Warm Bodies, the Zombie romance that is already topping weekend movies with an $8 million dollar Friday opening, is an unlikely Romeo and Juliet story set after a zombie apocalypse. Teenager Julie falls in love with "R," a brain-craving zombie who slowly realizes his humanity through their budding relationship.
This is not the first zombie film to take a different angle towards the undead, portraying them as part-human, adorable, or even attractive. If you can't get enough of the type of zombies in Warm Bodies, here are five zombie precursors to "R" and the films they appeared in.
The Original
George A. Romero, the originator of the modern-day undead movie, was also the first who tinkered with the zombie formula in his third entry into the classic zombie-film "Dead" series, "Day of the Dead," released in 1985. Set in a fortified U.S. government bunker, Dr. Logan, a scientist obsessed with researching the undead, becomes enamored of a zombie he calls "Bub." Bub remembers some parts of his past life
The Pet Zombie
Any zombie played by Billy Connolly is going to be hilarious, but Fido, the titular character of this 2006 Canadian comedy, is also as adorable as a golden retriever. Set in an alternate post-zombie-apocalypse "Leave it to Beaver" 1950s, housewife Helen buys a domesticated zombie to help with housework, and her son Timmy ends up befriending him, naming him Fido. There's plenty of endearing Timmy/Fido scenes, as well as some (sexual?) tension between Fido and Helen.
The Zombie Besty
The hilarious Shaun of the Dead had so many great things going for it, but one of the best was a happy ending (spoiler alert!). And I'm not talking about Shaun and estranged girlfriend Liz getting back together. Six months after the story ends, we get a glimpse of post-zombie outbreak living. Poor Ed (Nick Frost), who earlier stayed behind in the pub to help the others escape, has turned into a zombie. Fortunately, Shaun keeps him locked up in the backyard shack and comes by to play video games with his zombified friend, giving new meaning to "best friends forever."
The Honorary Zombie
Okay, so this one isn't actually a zombie, but qualifies as the best zombie cameo ever. In Zombieland, the group of survivors makes it to post-apocalyptic Hollywood, where Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) decides they should shack up in Bill Murray's mansion. (Spoiler alert!) The group meets Bill Murray himself, holed up in his mansion, but not unable to make his usual rounds of golf. He does this by dressing up as a zombie so he can safely roam around town. If I had to meet a zombie, I'd want it to be a Bill Murray zombie. Too bad it doesn't work out for Murray in the end.
The Gay Zombie
Otto: or Up with Dead People, is a campy cult comedy with a zombie who starts remembering his life and falls in love, with his ex-boyfriend. Think of this independent film as a precursor to Warm Bodies, but set in the gay scene in Berlin, and a lot more explicit. This movie unfolds in the setting of post-zombie "radical gay zombie cultrure," with racy scenes, bubble baths, and quotes like, "I was a zombie with an identity crisis."
Honorable Mentions
From the 1985 "Return of the Living Dead," there are two zombies that are attractive and adorable, respectively.
First is the hot zombie, Trash, a punk girl who gets even more punk with shards of glass in her undead afterlife.
And then there's the Tarman, the first zombie to ever yell "Brains!" I don't know why, but I think he's charming.