Zombies are having a moment, from The Walking Dead to The Last of Us and the upcoming 28 Years Later. But Daisy Ridley is putting a fresh spin on the genre with her latest film, We Bury the Dead, a psychological zombie thriller that prioritizes emotion over gore. The Star Wars icon stars as Ava, a woman grappling with personal loss who joins a body-retrieval unit in Tasmania after a military accident reanimates the dead into violent "shamblers."
Directed by Zak Hilditch, the film is less about high-octane action and more about grief and closure. Ava's mission to find her husband becomes a haunting journey through a landscape of loss, where the undead are treated with empathy—a rare approach that echoes the tone of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. This divisive take has earned the film an 88% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, though audiences have been cooler at 46%.
The cast includes Brenton Thwaites as Clay, Mark Coles Smith as Riley, Kym Jackson as Lt. Wilkie, Matt Whelan as Mitch, Chloe Hurst as Katie, Deanna Cooney as Bianca, and Salme Geransar as Private Clarkson. Ridley's performance has been universally praised, even as the film's slow-burn pacing splits viewers.
We Bury the Dead has already made waves on PVOD, but its biggest audience will come when it lands on Hulu on May 8, 2026. For those who prefer physical media, a 4K UHD and Blu-ray release follows on July 8. If you're a fan of thoughtful horror that asks you to feel for the monsters, this one's worth a watch.
What's Next for Daisy Ridley?
Ridley remains best known as Rey in the Star Wars saga, and she's set to reprise the role in a standalone film. While details are scarce, she's teased that "the story will be wonderful" and that fans will discover where Rey is when they meet her again. Beyond the galaxy far, far away, she'll star in Ti West's Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol alongside Johnny Depp and Sam Claflin, as well as Me vs. Me and The Good Samaritan with Josh Duhamel and Sharlto Copley.
For now, mark your calendars for May 8 and prepare for a zombie movie that's more about the heart than the head. And if you're craving more streaming thrills, check out Prime Video's 'Citadel' Season 2, which drops just two days earlier on May 6.
