Hopefully this is the correct forum.

I'm writing a paper on what defines a zombie. Pretty sweet that my instructor's letting me do that, I know, however…He wants me to write WHY it's important to give signifigance to why I need to settle the zombie debate. I read way to much into instructions like that, so anyone else have an answer? Why should we want to settle the zombie debate?

Zombies hide in the bushes, and scare people. Everyone knows that.

I wouldn't have the slightest idea about zombies…

Sorry, I have failed you.

: (

Once again, roundhouse beats zombie in a hole. If only I could submit that video. hmmm….No, no, he wouldn't go for it.

How about this: it's important so people stop using it instead of, say, construct, or automaton? And so my friends will shut it…No, no, he won't go for that either… Why must teachers be so concerned about education!!!

I have failed myself.

well, I think one of the reasons why we should settle the zombie debate is that there's way too many people claiming that there can be only one type of zombie, and so on.

thus, too many people get into pointless debate on that kind of thing.

To me, Zombies kinda has thier own sub-species and or different types, and that's all there is to it.

Here's an list of those different types/species:

1. Voodoo Zombie. The very first oringal type of zombie in recorded history, which inspired movies and stories like “weekend at bernie's”. Here, the corpses are nothing but puppets for an Voodoo master. The only way the zombies would be put down was if you killed the source of thier reanimation, the voodoo Master. After that, they cannot rise again, unless another voodoo master came along. That, or killing them by fire to purfiy their bodies.

2. Slow-moving Zombie. The most famous of the bunch, as portayed in a lot of movies and video games. I think those ones are the least scary, snice it's like you can pretty much take your sweet time using them as target pratice from a distance if you have an shotgun and plenty of ammo. After all, they're just SO damn SLOW! You do have to worry if they're all in a huge group though, snice that's when they're the most deadly then. After all it's nearly impossible to keep an eye on ALL of them to make sure that they don't get too close.
Most common way of killing them–destroy the brain by shooting them in thier head. Killing them by fire is used too, but not as common here.
Also this type has it two cagetories here– Dumb and smart.
Dumb zombies are nothing but mindless creatures that thinks of nothing expect to feed thier everlasting hunger. They can't do the basic stuff that even the normal healthy humans can do.
The smart ones though, now they will have moments to themselves where it occurs to them that it would actually be easier to take down thier targets by using weapons, such as an axe. They retain some of their memories, some of the things that they remember doing before when they were alive. That's why they can realize that they can do things like that. Yet, they cannot be reasoned with as seeing they're still an slave to their basic and most primivite insisticts just like the zombies. Which is what makes them the most dangerous than the dumb & slow type.
Regular humans still have the edge over the smarter ones though–they're faster than them.

3. Fast-moving zombies. As shown in 28 days later, is the ones that you have to worry about. They're fast as an regular human… but the worst part, snice they're dead they cannot run out of breath like a regular human.
like the slow zombies, they think of nothing but feeding thier enteral hunger.
They're also more dangerous in that their speed also helps them break down things faster, such as breaking into an house.
And just like slow-moving zombies, you have to destroy their brains to kill them.


Fast-moving types and the slow types, how they come to be is still debated in some circles. Some say by Magic, some say it's an virus.. and some say it's an chemical warfare that the government was working on. All three is very basic plots that most movies has.

I remember in dawn of the dead zombies were vicious and the went by scent and movement. And on 26 weeks later zombies ran after you when they saw movement or head noises.

Emptyness
I remember in dawn of the dead zombies were vicious and the went by scent and movement. And on 26 weeks later zombies ran after you when they saw movement or head noises.

oh yeah, I forgot that not all zombies automically attack humans only. It's certainly vey important to note that they'll attack anything that is alive and moves.
after all, remember the zombie dogs in resident evil that movie.

… I got an idea. Let's just ask a zombie what the best kind of zombie is!

Zombies hold a special virus inside them that re-animates dead cells. Sadly however returning from the dead can leave you with very strange side-effects, they are Insanity and Cannibalism. Since the brain is re-animated, parts of it shut down so that it may properly function the necesarry functions. The parts that do not work are..

1. Random sections of the Frontal Lobe

2. Complete Temporal Lobe

3. Diffrent sections of the Cerebellum

4. And the brainstem is left useless.

other then that, all functions work properly.

Special mention must be given to the Hockey Zombie.

The answer to your question is easy: a final definition for “zombie” must be understood and settled upon so that we all know exactly what to prepare for!

You know what. There needs to be a zombie field guide. Because I was just thinking…if you go into the woods, you gotta know if and what kind of beasties are gonna get you; so, if there are different types of zombies, they should all be compiled in one place with identifying features. THAT would solve it.

I believe there actually IS a zombie field guide. I read it once, quite a difficult book to get through. So dreadfully boring. The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks pretty much tells you about all sorts of zombies, I'm sure it has something that will help you out.

Zombies in a Nutshell:

Zombies were originally slow-moving animated corpses connected to Voodoo. Not true voodoo, as the actual belief is similiar to hypnosis, but the stylized “voodoo” seen in Popular Culture.

After reading the novel, I Am Legend, which involved a widespread vampire outbreak, George Romero was inspired to make the movie Dawn of the Dead, which was the first true modern zombie horror story. This movie's antagonists were slow-moving, flesh eating corpses. The term, “zombie” was originally used (I believe it was used by a critic in a review of the film) to describe the antagonists as slow-moving. The term stuck and the modern image of the zombie was born.

Now, the zombie genre has begun to develop fast moving zombies, such as the ones seen in 28 Days Later and the Dawn of the Dead remake.

What does the future hold for zombies? Only time will tell…

Auroura Moon
oh yeah, I forgot that not all zombies automically attack humans only. It's certainly vey important to note that they'll attack anything that is alive and moves.
after all, remember the zombie dogs in resident evil that movie.

Resident Evil has more monsters than just zombies. The movies also have Lickers and Nemesis, neither of which are zombies, but are created by the same virus anyway. Not to mention the countless other monsters in the games. RE seems to follow different laws than other zombie stories.

It's important that we learn the dangers of zombies… so that no man shall make the mistake of tampering with the dead!

Or, better yet, the paper is for the education of… ZOMBIE BUTT-KICKING!

Bro, we should totally get together and start up the 'Zom Squad.

Disgruntledrm
I believe there actually IS a zombie field guide. I read it once, quite a difficult book to get through. So dreadfully boring. The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks pretty much tells you about all sorts of zombies, I'm sure it has something that will help you out.

Actually, the downfall of the Zombie Survival Guide is that it focuses only on a specific type of zombie/s. In fact, “Brooksian Zombie” has become a sort of zombie all in itself.

I have friends preparing for the zompocalypse. I'm not kidding. They're buying all sorts of survival equipment. (Of course, for those not inclined to believe the urgency of a zompocalypse, they just reassure them that it's helpful to have survival equipment around anyway)

Aurora Moon got it down, and classified them the exact way I do. There's your definition. :-)

Aurora Moon
oh yeah, I forgot that not all zombies automically attack humans only. It's certainly vey important to note that they'll attack anything that is alive and moves.
after all, remember the zombie dogs in resident evil that movie.

They can be cannibalistic, too. In the original Resident Evil, there are several times where you see zombies eating another zombie.

I know it's not as fun a theory as some of the others, but I'm a big fan of the “unknown things are more scary than things we know” argument, so by defining something you make it less scary?
Not that I think it would help me much if/when the zombie-apocalypse comes, but at least I'd have an idea about how to deal with them then. (who am I kidding? I'd try to chop off their heads and set fire to them no matter what it is. removing head + setting on fire kills most things).

I really hope it'll be voodoo-zombies when they come. The original voodooZombies aren't scary at all. They were just “workhorses” and could be deZombified by giving them something with salt to eat/drink. Buuut I guess it wouldn't be much of an apocalypse if they don't do anything…

Wow, guys! Thanks for all the imput, you rule! I have indeed read (and own) the zombie survival guide, though I still need to read World War Z.

I have plenty of friends preparing for the zom-pocalype, as well, they are everywhere, sharpening their machetes and stockpiling water! (You know, that could almost be a paper in itself: the phenomenon of zombie survivalists. Think about it, it allows you to envision this conflict that is pure good v. evil AND train for survival and war without being the Unibomber-like.)

And you'd be surprised what's classified as a zombie, it goes beyond voodoo/Romero/infected/fast. There are “Philosophical Zombies” folks just like you and me, but no consciousness! (when you that, imagine Joel Hodgson is saying it and it's way better).

I think I may go with: we need to know what is and isn't so we know what they *mean,* that is, what they symbolize, so we can better understand ourselves (which kinda ties in with the “fear of the unknown” one). The one about knowing what to prepare for is good too. Unfortunately, my original idea was just to put a rest to the debate, but apparently he wants more :/

Interestingly, one story idea I have classifies zombies as the next stage of human evolution. The idea being that once all humanity has been zombified, the next stage will begin and we will live in perfect harmony as a somewhat insectoid species.

LIZARD_B1TE
Interestingly, one story idea I have classifies zombies as the next stage of human evolution. The idea being that once all humanity has been zombified, the next stage will begin and we will live in perfect harmony as a somewhat insectoid species.

That sounds like an interesting take. How does the whole necrosis/eating human flesh thing work out then…if it's not secret ;)

There are two viruses. The Feral Virus and the Perfect Virus, and both of them are required to trigger the “evolution”. It's quite complicated. The main idea is that the Hive Mind will bring us to perfection, or at least, that's what they believe…

LIZARD_B1TE
There are two viruses. The Feral Virus and the Perfect Virus, and both of them are required to trigger the “evolution”. It's quite complicated. The main idea is that the Hive Mind will bring us to perfection, or at least, that's what they believe…

So what your saying is, we will be assimilated? ;)
This smacks of conspiracy and zombies. I love it!

(btw–some people qualify the Borg as zombies. Fun Fact!)

Wow, something I said could be used for something. Nice.

And Borg-zombies? Hmm, I can kinda see why somebody could think that. Kinda.
Hive mind things are scary. Really, the total loss of all individualyty is not something I'd willingly go into. But I've never read or seen anything where you get an option, so that dosn't matter much, hmm?

Wait, if you classify zombies as walking dead, does that mean Frankenstein's monster is just a glorified zombie, or does he get his own category due to being made from a lot of corpses? Hmm.
Of all the questions I get to ask the stupid ones.

And then there are the energy Zombies that come from being infected by a computer virus from spam mail…no seriously…check out Stupid Users if you don't believe me!

Anyone seen Fido yet?

WHY DON'T I CHECK THE FORUMS MORE OFTEN *rams head on key board* Arg I'm suck a zombie fan and now everything has been said…

um….um…some zombies don't eat animals (Dawn of the Dead–they didn't eat chips the dog)

Zombies can be funny (Shawn of the Dead—my all time fav movie)

Zombies retain some memories—(both previously mentioned movies)

I think you should check out the 9 Zombie laws found over at Zombies Are People Too

That will answer any and all questions.

Sysli
Wait, if you classify zombies as walking dead, does that mean Frankenstein's monster is just a glorified zombie, or does he get his own category due to being made from a lot of corpses?

He's called a “Flesh Golem”. Besides, he doesn't eat people, which REALLY puts him in a different category.

matteblack
Anyone seen Fido yet?

No, but I've seen the preview, and I want to reeeeal bad.

Also, Kodhok, I've never heard the term “Flesh Golem” used to describe Frankenstein's monster before, though it's actually pretty fitting. Did you make it up?

Also also, what's our stance on zombies being brought to life not by magic or viruses, but by restless spirits of dead people– for example (and I wish I could think of a better example here, but I can't at the moment), the benign Civil War-era zombies from Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island? Would they be considered another proper species of zombie, or just extensively possessed corpses?

Zombies are actally known to exist in one part of the world, but in the same way as you might think. I will find the book on it later and perhaps explain, all I know is it's something to do with a drug found in plants and isolating the person in a coffin where the air compresses the brain or something, giving a zombie like state.

In any case, Ill find out later.