Zombieland is a horror-comedy that is laugh-out-loud funny while packing in plenty of gnarly kills of both zombies and humans. The movie follows a young man nicknamed "Columbus" (Jesse Eisenberg) who has managed to survive a worldwide zombie apocalypse by following a set of rules that are meta comments on the undead genre. Columbus teams up with “Tallahassee” (Woody Harrelson) who is another successful survivor. The two are ostensibly on respective journeys to find living family , but it becomes clear that they are more or less happy to just enjoy lives without responsibilities.
Eventually, the wandering pair run into the sister team of "Wichita" (Emma Stone) and "Little Rock" (Abigail Breslin) — the characters are all named after cities to avoid getting too emotionally attached. As the quartet grows closer, Columbus ends up breaking his Zombieland survival rules to protect them. The movie is hilarious and wacky, but that doesn’t mean the violence is subdued. If anything, the kills in Zombieland are even more gruesome, creative, and frequent than in other zombie movies. Here's a list of the more than 100 deaths in the movie.
Cameraman - Killed By Zombie
The first kill in Zombieland comes within the first minute. Columbus narrates over a handheld-filmed scene of the U.S. Capitol building on fire. The camera swings around until a fast zombie appears in the frame and runs toward the camera revealing that its operator is an actual person in the movie. He’s immediately bitten by the zombie, who takes a messy chomp out of his side. Columbus says, “This is now the United States of Zombieland,” as the undead character looks into the camera and burps. This kill sets the tone for the rest of the movie: it’s going to be gruesome, crude, and unafraid to wink at the audience.
Man Running On The Football Field - Killed By Zombie
The first of Columbus’s zombie survival rules in Zombieland is “cardio,” and the word pops up on the screen over a man zigzagging across an empty football stadium with a zombie in hot pursuit. The man only makes it about halfway across the field before he’s tackled by the zombie and eaten, providing a bloody lesson about staying in shape during an apocalypse. Inexplicably, the pair are the only ones present in the brightly lit stadium, making the scene feel fanciful. Zombieland isn't interested in telling a realistic apocalyptic story and would rather present funny events without having to back up every joke and kill with an explanation.
Woman In The Street - Killed By Zombie
“Double tap” is a very important rule in Zombieland. Ahead of the opening credits, the movie's third zombie kill shows why this rule is so important. A woman manages to shoot a zombie attacking her, knocking it to the ground. Unfortunately, she doesn’t know the “double tap” rule, and after prodding the zombie with her foot, it gets back up to devour her. It's a common trope in horror movies for a character to seemingly kill a monster only for it to reveal itself not dead yet. Columbus is well aware of this and reiterates this rule throughout the movie, making a point of shooting zombies twice whenever he can.
Gas N' Gulp Station Manager - Killed By Zombie
Rule #3 in Zombieland is “beware of bathrooms," and this kill is one of the most stomach-churning, more for its location than anything else. A gas station manager is reading a newspaper on the commode when the major issue with American public restrooms is pointed out in a worst-case scenario. The manager looks down to see a zombie crawling through the gap under the door. The camera cuts to the outside of the stall, but the audience is still treated to a gratuitous amount of blood spilling out as the zombie digs in. What makes this kill even better is the manager is played by an uncredited Mike White.
Careless Driver - Car Crash
The last rule given before the title card starts rolling in Zombieland is a good idea anytime: “seatbelts." Columbus is an overly cautious person, even before the apocalypse, and it’s one of the reasons he’s survived so long. With all the chaos, people can avoid becoming an easy kill by simply buckling up, as one unfortunate unnamed woman finds out. Her car crashes into a truck and the driver is sent flying through the windshield to her death — the movie's fifth. It would be more upsetting if all the driver's dashboard toys didn’t fly out behind her in a perfect circle before they all come crashing to the ground.
Double-Tapped Zombie - Killed By Columbus
Columbus proves the importance of his rules when he shoots a zombie attacking him through his car at an abandoned gas station. Once again in Zombieland, the words "Rule #2 Double Tap" appear on the screen — except in this instance, the rule is successfully followed. The way Columbus walks around his car to shoot the zombie a second time makes it clear he has done this before.
Columbus’s Neighbor - Turned Into Zombie Then Killed By Columbus
This is the first post-title credits Zombieland kill and when the real plot begins. In a flashback, Columbus re how his neighbor and crush (Amber Heard as one of Zombieland's many cameos) runs to him after her roommate bites her. The next morning, she has already turned into a zombie. Columbus knocks her down with a toilet lid to the head and then gets the idea of “double tap” when she rises, and he has to kill his crush for good. It’s an important scene showing the origin of Columbus’s rules but also portraying him as a loner and explaining why he’s uncomfortable in romantic situations later in the movie.
Supermarket Zombies - Killed By Tallahassee With Various Tools
When Columbus first meets Tallahassee, he is immediately impressed with his penchant for killing. Tallahassee handily kills three zombies in Zombieland in a supermarket with a banjo, a metal bat, and finally a pair of garden shears, all just to show off.
Double-Teamed Zombie - Shot By Tallahassee Then Columbus
Tallahassee attempts to earn the “Zombie Kill of the Week” award that it seems everyone in the Zombieland universe is aware of. He rings a bell inside a store and blows away the one zombie that comes running. Columbus doesn't forget his rules, and double-taps the zombie, killing it for good.
Kill Of The Week Zombie - Crushed By Piano
Unfortunately for Tallahassee, this week already has a "Zombie Kill of the Week" winner. Columbus announces over voiceover the honor goes to a nun who leads a zombie into a trap. One pull of a lever and a piano drops on a zombie, obliterating the undead threat.
