40 Asian Zombie Movies That Are Worth Your Time

Ever since it lurched onto the silver screen in 1932, the zombie has become one of the most prominent horror figures in the genre. As they are responsible for numerous adaptations, retooling, and reboots over the years, the popularity of the genre has waned over the years in the US which is pretty much barely an issue in Asia. With plenty of incredibly enjoyable titles in their long history that simply don’t get publicity outside the region, it’s time to offer a spotlight on some of these under-appreciated and overlooked gems from Asia.

1. Zombie in a Haunted House (Yi Wen, Hong Kong, 1959)

There’s not much to say about this one, as it is incredibly rare and might even be lost, so information about it is quite hard to come by. However, that is not to say the film isn’t worth bringing up as it’s the first Asian zombie film from pretty much all surviving accounts, and the time frame of putting it in the late 1950’s is quite important in that context, even if it turns out to be more of a vampire film than a zombie entry judging by some of the contradicting reports and rumors that have made both claims. Still, even if it doesn’t turn out to be a true zombie film, this one is deserving of mention.

2. Strange Dead Bodies (Kang Beom-gu, South Korea, 1981)

An essential entry, this South Korean take on the Spanish/Italian classic The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue plays things in much the same manner as we get a similar setup. The newly installed radio transmitter using ultrasonic wavelengths has caused all the corpses in the local cemeteries to rise up, causing the zombies to go on a rampage in an endless search for blood. The first zombie film from the country which would soon produce many more classic efforts in later years, this ultra-obscure effort is said to be incredibly atmospheric and enjoyable, making its rarity all the more troubling for those willing to see it.

3. The Haunted Cop Shop I & II (Jeffrey Lau, Hong Kong, 1987, 1988)

Part of the Golden Age of Hong Kong movies, this stellar two-pack of action/comedy/horror films focuses on the more of a ghostly vampire side to the genre rather than the typical rise-from-the-grave effort. Part One deals with a pair of dimwitted cops assigned to a remote police station that used to be home to a group of Japanese soldiers during WWII and get resurrected to chase the pair around the station, while part two deals with a group of agents attempting to deal with the fallout of the original and finding themselves over-their-heads, requiring the use of the team to band together and fight the creatures. Full of outrageous pratfalls, silly slapstick, and relentless energy, their zombie status might be somewhat questionable but these two entries are surely some of the finest films from that time period.

4. The Aliens and the Kong Kong Zombie (Ahn Seung-ho, South Korea, 1989)

A South Korean take on the Mr. Vampire series, this wacky effort was outrageously intended to be a children’s film, despite all the seriously loony elements on display. The film, about a flying saucer that reanimates the corpses of various zombie children under the control of a ghost girl who sends them out to kill her captors, is loaded with wholesale comedic interludes, plenty of kung-fu fighting, insanely brutal characters with the kidnappers and far more blood than any Western childrens’ movie will allow despite the sense of whimsy featured. Still, this effort is highly worthwhile just to see how all these disparate elements are brought together in the first place.

5. Mortuary Blues (Jeffrey Lau, Hong Kong, 1990)

While the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema was starting to run dry by the time the 1990s rolled around, stalwart director Jeffery Lau was able to contribute one of the finest late-era efforts of the scene. Vaguely resembling a Hong Kong version of The Fog, a bumbling cop finds something creepy going on in a local village after a troupe of opera performers goes missing, looking into a legend about treasure being buried in the area following the locals killing the crew of a gold-laden ship before sinking it and then finding the treasure protected by ghostly zombies. This exceptionally plot-heavy effort is filled to the brim with manic slapstick, high-energy action scenes, and slightly lower but still nice-quality production values that make for a watchable if not necessary effort like his earlier films.

6. Bio-Zombie (Wilson Yip, Hong Kong, 1998)

One of the most essential choices on the list, this gut-busting Hong Kong horror/comedy is one of the finest Asian horror films in the genre as a whole. About a group of low-level drug runners who inadvertently trigger a zombie apocalypse in a shopping mall by an accidental release of chemicals to the patrons inside and forcing them to band together to survive, this one produces a series of genuine laughs and truly enjoyable comedy that goes hand-in-hand with the zombie carnage. Some of the effects are dated and somewhat laughable by today’s standards, but this high-energy affair is not to be missed by fans of the genre as a whole.

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7. Wild Zero (Tetsuro Takeuchi, Japan, 1999)

An immensely popular cult effort, this entry starts a pretty common affair to come with the Japanese coming into their own within the scene. A comedy-laden affair with a serious touch, this finds the rock-n-roll band Guitar Wolf coming to the aid of a mega-fan when an alien invasion starts to bring the dead back to life and threaten humanity. Filled with the typical Japanese bizarre humor, completely nonsensical storylines, and letting the band share their wild stage personas in fine form, this might not appeal to all because of that sense of goofiness from the country but for those that can appreciate it, this will certainly be a lot of fun.

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8. Bio-Cops (Cheng Wai-man, Hong Kong, 2000)

One more hilarious Hong Kong horror/comedy, this clear attempt to recreate that madcap style and high-energy humor does come up a bit short in that regard, but has enough to like. Featuring an agent who gets bitten on assignment and returns to Hong Kong accidentally creating a zombie plague that forces fellow agents to stop his rampage, the film goes into a bizarre and highly enjoyable mix of ‘Night of the Living Dead’ and Hong Kong comedy. The single-location feel and overly familiar storyline aren’t enough to quell the zany antics and classic feel of this under-the-radar effort.

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9. Junk-Resident Zombie (Atsushi Muroga, Japan, 2000)

A common trend in this aspect of the genre starts here and becomes more prominent as time goes on which is the whacked-out gore-drenched efforts from Japan. Taking their cues from Italy and America for its visual aesthetics, this one concerns a group of jewel thieves dropping off their prize in a supposedly abandoned factory only to find the place overrun by zombies from a failed medical experiment. Not nearly as demented as the country’s later films, instead the straightforward old-school effort trades on simplicity and gore to make for a rather enjoyable time.

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10. Versus (Ryuhei Kitamura, Japan, 2000)

A completely different take from those used to Japanese affairs, this is far more of a metaphysical entry that balances numerous elements together into a completely original bent. A meeting between various gangsters goes awry in a forest sitting over one of the Gates of Hell when the zombies of those killed there previously reanimate and begin tormenting the living people still there. The film manages to mix high-energy martial arts action and swordplay, Hong Kong-influenced gunplay, corny one-liners, and plenty of twists and turns in a complex storyline. A slick and stylish effort with some great ideas behind it, this is a far more enjoyable and engaging effort than its cover art would imply.

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