Ghosts and masked killers may dominate the horror genre, but zombie stories will never go out of style, and that’s why The Walking Dead is still a huge hit all these years later. But after fans have rewatched all 11 seasons and watched the spinoffs such as Fear The Walking Dead, it’s time to look for other tales of smart characters doing their best to survive, form new alliances, and avoid getting bitten by the undead (and turning into one themselves). Since zombie stories combine terror with emotion, they’re always entertaining and memorable.

Recent news of a popular young adult zombie novel being adapted into a movie will please fans of The Walking Dead, who will definitely want to check out the film when it’s released.

The Walking Dead Fans Should Check Out The Courtney Summers Adaptation This Is Not A Test

Variety reported that the Courtney Summers young adult novel This Is Not A Test is being made into a movie. The book is about teenagers, including the main character Sloane, who hide in Cortege High during a zombie apocalypse.

Anova Pictures is producing This Is Not A Test and, as Variety reported, producer Cybill Lui said:

“We’re dead set on making an intense, emotional, and gripping film set in the ‘90’s — a ‘Breakfast Club’ meets ’28 Weeks Later’ — as we follow our heroine’s journey and ask ourselves, what do you hold onto when everything is gone?”

There is always room for more stories that use classic zombie apocalypse tropes since these are always memorable, compelling, and entertaining. Since The Walking Dead uses these tropes so well, This Is Not A Test is the perfect movie for fans looking for more exciting and unsettling stories set in a similar world.

Although The Walking Dead focuses on adults who find themselves in a whole new world and This Is Not A Test is about high schoolers, they’re both emotional stories about smart characters who have to figure things out quickly in order to survive. While it was sad news that The Walking Dead season 12 didn’t happen, at least fans can check out other zombie tales and immerse themselves in a similarly dark and deadly world.

In a 2012 interview with The Huffington Post, Summers, a talented writer who has penned several gripping and moving young adult books, talked about why she chose to write a story about zombies. She said “I always knew I would write a zombie novel” and continued:

“[Zombies] are scary and they eat your brains. They lend themselves perfectly to that search for a greater meaning in life. To watch a zombie movie where people get stripped of the things that make their lives worth living and still want to live in spite of it can be very inspirational. Yes, zombies inspire me every day.”

Summers also spoke about the difficult life that Sloane, the main character of This Is Not A Test, has lived. Sloane has an abusive father and is still grieving the loss of her sister Lily, which makes the experience of hiding out during the zombie apocalypse even more challenging. The best zombie stories combine unsettling and terrifying moments with more realistic and moving ones. The Walking Dead is a great example of that as the show has some tragic deaths as well as creepy and memorable villains. It will be interesting to see how This Is Not A Test is brought to the big screen.

The cast of This Is Not A Test includes Cruel Summer stars Olivia Holt and Froy Gutierrez, along with Luke MacFarlane, and is being directed by Adam MacDonald. Holt and Gutierrez have appeared in horror projects before: Holt also stars in the romantic slasher movie Heart Eyes with Mason Gooding and Gutierrez starred in The Strangers: Chapter 1, which was released in 2024.

What Are Some Popular Horror Teenage Horror Movies About Zombies?

There are two great horror movies about zombies and teenagers that fans of this genre should check out: Warm Bodies and Anna and the Apocalypse. These are both unsettling and at times funny zombie movies to watch while waiting for This Is Not A Test to be released.

Warm Bodies was released in 2013 and tells the love story of Julie (Teresa Palmer) and a zombie named “R” (Nicholas Hoult). Anna and the Apocalypse was released in 2017 and tells the story of high school senior Anna Shepherd (Ella Hunt) who is thinking about her future when the zombie apocalypse happens. Since the movie is a musical, it stands out from others, but it still has some creepy moments that will please fans of this subgenre.