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Ghouls in red dresses with hanging intestines

Chainsaws that hack off necrotic infections

Flesh that's decaying but still somehow clings

These are a few of my favorite things!

The above is what I thought of when my editors asked me to come up with "a list of my favorite zombie things" ahead of The Last of Us season 2. Is it comprehensive? Absolutely not, but how could one expect my answer to be? The zombie genre is as diverse and widespread as any undead plague therein, and I, your humble horror hound, have not the time or determination to pluck 

But the best I can do, as any shambling skeleton bobbing for brains has taught me, is try. And so, I leave to you, dearly departed, some of my favorite ooey, gooey, likely to spewy mediums and merchandise that I have come to adore across my years of revering the brainless undead.

And since I started you off with a (let's face it, award-worthy) Sound of Music rip, let's begin the list with...

Popverse Picks my favorite zombie musical: Anna and the Apocalypse

I was fortunate enough to be at an early screening of the 2017 horror comedy Anna and the Apocalypse (think High School Musical meets Sean of the Dead), and I've had a special place in my moldy, maggot-ridde heart for it ever since. Even if I didn't have a special connection to the movie, the infectiously catchy soundtrack, beautiful gore effects, and breakout star Ella Hunt would still have me coming back to this one.

Oh, and it's a Christmas movie! Perfect viewing for the Love Actually fans in your life.

Popverse Picks my favorite zombie novel: World War Z by Max Brooks

It's hard to believe that maybe the funniest piece of zombie literature ever written was followed up almost immediately by one of the genre's most human, heatrbreaking works. But that's exactly what happened when Max Brooks penned World War Z as a follow-up to The Zombie Survival Guide, and my experience reading them back to back lasts forever as one of my favorite encounters with the cannabalistic undead. I'd love to see a movie adaptation of it someday, if one was ever made.

SHUT UP.

Popverse Picks my favorite zombie game: The Walking Dead by Telltale Games

Yes, I know, you probably expected to see this name under "favorite comics," or perhaps "favorite unwieldy TV franchise of wildly varying quality," but the truth is, I believe The Walking Dead video game by Telltale is the most impressive version of the story, respectfully bowing though I am to Robert Kirkman's original Image Comic. "What would you do in a zombie apocalypse?" is 80% of the appeal of the genre (the other 20% is when a hammer goes into a skull and then the eyes pop out like party favor), and no one quite puts you into those bloody-soled shoes like Teltale.

Popverse Picks my favorite zombie candy dispenser: Dr. Dreadful's Zombie Lab

Now here is where my list gets difficult, repugnant reader; how could I possibly choose the candy vehicle for zombie treats? Perhaps the best take on the genre George A. Romero began in 1968, there are few better ways to experience zombiehood than by getting to eat the brains yourself. 

Dr. Dreadful's Zombie Lab provides such an opportunity without all the hassle of "maintaining a nutritional diet" or "disposing of the rest of the body" that feasting on innards usually requires, and in a vessel that's just as reusable as the Nosferatu popcorn coffin. Bring it to an office party, a first date, or a pesky intervention. Dr. Dreadful puts the "

The Last of Us season 2 premieres on Max April 12.

In the immortal words of Danny Elfman, "Life's no fun without a good scare." We couldn't agree more, which is why we've cobbled together a couple pieces to send a chill up your spine. Join Popverse as we explore:

• The best horror movies of all time, according to horror aficionado Greg Silber
• The most underrated horror movies from the past couple years
• All the new and upcoming horror movies for 2025 and beyond

And much gore. Er, more. Much more.