Brains!

I have always been a fan of the supernatural and fantasy creatures. I love Vampires, except the ones that sparkle, I'm fascinated with Werewolves  and the majority of other mystical creatures give me great pleasure. But the one thing that I love more than any other has to be Zombies.

The idea of the dead coming back to life and hunting the living down for food has always entertained and thrilled me, no matter what medium they are used in, and so I have decided to discuss those poor infected souls in all of their forms of life. To bein with I will discuss the different forms Zombies take before going on to discussing them in each of their mediums.


Traditional Zombies
Traditionally, Zombies are slow moving corpses that hunt the living, attempting to devour their flesh. They tend to be created through freak accidents with radioactive substances, biological experiments gone wrong or ancient curses. The disease/infection is passed on through bodily fluids, usually in the form of a bite or a scratch. Once the infection is in the victims system it shuts down their bodily functions, often taking the form of a fever, and once the victim is dead the virus reanimates them. The reanimated corpse has no memory of its past self and is driven by an unsatiable hunger. The only way to kill this form of zombie is by destroying the brain, although given enough time the zombie will eventually decay to a point where it can no longer function.

New Age Zombies
New age Zombies share alot of similarities with traditional zombies, they are usually created/infected in the same manner and are usually killed using the same techniques. However, this form of zombie is not a slow lumbering corpse like its traditional counterpart, they still maintain a lot of their motofunctions, primarily the ability to run. This means that they tend to be a harder zombie to kill as its hard enough to get a head shot on a stumbling zombie, let alone one that is sprinting towards you.

Which is Best?
So, which form of zombie is better, the crazy sprinter that will devour you in seconds or the slow, lumbering wretch that will eventually catch up with you and rip you to shreds. Personally, I would have to say the Traditional Zombie is better, mainly because if there was a zombie outbreak at least then I'd stand a chance of killing a few before my untimely end but also because I get more of a sense of dread when faced with a slow moving unstoppable force that will come for me eventually than the quick, but still brutal, death at the hands of the New Age Zombie.


Infected or Dead
Along with the creation of the New Age Zombie has also come the 'new diagnosis.' The majority of zombies become infected and then die or are considered dead, mainly due to the fact that they cannot be harmed or stopped by anything other than the destruction of the brain. However, a new breed of zombie has cropped up that becomes infected but does not die, these forms of zombie tend to follow the New Age Zombie guide. The infected share all of the characteristics of a dead zombie except that they can be killed in all manner of ways, such as drowning, chemical gasses and general harm to the body.

Which is Best ?
I prefer my zombies to die befor they try to eat me, not least because it gives me a bit more time to get away. The fact that the infected can be killed so easily removes a lot of the horror and dread and just makes them seem like a bunch of mass murdering canniballs rather than the undead.


Zombies in Film
The first zombie film that I will talk about is Night of the Living Dead, by zombie legend George A. Romero.
The first of many zombie films directed by George A. Romero, Night of the Living Dead focused on a group of people barricading themselves in an isolated farmhouse against numerous zombies. Made in 1968, this film began the cultural fascination with zombies and is still considered one of the best zombie films of all time.

The second zombie film is Dawn of the Dead, by Zack Snyder. Sharing the same name as Romero's second zombie flick, Dawn of the Dead shared several similarities as the characters barricade themselves inside a shopping mall and spend most of their time browsing the shops for the items that they wanted before the outbreak, in a satirical look at consumerism. The big difference and one that completely alters the style of the film from its predecessor is the use of New Age Zombies instead of Tradional Zombies. As zombie films go, this is one of the better ones, however, the use of this form of zombie means that the film doesn't hold the same level of suspense and fear as Romero's.

And the third zombie film that I will talk about is 28 Days Later, by Danny Boyle. In a complete overhaul of the zombie image, this film begins with a quick look at an animal testing facility where the apes in captivaty have been given large doses of 'rage.' The viewer gets a quick look at the beginning of the outbreak as some would be saviours of the apes are infected as they open the cages. The story then pans to the central character, waking up after a coma to find the hospital he is in and everywhere else deserted, it's not long before he runs foul of zombies and renegade soldiers. The reason I've included this film in the blog is because of the style of zombies used, they aren't the Traditional or New Age Zombies but are instead the infected. This was the first film to feature such zombies and had quite an effect on viewers the first time round, however, due to the fact that the zombies are just rage infected humans means that this cannot be considered a true zombie film and yet it cannot be sorted into any other category.


Zombies in Television
The critically acclaimed series The Walking Dead recently premiered on british television, bringing viewers a more realistic and emotionally world ravaged by a zombie apocalypse. The Walking Dead shares a similar opening to 28 Days Later as the main protagonist wakes up in a hospital bed several weeks after the viral outbreak. The zombies featured are a cross between the Traditional and the New Age Zombies, as most of them are slow and lumbering but a few (I'm guessing the  most recently infected) are able to clumsily trot after their prey, it's not quite the sprinting that many zombies seem able to do now-a-days but it adds a bit of tension not knowing just how fast a zombie will be able to persue you. The biggest success of the series has to be the fact that each episode plays out slowly, building up each character's personality so that the audience feel connected to them and their plight, but at the same time is able to deliver gory and violent scenes that keep the audience interested. This is a balance that very few films seem capable of doing.



Zombies in Games
The most well known zombie franchise in existence, the Resident Evil saga has been infected and devouring for many years now and has a lot of diversity to offer when giving the player chances to claim a few headshots. The first three games all offer the same variation of zombie, the Tradionals, with a few genetic monstrosities thrown in to add some extra difficulty. These three games are notorious in handing the player very little ammunition and so forcing them to take their shots carefully and to try and conserve ammo. This style of play helped bring the survival horror genre to the forefront of gaming.

However, the next two Resident Evil games completely changed the formula, although technocally still zombies, the enemies in these games were more like mutated plants attached to the enemies heads and the idea of conserving ammo and trying to survive was thrown out and replaced with your standard action/adventure game.


Zombies in Literature
I never used to be a fan of zombies in literature, I always prefered vampires and demons over the mindless ghouls, until I was enlightened by two books which have since become two of my favourite books of all time.
Both books are written by Max Brooks and take a serious and realistic look at everything to do with zombies.

The first book is called 'The Zombie Survival Guide,' and is designed to help the reader prepare for a zombie outbreak. It covers every subject that needs to be considered when facing such an event. The weapons that the reader should take interest in are carefully reviewed, explaining all of their good and bad points and saying how effevtive they would be at killing zombies. Brooks explains to the reader the perils of every portential safehouse and what key supplies are needed, as well as the amount of each needed. He also delves into the history of zombies and speculates on their origins as well as giving the reader a detailed anatomy of the typical zombie. The book finishes by exploring all of mankinds clashes with zombie outbreaks, delving into great detail on who was involved and how they managed to survive.

The second book is called 'World War Z,' and is a detailed account of a world wide zombie outbreak that left hummanity on the brink of extinction, as told by a handfull of survivors in key areas of the world. The depth and realism that these books bring to the reader, is shocking and makes it seem almost possible for such an event to occur. I thoroughly recommend that everyone read these books, mainly so you'll be prepared just in case a zombie apocalypse does happen.


I hope I have decently informed my loyal readers on the zombie menace and their various incarnations, come back soon (and in case of a zombie apocalypse, good luck).