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Movies that feel like Dawn of the Dead (1978)

If you loved Dawn of the Dead, the closest films we have are Dawn of the Dead (2004), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and Phantasm (1979). All three share Dawn of the Dead's dread and unsettling feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 9 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video and Peacock Premium and others, checked against today's data.

During an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter, and his television-executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.

πŸ… 92% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. George A. Romerodreadunsettlingcerebraldarkly funny

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If Dawn of the Dead hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Dawn of the Dead poster
Dawn of the Dead
2004 Β· dir. Zack Snyder
πŸ… 77%β˜… 7.2horror Β· science fiction Β· action

Both are working the same pair: bite, dark comedy

The difference: Sits closer to action than Dawn of the Dead does

A group of survivors take refuge in a shopping mall after the world is taken over by aggressive, flesh-eating zombies.

Feels alike?
Invasion of the Body Snatchers poster
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
1978 Β· dir. Philip Kaufman
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.4science fiction Β· horror

Both land dread and unease at once

The difference: Missing the dark humor of Dawn of the Dead

The residents of San Francisco are becoming drone-like shadows of their former selves, and as the phenomenon spreads, two Department of Health workers uncover the horrifying truth.

Feels alike?
Phantasm poster
Phantasm
1979 Β· dir. Don Coscarelli
πŸ… 72%β˜… 6.6horror Β· science fiction

Horror with a pulse of ideas, in both cases

A teenage boy and his friends face off against a mysterious grave robber, known only as the Tall Man, who employs a lethal arsenal of unearthly weapons.

Feels alike?
Scanners poster
Scanners
1981 Β· dir. David Cronenberg
πŸ… 69%β˜… 6.7science fiction Β· horror

Both lean on dread more than on science fiction

A scientist trains a man with an advanced telepathic ability called 'scanning' to stop a dangerous Scanner with extraordinary psychic powers from waging war against non-Scanners.

Feels alike?
Phase IV poster
Phase IV
1974 Β· dir. Saul Bass
πŸ… 50%β˜… 6.4horror Β· science fiction

Unsettling horror in both cases

The difference: Critics were much harder on this one

Arizona ants mock the food chain on their way to a desert lab to get two scientists and a woman.

Feels alike?
The Substance poster
The Substance
2024 Β· dir. Coralie Fargeat
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7.2horror Β· science fiction

Both are built on the same subject: dark comedy

The difference: Made in the 2020s, in a different era of the craft

A fading celebrity decides to use a black market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself.

Feels alike?
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky poster
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky
1991 Β· dir. Lam Ngai Kai
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7action Β· science fiction Β· horror

Common ground: gore

In 2001, where all correctional facilities have been privatized, martial artist Ricky finds himself victim to the corrupt system, found "guilty" of the manslaughter of an infamous crime boss.

Feels alike?
The Fly poster
The Fly
1986 Β· dir. David Cronenberg
πŸ… 83%β˜… 7.6horror Β· science fiction

Cerebral science fiction, and it commits to that

When brilliant, eccentric scientist Seth Brundle makes a huge technological breakthrough in teleportation, he decides to test it on himself. Unbeknownst to him, a common housefly manages to get inside the device and the two become one.

Feels alike?
Nosferatu the Vampyre poster
Nosferatu the Vampyre
1979 Β· dir. Werner Herzog
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.4drama Β· horror

The same preoccupation in both: bite

A real estate agent leaves behind his beautiful wife to go to Transylvania to visit the mysterious Count Dracula and formalize the purchase of a property in Wismar.

Feels alike?
Eraserhead poster
Eraserhead
1977 Β· dir. David Lynch
πŸ… 87%β˜… 7.2horror Β· science fiction

Horror built on dread, twice over

First-time father Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.

Feels alike?
The Day of the Beast poster
The Day of the Beast
1995 · dir. Álex de la Iglesia
πŸ… 77%β˜… 7.3horror Β· comedy Β· action

Darkly funny science fiction, and it commits to that

When a rogue priest discovers the exact date the Antichrist will be born, he enlists a Death Metal record store clerk and a cheesy TV psychic for an urban spree of gore, sacrilege and twisted humor to prevent the Apocalypse.

Feels alike?
The Kingdom poster
The Kingdom
1994 Β· dir. Lars von Trier
β˜… 7.8drama Β· fantasy Β· horror

The shared currency is dark humor

At The Kingdom, Denmark's most technologically advanced hospital, a number of strange and otherworldly events begin occurring, much to the dismay of its doctors and patients. A ghostly ambulance appears and disappears, the voice of a little girl calls to a patient in an elevator shaft, and a doctor's fetus begins growing at an alarming rate.

Feels alike?

In the mood for more dread?

all dread movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Dawn of the Dead’s defining feeling.