispatching them, the government decides to use the remaining members of the horde to benefit the economy. A bunch of zombies are placed into blue-collar positions. Another group of the moaning creatures is featured on reality TV and game shows. The title character Shaun even plays video games with his zombified former roommate. Since the creatures don't need money, a lot of business owners are likely saving a fortune by hiring the horde. This plan should go off without a hitch...unless the zombies get together and unionize.

“Dawn of the Dead” (2004)
The heroes of this zombie film spend most of the runtime safe from the hungry horde by hunkering down in a mall. Before they decide to make their way to a getaway boat on the docks, they spend some valuable time reinforcing two buses. They make the exteriors virtually indestructible by adding steel, barbed wire, and big plows to the fronts. Then they load up the interiors with a good selection of weapons and some explosive propane tanks. The buses are able to take a lot of punishment while cutting a path through the horde. Honestly, the survivors might have been better off staying inside their tricked out buses instead of hopping on a boat to the unknown.

“28 Days Later” (2002)
Surviving the hellish world of “28 Days Later” is a near-impossible task. However, Jim, Selena, and Hannah managed to overcome rage-infected humans, corrupt soldiers, and the harsh elements to find a safe haven. When Hannah hears a plane approaching their cottage, the group executes a rescue plan. They quickly unfurl a huge S.O.S. made out of curtains that spells out the word hello. It was already pretty smart of them to have a pre-prepared message ready to go. But the incredibly efficient way that they laid it out suggests that they spent some time practicing it. Let's just hope they had the pilot at hello and he swung around to pick them up.

“REC” (2007)
Some smart decisions come at a high cost. The protagonists of 2007’s “Rec” had to learn this lesson in the worst way. After firefighters get a call about someone trapped in an apartment building, they try to assist. Unfortunately, the old woman they try to save is infected with a rabies-like virus and attacks them. When everyone tries to leave the woman behind in this building, they learn officials have locked them in. This cruel decision contains the virus in one place. While this choice wisely helps prevent a potential outbreak, the people left inside the apartment building are trapped with monsters they can't escape.

“Warm Bodies” (2013)
Although R is a zombie, his heart still seems to be working just fine. When he first laid eyes on Julie, he stopped trying to munch on humans just so he can see her face. And after he snacks on the brains of Julie's boyfriend, he decides to protect her from the rest of the horde. He transfers some of his own blood to her face to cover up her human smell. This allows Julie to camouflage among the zombies until R can take her to a safe place. It's pretty impressive thinking for a creature whose brains technically shouldn't work. Not only does R’s camouflage plan save Julie's life, but it helps prove that zombies can show humanity.

“Zombieland” franchise (2009-19)
One of the best running gags in this comedy-horror franchise is the slowly growing list of rules for survival. The cautious Columbus creates and closely follows a set of guidelines to keep him safe in this dangerous world. He recommends that survivors should check that bathrooms are safe, to always wear seatbelts, get some cardio in and so much more. His vital survival tips help save lives on numerous occasions. And although Columbus seems uptight, he's willing to modify his rules as he gains more experience in the world. Admittedly, he's not the only survivor to come up with a set of guidelines. But seeing as Columbus is still alive at the end of the sequel, we’d bet our money on his rules.

“Train to Busan” (2016)
In “Train to Busan,” the zombies only attack what they can hear or see. The survivors take advantage of the horde’s poor senses in a bunch of clever ways. They cover up the windows between train cars with newspapers so that the zombies don’t see them and try to break through. A few heroes also wait for tunnels to cover the train in darkness before moving. And when survivors are out of sight, they distract the reanimated goons with sound. Unfortunately, most of the passengers never make it off the train. But there would have been no survivors at all if the humans didn’t come up with so many smart ways to get around the zombies’ dull senses.

“Little Monsters” (2019)
A slacker musician named Dave and a brilliant teacher named Caroline are chaperoning a children’s field trip when a small zombie outbreak starts. After a performer prevents them from seeking shelter in a gift shop, Dave wisely breaks into the building from the top to let the kids in. But it's Miss Caroline that has the movie’s smartest idea. When zombies first surround the class, she tells her students it's all just a game. This clever strategy allows her to keep the kids calm while telling them exactly what they need to do to survive each phase of the outbreak. Miss Caroline's strategic white lie ensures every one of her students sees their parents again.

“#Alive” (2020)
If protagonist Oh Joon-woo invested his money in a PlayStation 4 instead of a drone he wouldn’t have survived this movie. After he gets trapped in his apartment during a zombie apocalypse, the small aircraft becomes his best resource. Joon-woo uses the drone to get his phone high enough to get reception. When he’s on the brink of starvation, he establishes a direct food line to his ally Kim’s apartment by flying a string into her apartment. Joon-woo even uses it to distract a zombie from munching on an unconscious Kim. Even though the drone is wrecked before the climax, Joon-Woo’s still rescued at the film’s conclusion. Why? Because he was also smart enough to post his address and an S.O.S. on social media.


Before we reanimate our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Boarding Up the Hideout, “Night of the Living Dead” (1968)
He Makes Sure the Horde Can’t Get Inside

Keeping the Existence of a Zombie Serum Secret, “Overlord” (2018)
Boyce Makes Sure No One Else Will Go Looking for It

“World War Z” (2013)
Gerry Lane’s insane observation skills might make him the most intelligent person to ever appear in a zombie film. After observing how long it takes for people to turn, he removes a lieutenant’s bitten hand before she becomes zombified. But that isn’t Gerry’s best observation. He notices that zombies avoid people with terminal illnesses. After injecting himself with a deadly disease, he becomes virtually invisible to the hordes of the walking, or in this case, running dead. Gerry’s discovery is spread across the world. While some people just camouflage and avoid fights, other people use their “invisibility” to strike back against the zombies. Gerry's brilliant idea may have given humanity the edge it needed to win world war Z.