Vampires, Werewolves, and Zombies. discussion

The age old question: Which zombie do you prefer? The running zombie or the slow stumbling zombie.

I thought I would be a stumbler for sure. But, it turned out, I liked 28 days just fine. Turns out I have no prejudice. Call it a zombie and sic it on me!

I think I prefer the runners, only because there is something freakishly terrifying about something coming at you full speed, and its intent is to consume you.

I agree. But it's hard to explain how, back in the day, frightening the original stumblers were. Now, zombies are everywhere, but they certainly weren't back then. I first saw Night of the Living Dead in at theater at a midnight showing in the mid-seventies. At that time, there were three television networks, which means there were three channels - period. It was absolutely inconceivable that Night of the Living Dead would ever be shown on tv. No way! Too gruesome! And it was scarey.

I have to agree with you on that. Night of the Living Dead is by far in my top 5. It's the simplicity of it that makes it scary.

The stumblers are much scarier to me. The difference is inhuman movement. Fast zombies are pretty damn scary and obviously deadlier by far, but they move more human-like.

Hmm... yeah I can see that. Jerkier, mechanical movements would cause the brain to see it more alien.

I wrote a screenplay featuring creatures that were both; irradiated zombies that were quick and deadly after the initial infection - who burned out as time went by - making them stumbling and even more deadly as they disintegrated (and they started fires when making prolonged contact with objects). Would make a crazy, fun movie. Has never been optioned but hope springs eternal.

Spontaneous combustion zombies? That sounds awesome.

C.V. wrote: "Spontaneous combustion zombies? That sounds awesome."

Yeah, I thought so too! I call it The Melting Dead; lotsa gore, lotsa jokes. Oh, well. Maybe some day it'll fall into the right hands. Or not.

You never know Doug. With Brad Pitt making World War Z and films like Zombieland, Zombies films seem to be coming back into fashion at the moment!
(Not that they ever went out to some of us)

I've got some creatures in one of my unfinished books that are ghouls that are permanently on fire, called the Burning Ones (yes I need a more original name for them), but they don't disintegrate, they just keep on burning.

Glynn wrote: I've ..."

Nice! You don't have a protagonist name Moses, do you? The Burning Ones - A ghoul epic of biblical proportions!

Oh no! Watch out for the Pyre Walkers! Ha ha. You know what's scarier than being chased by the dead? Being chased by the eternal burning dead.

I think Shaun of the Dead forever ruined stumblers for me. That being said, a half decayed corpse probably shouldn't be pulling an Usain Bolt.

I kind of like Doug's approach below. Fresh = fast, but they slow down as they start to decay.

I think there's room for both. It seems to me a fresh corpse might still be pretty spry, with coordination degrading severely over time.

The horde of zombies full-out sprinting after a moving car in Return of the Living Dead is one of the most terrifying images I've ever seen.

I like the slow zombies, personally. I was asked that question when interivewed by the local paper: http://www.lfpress.com/comment/column...

What do you think?

I suppose it depends on if I'm running from it, watching it or reading it :)

I don't even understand how zombies walk around. They should all be crawling. Standing upright and walking is not a simple activity. It requires learning and balance.

http://www.jezcampbell.com/random-stu...
Interesting blog on this debate!

Since the recent posts brought this thread back, I thought I'd add an up-date. Have still yet to get the film made, but I rewrote the script into a novel. Even though the melting dead ARE dead, they still live!



From the Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine review -

"His take on the whole zombie mythos is quite entertaining and was a hell of a lot of fun to read... His zombies are a burning, melting, flesh and blood craving mess... They deliver plenty of one-liners that give the book a comedic flair amidst all the carnage, blood and flesh eating. I can’t remember reading a story that was able to combine the two so well. I really enjoyed spending time with these characters, both the living and the dead."

Hope still springs eternal. Maybe... maybe that script will wind up a film one day.