The undertone for Ladder can be described best with a quote from the movie:
Eckhart saw Hell too. He said: The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of life, your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you, he said. They're freeing your soul. So, if you're frightened of dying and... and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth
Ah, The Descent. Are you claustrophobic?
...
...you will be.
I always called it "gorror."I'm not really a fan of gorn (gore/porn; aren't I clever?). I'm much more interested in atmosphere and suspense in my horror flicks than I am bloodsplatter and the gratuitous gut-tear scene that seems to have been a convention in zombie movies anymore. I guess I'm aberrant in that I love zombie movies for the bleakness and watching how the protagonists deal/cope with their situation, rather than liking the genre for the violence/ick-factor.
Zombie movies to me should be one of two types: one is like the one you described and the other is essentially a comedy in that it doesn't take itself very seriously (case in point: zombies ambushing a jeep, eating the soldiers (unseen), and we see them later joy-riding in the jeep)