Have you ever participated in a debate about what one would do in a zombie apocalypse? If not, you must not hang out with a lot of geeks or gun fetishists.

In the past few years, zombie movies have seen a resurgence, fueled by comics (the excellent “The Walking Dead”), books (Max Brooks’ s “World War Z”) and lots of movies (“Resident Evil,” “28 Days Later” and countless direct-to-video entries). With Halloween coming up, I thought the time had never been better for a list of the five best zombie movies I’ve seen.

1. “Dawn of the Dead” (1978) – George A. Romero’s thought-provoking sequel to his revolutionary “Night of the Living Dead” remains the most exciting, tense zombie film ever made. With the world overrun with the undead, four people flee the city in a traffic helicopter, eventually taking refuge in a shopping mall infested with walking corpses.

Even though age has made its mark (“It’s one of those big indoor malls,” remarks one character upon spotting the structure in the distance), the terror remains completely intact, with tense action, a bloodcurdlingly appropriate soundtrack and a sense of dread that never stops being palatable.

2. “Dawn of the Dead” (2004) – Then-rookie Zach Snyder (later of “300” and “Watchmen” fame) remade Romero’s original in a way that’s blasphemous to some. Gone is the anti-consumerist satire, in are zombies that sprint. But it’s a helluva action flick, with an electric abundance of gunfire, explosions and encounters that are always close calls. The action alone would be enough, but Snyder infuses the thrills with an undercurrent of bleakness that keeps the spirit of the original alive.

3. “Zombieland” (2009) – Ruben Fleischer’s take on the zombie apocalypse is three parts comedy and one part shooter, a terrific blend that at 81 minutes makes it the best per second in the field.

When the dead walk the earth and all is lost, a foursome of survivors moves on, each with a set of skills and values that very nearly makes the end of civilization a carefree game. But even as the film’s violence and wicked sense of humor make it a blast, there’s a beating heart that makes it poignant.

4. “Night of the Living Dead” (1968) – Romero’s original started it all as low budget B-movie with a premise so good that it single-handedly created a subgenre. “Night of the Living Dead” begins the zombie apocalypse with a group of stunned survivors fortifying a rural house against waves of the undead.

Like all of his later films, the dramatic tension springs primarily from the bitter conflicts within a group struggling to live through hell. The grainy black and white and cheap production values actually send the chill factor through the roof, while a reportedly unintentional bit of casting subtly imbues the film with an element of social commentary.

5. “Day of the Dead” (1985) – Perhaps the least respected of Romero’s zombie films, “Day of the Dead” is more methodically paced and contemplative than what audiences are used to seeing out of a zombie film.

Set long after zombies have conquered the earth, a collection of soldiers and scientists work fruitlessly to end the undead scourge. With a cruel military leader in charge and a mad scientist conducting perverse experiments with captive zombies, the protagonists find themselves trapped in the middle.

There’s some of the expected action, but Romero makes the atmosphere claustrophobic with the realization that the film’s heroes are merely waiting for the inevitable end.

George A. Romero also directed “Land of the Dead” and “Diary of the Dead.”

James can be read online at www.jamesfrazier.biz. “Zombieland” is currently in theaters. Check www.marcustheatres.com for showtimes.