There are definitely more zombies and more challenging groups a little later on, when you get to the city. Good times.
Also, though the game won’t allow me and my co-op buddy to directly bludgeon eachother to death, we have developed a rather destructive little game I’m calling “hide-the-propane-tank-and-then-blow-your-friend-to-a-thousand-pieces.” It’s rather counter-productive, but immensely entertaining.