From other zombie comedies likeShaun of the Deadto other Jim Jarmusch-directed absurdist horror films likeOnly Lovers Left Alive, there are a ton of great movies likeThe Dead Don’t Dieto check out.Now streaming on Netflix,The Dead Don’t Dietackles the familiar setup of a small-town zombie invasion in a completely unfamiliar way. As usual, the local cops are tasked with fending off the undead, but this movie has cops that know they’re in a movie, a zombie-slaying samurai played by Tilda Swinton, and a hefty dose of Jarmusch’s signature deadpan humor.
There’s no other movie quite likeThe Dead Don’t Die— it’s a very unique cinematic experiment — but there are movies with similar tones and styles. There are other movies that take a quirkycomedic approach to a zombie apocalypse, likeLife After Beth. There are other horror films with a refreshingly offbeat voice, like the improvised slasherCreepand the gonzo creature featureTusk. There are other movies by Jarmusch featuring the same key actors, likePatersonandCoffee and Cigarettes. There are plenty of great films to check out afterThe Dead Don’t Die.
Zombieland
Cast
After a zombie virus wipes out modern society, those left to navigate the wasteland must live by a certain set of rules. Zombieland follows Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) as he meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), and they join forces to survive the apocalypse. They soon team up with sisters Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), and the group embark on a cross-country trip in search of refuge from the zombie horde.
The Dead Don’t Dietakes a comedic approach to the zombie apocalypse and uses the dawn of the dead to satirize the absurdity of American culture.The same conceit forms the basis of Ruben Fleischer’s comedy blockbusterZombieland, just on a much larger scale. WhereThe Dead Don’t Dietackles small-town America,Zombielandspans the entire nation. Jesse Eisenberg leads a star-studded ensemble of mismatched survivors who reluctantly team up for a cross-country road trip in search of a zombie-free sanctuary.
There’s a great running gag with an endless list of rules for surviving in a zombie-infested world.
Much likeThe Dead Don’t Die,Zombielandupendsthe tropes of zombie movieswith a sly self-awareness.There’s a great running gag with an endless list of rules for surviving in a zombie-infested world. The slapstick and self-awareness ofZombielandare the perfect antidote to the seriousness of zombie stories likeThe Walking Dead.
Creep
Creep is a British horror film directed by Christopher Smith, released in 2004. It follows a woman trapped in a London subway station who, while being pursued by a potential attacker, ventures into the complex network of tunnels beneath the city.
What makesThe Dead Don’t Dieso special is that it’s an unusually quirky and offbeat take on the horror genre.Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass’Creephas the same quality. Brice plays a freelance videographer who’s hired to film the last will and testament of an eccentric man who claims to be terminally ill, played by Duplass. As the night draws on, the videographer begins to realize that his client is lying and has no intention of letting him leave.
Creepis a thrilling two-hander carried by Brice’s everyman playing off Duplass’ disturbing slasher.Brice and Duplass improvised all the dialogue from a loose story outline, makingCreepone of the only horror films to be shot in the style ofCurb Your Enthusiasm.Most importantly, it makes the whole ordeal feel hauntingly authentic and true-to-life.
Paterson
Paterson is a film by Jim Jarmusch that portrays a week in the life of a poet bus driver named Paterson and his creative wife, Laura, in Paterson, New Jersey, a town with a rich artistic heritage.
Adam Driver’s dry, understated delivery style was perfect for Jarmusch’s dialogue inThe Dead Don’t Die, but it wasn’t the first collaboration between the actor and filmmaker.They previously worked together onPaterson, a deeply touching character drama about regular people with big dreams. Driver plays a bus driver who writes beautiful poetry in his spare time, while Golshifteh Farahani plays his wife, who dreams of being a country music star/cupcake mogul.
Patersonmight not be the most eventful movie; nothing really happens, and certainly nothing as exciting as a zombie uprising.But its characters and their everyday lives are strong enough that what could’ve been a really boring movie is surprisingly captivating. The poetry is well-composed, the performances are well-drawn, and the outlook is refreshingly optimistic. It’s a testament to creativity and the human spirit.
Little Monsters
A man called Dave volunteers to accompany his nephew on a school trip after becoming interested in the boy’s teacher, Caroline, and tries hard to impress her to get a date. One thing no one expected, however, was that a terrible zombie apocalypse would happen.
Abe Forsythe’sLittle Monsters, similar toThe Dead Don’t Die, is a zany comedy set during a zombie apocalypse. It revolves around a washed-up musician, a children’s TV host, and a kindergarten teacher who all band together to protect a group of young schoolchildren on a field trip when a bunch of zombies escape from a nearby testing facility and attack them. Lupita Nyong’o and Josh Gad lead the cast with really hilarious performances.
LikeThe Dead Don’t Die,Little Monstersgets laughs out of blending the mundanity of everyday life with the thrill of a zombie outbreak.From Neil Diamond to Taylor Swift, it has some great musical numbers juxtaposed with the horror. Just when the zombie genre was starting to feel stale,Little Monsterscame along and reinvigorated it with a fresh take on the mythos.
Delicatessen
Delicatessen is a post-apocalyptic film centered around a butcher shop where meat is scarce. A young man’s romance with the butcher’s daughter creates tension, as he becomes entangled in her family’s business dealings, amid their struggles to provide delicacies for the apartment’s residents above the shop.
Jarmusch offered audiences a darkly comedic vision of the apocalypse inThe Dead Don’t Die, and its absurdist approach has earned it a cult following. The same could be said of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro’s French horror classicDelicatessen.It takes place in a dilapidated apartment building in post-apocalyptic France, where food is scarce.The landlord lures in unsuspecting victims with the promise of work, then promptly butchers them and feeds their meat to his tenants.
Delicatessenhas an even grimmer sense of humor thanThe Dead Don’t Die— it gets laughs out of cannibalism — but it’s just as funny.Not only is it a visually stunning portrayal of a futuristic dystopia; it deals with a thought-provoking subtext that’s since been dissected.Delicatessenis a thematic parallel to the resistance movement in Nazi-occupied Europe.
Only Lovers Left Alive
Only Lovers Left Alive is a romantic comedy and horror fantasy film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. The movie stars Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston, focusing on two centuries-old vampires that live in the modern age thanks to their supply of blood from various sources.
The Dead Don’t Dieisn’t the first time that Jarmusch has offered up his take on a well-worn horror trope.Long before he applied his deadpan humor to a zombie apocalypse, Jarmusch brought his passionate portrayal of romance to the vampire myth.Only Lovers Left Alivestars Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston as two vampires who have been married for hundreds of years, trying to survive in a world where they can’t go out in sunlight and need human blood for sustenance.
Just asThe Dead Don’t Dieuses a zombie apocalypse to satirize the breakdown of social order in small-town America,Only Lovers Left Aliveuses a pair of immortal lovers to satirize the difficulties of long-term relationships and cohabitation.Relationships don’t get much more long-term than the centuries-old marriage of these two jaded bloodsuckers.Only Lovers Left Aliveis as unique a vampire movieasThe Dead Don’t Dieis a zombie movie.
Tusk
When Wallace Bryton interviews an eccentric old sailor, Howard Howe, for his podcast, the old man tells him of a walrus named “Mr. Tusk” who once saved his life. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t end there, as Howard’s obsession with Mr. Tusk means he has some disturbing plans for Wallace.
Jarmusch isn’t the only acclaimed independent filmmaker to take a break from making talky low-budget comedies to helm an absurdist, experimental horror movie.20 years after bursting onto the indie scene with his debut movieClerks, Kevin Smith branched out into gonzo body horror with his deeply unsettling opusTusk.Based very loosely on a true story,Tuskstars Justin Long as a podcaster who interviews an eccentric sailor, played by Michael Parks, and becomes the subject of his bizarre experiment to turn a human into a walrus.
Much likeThe Dead Don’t Die,Tuskbolsters its horror with a healthy dose of pitch-black humor.
It’s truly disturbing to watch this poor guy get sewn into a suit of walrus skin. But there’s also something strangely funny about the whole situation — especially since Long’s character is an awful person who deserves some kind of karmic punishment.
Life After Beth
Life After Beth is a dark comedy released in 2014, directed by Jeff Baena. The film stars Aubrey Plaza as Beth, who unexpectedly returns from the dead, and Dane DeHaan as her grieving boyfriend, Zach. As Zach tries to navigate the complexities of rekindling a relationship with his resurrected girlfriend, he discovers unforeseen challenges and complications. The film explores themes of love, loss, and the unexpected consequences of second chances.
Just asThe Dead Don’t Dieis an ensemble piece about the residents of a small town that happens to contain zombies,Life After Bethis a coming-of-age romantic comedy that happens to contain zombies.Dane DeHaan stars as a young man who’s devastated when his girlfriend, played by Aubrey Plaza, passes away.He’s delighted when she mysteriously comes back from the dead, but he quickly finds that she’s not quite how he remembers her.
Writer-director Jeff Baena ingeniously blends all the familiar feelings of first love with this genre tale of a zombie slowly discovering her supernatural powers.Plaza is terrific as usual, while DeHaan is a great foil. LikeThe Dead Don’t Die,Life After Bethwas poorly received by critics on its initial release, but it’s since been rightly reappraised as an underappreciated gem.
Coffee and Cigarettes
Coffee and Cigarettes is a 2003 film by director Jim Jarmusch, consisting of eleven vignette-style shorts. Featuring a star-studded ensemble cast, the film explores various conversations centered around the rituals of drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes.
Jarmusch’s script forThe Dead Don’t Diedoesn’t focus on one main character; it chronicles the perspectives of a sprawling ensemble cast.Jarmusch previously made a movie in this style — minus the zombies — with hisclassic anthology movieCoffee and Cigarettes.Coffee and Cigarettesis a series of 11 vignettes with wildly different tones, casts, and stories, all connected by one simple motif: the characters on the screen all drink coffee and smoke cigarettes.
Coffee and Cigarettesis essentiallyThe Dead Don’t Diewithout zombies.
The ensemble ofCoffee and Cigarettesshares a few cast members withThe Dead Don’t Die: Bill Murray, RZA, Iggy Pop, and Tom Waits.All these performers are adept at delivering Jarmusch’s dry, deadpan dialogue, and they’re just as hilarious inCoffee and Cigarettesas they are inThe Dead Don’t Die.Coffee and Cigarettesis essentiallyThe Dead Don’t Diewithout zombies.
Shaun of the Dead
From director Edgar Wright, Shaun of the Dead stars Simon Pegg as Shaun, an ambitionless slacker who one day finds his world overrun by zombies. From a script by Wright and Pegg, Shaun of the Dead injects comedy into a typically horror-focused subgenre as Shaun and his lazy friend Ed (Nick Frost) attempt to rescue Shaun’s estranged girlfriend and make it through the apocalypse unscathed.
The Dead Don’t Dieis Jarmusch’s take on a zombie comedy, and theCitizen Kaneof zombie comedies isEdgar Wright’sShaun of the Dead.Shaun of the Deadwasn’t the first movie to bring humor to the zombie genre, but it is by far the finest film in that quirky subgenre. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost star as a pair of slackers who contend with a zombie apocalypse over the course of a hectic day in suburban London.
Pegg and Wright’s airtight script is a great satirical deconstruction of the George A. Romero zombie movie formula transplanted into a British setting (the survivors hole up in a pub). LikeThe Dead Don’t Die,Shaun of the Deaduses its zombies more as an embellishment than the true narrative focus.Shaun of the Deadis a romantic comedy about making up with an ex-girlfriend after a breakup; it just happens to feature zombies.
