It's never a bad thing to read the works and perspectives others have used before. For one, it can show you things you WANT to do, but for another it can show you things you really want to avoid. There is, of course, a danger of beginning to pick up things that they do or use, phrases, character and plot devices, but being aware of them makes it easier in the long run, if you ask me. Why is this? Because you can choose to use them, or you can choose to think beyond them. The danger in writing like them is not stopping yourself. It just takes a little extra effort to push beyond the ideas they give you to turn it into something unique.
Besides, if you never read what they've done, how do you know you're not telling the same story the same way? If you never see what they do, you could write like them unintentionally, instead of catching the mistake before it goes to far. You'd also be unaware of things considered cliche within the genre, things that zombie enthusiasts consider tropes and go out of their way to avoid.
Research is your friend, and when your goal is to write, that research means reading works in the genre you wish to explore.
