Film
Night of the Living Deb
A romantic comedy that trades meet-cutes for meet-zombies. Deb wakes from a one-night stand to discover the world has ended, and her awkward new boyfriend is her only ally in the undead chaos. It's scrappy, silly, and genuinely charming—a film that knows exactly what it is and commits fully to the bit.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy a zombie romp where the gags land harder than the scares and the lead's wry, flustered voice carries most of the weight.
Skip it if you want genuine dread or gore that sticks, since this is a light, scrappy comedy that keeps its horror cheerful and doesn't linger on anything.
What it asks of you: Little attention, under an hour and a half, a brisk pace and a loose shape that rewards staying amused over following a tight plot.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Shaun of the Dead2004
The gold standard for zom-com: funny enough to work as comedy, scary enough to work as horror, and genuinely touching about friendship and growing up. Edgar Wright's direction makes every frame sing.
But If you want pure scares, the humour undercuts the threat. If you want pure laughs, it occasionally pulls back into genuine dread.

Zombieland2009
Fast, clever, and bursting with personality. The rules gimmick is gold, the cast chemistry is electric, and it finds real emotion underneath the carnage without ever losing the joy of the premise.
But The humour skews broad and the zombie kills can feel repetitive if you're not already sold on the film's energy.

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil2010
A horror-comedy that subverts genre expectations with genuine wit and surprising warmth. Two likeable guys mistaken for killers, a funny premise executed with real craft and heart underneath the gore.
But The first half leans harder into comedy than scares, which might feel uneven if you're looking for consistent tension.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Night of the Living Deb
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Santa Clarita Diet2017
Both treat the zombie apocalypse as a relationship problem: how do you navigate attraction and partnership when the world ends? Both pit romantics against undead chaos.
A suburban mom becomes a flesh-eating zombie, and her marriage somehow becomes stronger. It's genuinely weird—a dark comedy that treats undeath as a marital crisis with genuine chemistry between the leads and real stakes mixed with absurdity.
But Netflix cancelled it after three seasons, leaving a cliffhanger. The gore is frequent and the premise relies on you accepting the absurd as sincere.

More like this (8)
What We Do in the Shadows2014
A mockumentary about vampire flatmates in Wellington. Taika Waititi and Flight of the Conchords' Jemaine Clement created something that's endlessly quotable, oddly tender, and laugh-out-loud funny.
But The humour is dry and the pace is deliberately slack. If you need constant stimulation, it might feel slight.

Army of Darkness1992
Bruce Campbell as a chainsaw-armed deadite-fighter in a medieval world. It's campy, quotable, and knows it's ridiculous—but commits so hard that it becomes genuinely thrilling and hilarious in equal measure.
But The low budget shows, the effects are dated, and the tone is deliberately over the top. Some find it exhausting rather than fun.

Fido2006
A 1950s suburb where zombies are domesticated pets. It's absurdist, visually inventive, and genuinely moving—about a boy and his zombie friend, treated with unexpected sincerity beneath the concept's madness.
But The quirky-indie tone might feel precious, and the satirical edge dulls when it reaches for sentiment.

Warm Bodies2013
A zombie love story with a Nicholas Sparks vibe but actual stakes and a clever conceit: a zombie falling for a human might be the cure to the plague. Surprisingly earnest and well-acted.
But The romance feels formulaic and the zombie makeup can't overcome the film's desire to make the infected sympathetic.

Braindead1992
Peter Jackson's splatter-comedy masterpiece. A mother-zombie and her son's attempts to hide her corpse spiral into pure carnage and inspired madness. Grotesque, inventive, and genuinely hilarious.
But It's relentlessly gross and gory in ways that go far beyond what Night of the Living Deb attempts. The extreme body horror will turn off anyone queasy.

The Return of the Living Dead1985
A cult classic that treats zombie apocalypse as darkly comic farce. Punks vs. zombies, incompetent military, punk soundtrack—it's chaotic and funny in a way that feels lived-in and real.
But The humour is very 80s, the pacing is uneven, and it occasionally sacrifices story logic for a gag.

Cargo2017
Both use the zombie premise as a frame for an unlikely relationship (new couple, father-daughter) and ask what you'd do for someone when everything breaks. One is hilarious; this one guts you.
An Australian film about a father trying to protect his daughter after he's bitten and becoming undead. It's quiet, mournful, and devastating—a zombie film about love and sacrifice with barely any action and complete sincerity.
But It's slow, deeply sad, and has none of Night of the Living Deb's comedy. If you want fun, this will flatten you.

My Boyfriend's Back1993
Both play the romantic-comedy beat while zombies are actively shambling. Both ask: if you really liked someone, would undeath be a deal-breaker? Both are sincere about the sincerity.
A high school boy dies and becomes a zombie, but stays in love with his girlfriend. It's a 90s teen comedy-horror hybrid that's earnestly weird—treating undeath as just another obstacle to teenage romance, shot straight.
But It's deeply strange without ever committing to satire, and the tonal whiplash between comedy and genuine zombie mayhem is jarring. It feels like an artifact from a specific moment.

People
Cast
Maria ThayerDeb Clarington
Michael CassidyRyan Waverly
Ray WiseFrank Waverly
Christopher Rodriguez MarquetteChaz Waverly
Syd WilderStacy
Julie BristerRuby
Orson Scott CardProfessor Turlington
Holly ClaphamStreet Reporter
Brian SaccaColonel Newton
Nick ShuhanManny
Directing
- Kyle RankinDirector
Writing
- Andy SelsorStory
- Kyle RankinStory
- Andy SelsorWriter
Production
- Dana StreetAssociate Producer
- Darren PriestAssociate Producer
- Debra SchwartzAssociate Producer
- Faisal CampwalaAssociate Producer
- Holly Karrol ClarkAssociate Producer
- Jane RankinAssociate Producer
- Jocelyn StamatAssociate Producer
- John CopolilloAssociate Producer
- Kevin SprolesAssociate Producer
- Larry TaubeAssociate Producer
- Benoit GrenierCo-Producer
- Doug RoosCo-Producer
- Doug RoosCo-Producer
- Tony CopolilloCo-Producer
- Leah SchifferExecutive Producer
- Syd WilderExecutive Producer
- Tom SchifferExecutive Producer
- Chad NicholsonProducer
- Kyle RankinProducer
- Michael CassidyProducer