Dawn of the Dead was a key inspiration for new horror show Generation Z, despite it not containing any zombies

British filmmaker Ben Wheatley’s new post-apocalyptic seeming series follows a gang of flesh-eating elders who pray on the young, but despite being influenced by iconic zombie movies, the filmmaker says there are actually no zombies in the show at all.

"It’s got the DNA of classic zombie stuff like Dawn of the Dead, but it’s also got the DNA of disaster movies of the 70s," Wheatley tells Total Film in our final issue out on Thursday, October 10, which features Gladiator 2 on the cover. But Wheatley, best known for helming psychological horror Kill List,  is quick to point out that there aren’t actual zombies to be found in the show. "No one’s dead," he adds, "So it’s more like Romero’s The Crazies."

Starring Downton Abbey’s Sue Johnston, Doctor Who season 14’s Anita Dobson, and Slow Horses' Chris Reilly, Generation Z begins with the accidental release of a mysterious virus - one that just so happens to turn the elderly population of the fictional town of Dambury violent with a hunger for flesh. We have an exclusive look at Generation Z below which shows stars Lewis Gribben and Jay Lycurgo lying on the ground, presumably after running from the series' crazed elders.

But as Wheatley points out, the teenager-eating baby boomers are very much alive, and the gory dark comedy is more like The Crazies. The 1973 movie follows a virus outbreak that causes death and permanent insanity in those infected, sending them into a zombie-like state whilst still breathing. That all seems a bit too close to home considering our world has just come out of a serious pandemic of its own.

However, the funny part is that Wheatley says he began work on the show in 2019 before COVID-19 had even entered the public consciousness. "What was weird about it is the script predicted a lot of the COVID stuff," Wheatley explains. But the creator feels that this only adds to the show’s appeal and relevance. "Before it had been predictive science-fiction, but now it’s something that everyone has experienced," says the director. Well, we sure are glad our pandemic didn't turn out exactly like Wheatley’s prediction.

Generation Z is released on Channel 4 this October. And you can read more about it and a whole lot else besides in the final issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, October 10.

Check out the covers below:

Subscribers have the exclusive text-free cover on the way to them right now, with the issue then hitting shops and digital newsstands on Thursday October 10.