Year: 1980
Runtime: 91 min
Language: English
Director: Lucio Fulci
Adele struggles to survive after an apocalyptic event unleashes relentless hordes of the reanimated dead. Isolated and desperate, she fights to stay alive while her loved ones struggle to understand the terrifying chaos unfolding around them, forcing her to confront unimaginable horrors and fight for her very existence.
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Zombie (1980), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
A man shoots a bullet into the head of a corpse wrapped in a sheet and instructs an unseen person, “The boat can leave now. Tell the crew.” A few days later, an apparently abandoned sailboat drifts into the New York harbor, prompting two harbor patrol officers to investigate. Upon boarding, they discover a mess and soon encounter a grotesque zombie (Captain Haggerty) that viciously attacks them, killing one officer and being shot overboard by the other.
Assigned to cover the case is local reporter Peter West, who meets with Anne, the daughter of the boat’s missing owner. Anne reveals that her father has been missing for three months since traveling to the Antilles. Meanwhile, at the morgue, a pathologist and his assistant are shocked when the body of the dead officer begins to stir.
The next day, Peter and Anne travel to the Dominican Republic, where they encounter an American couple, Brian Hull and Susan Barrett, gearing up for a sailing tour in the Caribbean. They request to join them to reach the island of Matul, where Anne’s father was last heard from. Despite warnings from the fearful locals about Matul, the four set off together.
On the island, tensions rise between Richard Johnson and his anxious wife Paola, as she insists on leaving due to reports of zombie sightings. Despite her fears, he remains to conduct research, ignoring the pleas of his superstitious assistant Lucas, who warns of rising undead.
A scuba diving trip turns deadly for Susan when she encounters both a shark and an unusual aquatic zombie. Meanwhile, Paola finds herself alone in their house. As she tries to cool off in the shower, she hears a noise and is violently attacked by a zombie, meeting a gruesome end when her head is impaled.
The following morning, Anne and the others reach Matul only to discover their boat has been damaged from the shark attack. They send distress signals that are answered by Menard, who reveals that more locals are mysteriously dying and returning as zombies. He also shares the tragic news that Anne’s father had died months prior due to the same disease. Despite their disbelief, they listen to Menard talk about how the voodoo curses of a witch doctor are believed to be behind the epidemic.
Later, the group ventures to the Menard home, only to find a horrific scene: Mrs. Menard’s corpse is half-eaten, surrounded by zombies. Quick to react, they fight their way back to the safety of the hospital. Their escape, however, is fraught with danger as the undead are everywhere.
While resting, they unknowingly intrude upon an old cemetery, where the graves of long-dead conquistadors open up. Both Peter and Anne struggle to break free from the grasp of the resurrected corpses, but Susan isn’t as fortunate. Before they can escape, she’s brutally attacked and killed by a zombie, and the survivors are forced to retreat.
As night falls, they finally return to the hospital, where chaos reigns as the undead threaten from both outside and within. They begin barricading themselves against the onslaught, but tragedy strikes as one by one, their allies fall victim to the hungry zombies.
As the hospital succumbs to flames and chaos, Anne, Peter, and Brian escape, but their freedom comes with a devastating price. Brian is bitten and, as they manage to reach a makeshift boat, the horror of the situation escalates when they realize that the zombie epidemic has reached New York City.
With a looming sense of dread, Peter and Anne listen helplessly as news reports spread about the chaos in their city, unaware of the horrifying fate that awaits them with the reanimated corpse of Brian trapped below deck, desperate to get out. As dawn rises, a hoard of newly dead zombies marches across the Brooklyn Bridge, signaling that the nightmare has only just begun.
Last Updated: May 26, 2025 at 22:02
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Stories of desperate survival against an overwhelming, unforgiving threat.If you enjoyed the desperate fight for survival and bleak atmosphere of Zombie, this thread features movies with similar high-intensity horror. These films focus on characters pushed to their limits against an overwhelming apocalyptic threat, often ending with a sobering sense of hopelessness and societal collapse.
Narratives in this thread typically follow a linear, escalating structure. A catastrophic event occurs, and characters must immediately grapple with a brutal new reality. The story is a series of survival challenges, with casualties often high and victories temporary. The climax typically reinforces the unstoppable nature of the threat, leaving little to no room for a conventional happy ending.
These movies are grouped by their shared atmosphere of relentless dread, high-intensity violence, and a fundamentally bleak worldview. They deliver a specific type of horror experience centered on physical threat and the collapse of order, prioritizing tension and visceral impact over complex plotting or hopeful resolutions.
Stories documenting the gruesome, chaotic end of the world as we know it.For viewers who liked the global outbreak and societal collapse themes in Zombie, this thread collects movies about the swift, terrifying fall of civilization. These stories often feature a mix of investigation and frantic survival as characters try to understand and endure a world-ending catastrophe.
The narrative pattern often begins with the first signs of a strange event, followed by a rapid escalation into full-blown chaos. The story structure frequently involves characters moving from a point of relative safety into the heart of the disaster, witnessing the failure of institutions and the rise of primal fear. The plot serves to showcase the scale and horror of the outbreak itself.
These films are united by their central theme of a global or widespread catastrophe that unravels society. They share a grim tone and a focus on the visceral, chaotic process of collapse, whether the cause is zombies, a virus, or a supernatural curse, creating a specific type of apocalyptic dread.
Don't stop at just watching — explore Zombie in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Zombie is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Track the full timeline of Zombie with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Zombie. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
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Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Zombie: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.
Discover movies like Zombie that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.
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