Debapriya Bhattacharya
Directed by Kulp Kaljareuk, ‘Ziam’ takes place in a dystopian world suffering from food shortage, where a totalitarian government rules Thailand. The miracle cure for the hunger crisis cooked up by scientists begins to turn people into flesh-eating zombies. When a young nurse, Rin (Nychaa Nuttanicha), gets trapped in a hospital during the zombie outbreak, her boyfriend and former Muay Thai fighter, Singh (Mark Prin Suparat), takes it upon himself to rescue her before she gets infected. The action primarily takes place in the hospital, as Singh kicks and punches his way through zombies and law enforcement to reach the woman he loves. The horror film dives straight to action without dwelling much on creating layered narratives, making it a fun, gory watch. If you are craving more, here is a curated list of films similar to ‘Ziam’ that can satisfy your hunger.
10. The Night Eats the World (2018)
Originally titled ‘La nuit a dévoré le monde,’ Dominique Rocher’s ‘The Night Eats the World’ follows Sam (Anders Danielsen Lie), a musician living in Paris who visits his ex-girlfriend’s home to recover some music tapes and gets held up for the night. The following morning, he discovers that everyone in the building has turned into zombies, and locks himself in an apartment in a desperate bid for survival. Some time later, he comes to know that he is not the only one yet to be turned. Much like ‘Ziam,’ Sam finds himself at the epicenter of the zombie outbreak, along with the girl he once loved.
9. Pontypool (2009)
‘Pontypool’ by Bruce McDonald revolves around radio announcer Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) from the titular small town of Pontypool. After arriving at work, Grant and his team hear reports of a riot where people are consuming each other as well as themselves. As they try to warn the listeners of the zombie outbreak, they are informed that the virus is spreading via the English language. The characters are pushed to their wits’ end to come up with a solution to the problem, in the film based on the book ‘Pontypool Changes Everything’ by Tony Burgess. The movie shares the core narrative of fighting zombies with ‘Ziam,’ but keeps it fresh with its unique take on the mode of transmission.
8. Zombieland (2009)
‘Zombieland’ marks the directorial debut of Ruben Fleischer and is set two months into a global zombie apocalypse. As a rapidly spreading virus brings the world to its knees, the uninfected humans stay locked in a never-ending fight against the hordes of the undead. The search for a safe haven brings together Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), four survivors from across the country who make their way to a rumored secured location in Los Angeles, and kills as many zombies as possible on the way. The film delivers on the zombie-killing action, like ‘Ziam,’ but makes it fun for a change.
7. The Crazies (2010)
A remake of George A. Romero’s 1973 original, ‘The Crazies’ is set in a fictional town of Ogden Marsh in Iowa. The region descends into complete chaos as an unknown toxin begins to turn ordinary people into bloodthirsty zombies. Authorities block the town and enforce it using deadly force to contain the disease. Trapped with the infected, Sheriff David Dutton (Timothy Olyphant) and his wife, Judy (Radha Mitchell), band together with Deputy Sheriff Russell (Joe Anderson) and Judy’s assistant Becca (Danielle Panabaker) to find a way out before getting infected. The Breck Eisner film shares a similar premise with ‘Ziam,’ as both showcase the effort to escape a zombie outbreak without getting turned.
6. Patient Zero (2018)
‘Patient Zero’ by Stefan Ruzowitzky is set in a dystopian world where the zombie apocalypse has spread across the globe. To develop a cure, the U.S. military scientists run experiments on the captured infected individuals. A partial breakthrough comes when they come across Morgan (Matt Smith), a bitten man who has not turned but has instead gained the ability to communicate with the infected. Discovering that some of the infected are becoming intelligent and more organized, they desperately try to locate Patient Zero to help their research. Meanwhile, a horde of zombies attacks the facility and endangers all progress that has been made. Much like ‘Ziam,’ the action in the film is mostly centered around the facility.
5. Quarantine (2008)
Helmed by John Erick Dowdle, ‘Quarantine’ centers around news reporter Angela Vidal (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman Scott Percival (Steve Harris), who tag along with Los Angeles firemen getting distress calls from a residential building one night. After reaching the site, they discover the residents are getting infected by a deadly and contagious strain of rabies that is turning them into aggressive zombies. As the government puts the building on forced quarantine, the journalists continue to document everything that takes place inside, which in turn makes up the film. ‘Quarantine’ documents the beginning of a zombie outbreak, similar to ‘Ziam,’ and shows a probable response of people in such a situation.
4. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Marking the directorial debut of Zack Snyder, ‘Dawn of the Dead’ follows a ragtag group that finds itself in the middle of a zombie outbreak, and takes shelter at a shopping mall in Milwaukee. Using the complex as their base, the people fight back against the attacking hordes of the undead. However, mistrust among themselves ends up weakening their position, and they are forced to put up a united front against the relentless attacks to ensure their survival. A remake of George A. Romero’s eponymous 1978 film, ‘Dawn of the Dead’ follows ‘Ziam’ in unleashing violence upon the zombie, albeit not alone like Singh.
3. #Alive (2020)
Cho Il-hyung’s directorial ‘#Alive’ revolves around Oh Joon-woo (Yoo Ah-in), a young adult who finds himself alone in his apartment when a zombie outbreak takes place. Locking himself in for days, he ultimately runs out of necessities to survive as he fends off multiple attacks by the undead. Facing the prospect of starving to death in solitude, Joon-woo decides to leave the safety of his room and try his luck in the outside world. Much like ‘Ziam,’ he faces relentless zombie attacks and fights to survive.
2. 28 Days Later (2003)
From the mind of Danny Boyle, ’28 Days Later’ stars Cillian Murphy as bicycle courier Jim, who wakes up from a coma at a hospital in London and finds the civilization around him completely collapsed. The tragedy is said to have taken place in 28 days, after a highly contagious virus was passed onto humans by an infected chimpanzee from a laboratory in Cambridge. The disease turns individuals into extremely violent creatures who seek to attack those who are yet to be infected. As Jim travels the lonely streets trying to stay away from those who have turned, he comes across other survivors like Selena (Naomie Harris), and they band together to get to safety.
1. Train to Busan (2016)
Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, ‘Train to Busan’ follows a father-daughter duo, Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) and Su-an (Kim Su-an), travelling by train from Seoul to Busan, who are confronted with a sudden zombie outbreak onboard. As more and more passengers get infected, Seok-woo and Su-an band together with other non-infected individuals to fight back and reach their destination without being turned. However, the situation worsens for them as similar outbreaks take place all across the country, and railway stations get flooded by zombies. ‘Train to Busan’ shares many thematic similarities with ‘Ziam,’ with both Seok-woo and Singh fighting to protect their loved ones. The brutal action is also contained at a single location, with the train swapping out the hospital from the latter film.
