Yesterday, we lost George Romero, director of Night of the Living Dead, creator of the zombie genre, and one of the first successful DIY filmmakers. But his legacy lives on with more fervor than ever, evidenced by the success of The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and the plethora of zombie movies that roam every corner of our culture.

To commemorate Romero, Jason Sondhi of Short of the Week has compiled an eclectic list of some of the finest zombie shorts available to watch online. The films, which have screened at Sundance, Fantasia, and other festivals, both embrace and subvert the zombie genre; some riff on the tropes, while others bring an entirely fresh sensibility to the undead.  

"They prove something primal about the concept of the undead and the flexibility of the premise to tell all kinds of stories," writes Sondhi. "Outrageous laughs and heartbreaking feels to follow in this playlist of 9 essential zombie short films."

Film synopses provided by Short of the Week.

Cargo

Directors: Yolanda Ramke and Ben Howling

Stranded in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, a man sets in motion an unlikely plan to protect the precious cargo he carries: his infant daughter.

Dawn of the Deaf

Director: Rob Savage

When a strange sound wipes out the hearing population, a small group of Deaf people must band together to survive.

Bite Me

Director: Jarrett Lee Conaway

Zombies are taking over the world but this clueless group of slackers is more interested in video games and the girl next door in this horror/comedy.

I Love Sarah Jane

Director: Spencer Susser

A ton of festival kudos have poured in for this special effects-laden, post-apocalyptic, zombie-film. That is probably because of its twist—it is actually quite sweet.

Rest

Director: Cole Schreiber

The zombie art-house film that will have you feeling a spot of compassion for the undead.

We Together

Director: Henry Kaplan

Director Henry Kaplan breathes life into the undead with this energetic tale of a zombie awakened.

Alice Jacobs is Dead

Director: Alex Horowitz

The scientist who cured the Z virus is hiding a secret from this zombie-infected world.

Zombeer

Directors: Rob van der Velden & Barend de Voogd

What happens when you mix zombies and beer? You get a seemingly unstoppable way to spread a zombie virus.

Play Dead

Directors: Andres and Diego Meza-Valdes

It's dogs vs. zombies in this light-hearted horror film from Miami collective Borscht Corp.

Five Minutes

Director: Maximilian Niemann

John is fighting to survive after being injured during a battle with a zombie. The viewer has to help him to make a test which will figure out the fate of him and his daughter.