Know Your Zombies

[High Priest Mikhal]

I make no bones about it. I love zombies. However I'm fairly picky about which zombies. Namely the ones that adhere to George Romero's rules of zombism: no running, eat any warm-blooded creature, brain damage is instant kill (sever the head and the head still lives since the brain hasn't technically been damaged), and the bite is lethal (not necessarily infectious). I've seen a lot of movies, games, and books about zombies and so many have their own rules. So I thought I'd take the time to list some of the more well-known zombies.

The following is broken down into reanimation Vector, Movement, whether the bite causes Infection or not, Intelligence, and primary means of Destruction. The rest is commentary on them.

Romero Zombies: Vector: Unknown (hinted to be Venus Probe releasing unknown radiation into atmosphere after crashing back to Earth in original movie). Movement: Stiff rigor mortis gait. Infection: No (bite causes lethal illness, death results in return to unlife). Intelligence: Evolving. Destruction: Brain damage.
The Romero Zombie is the gold standard of modern zombies. Yet so few people seem to know the specific whys and hows. The bite itself is not what causes the victim to rise in and of itself, it just leads to death by fatal disease (these are corpses; disease breeds in them like rabbits). Death by any means short of brain damage causes anyone who dies to rise again in Romero's universe (the man who hanged himself in Land of the Dead, for example). They eat any kind of endothermic (warm blooded) creature and though no smarter than animals at first, they can and do learn.

Resident Evil Zombies: Vector: Biological (T-, G-, T-Veronica, and C-Viruses). Movement: Stiff rigor mortis gait, Crimson Heads (Resident Evil REMake) gain ability to run. RE6 zombies will have capability to run. Infection: Yes. Intelligence: Animalistic, RE6 zombies have Evolving intelligence. Destruction: Destroyed head (in REMake, failure to destroy the head means bodies must be burned or they come back as Crimson Heads).
The Resident Evil series brought survival-horror to the mainstream (Alone in the Dark 1-3 were the first). The idea of a pathogen that can mutate living things be literally reconstructing their DNA, or turn them into mindless zombies if not directly injected, is less fiction than most think. Retroviruses can rewrite the host's DNA, though not to this degree. In the Gothic Journals the Viruses do so by utilizing negative energy to kill the positive energy in the host and keep the host "alive." Exposure to air or water results in zombies (reasons never explained canonically, theorized that oxygen destroys the protein walls and results in death of living half of the Virus, causing the virus itself to become undead). The as-of-yet unreleased Resident Evil 6 will feature the C-Virus and zombies that are not so badly decayed as to be unable to run, as well as a lingering intelligence that allows for the use of weapons.

Return of the Living Dead Zombies: Vector: Chemical (2-4-5 Trioxin Gas). Movement: Varies by condition (whole corpses are as nimble as the living). Infection: Yes. Intelligence: Full human intelligence (these are the ones that moan for "BRAINS!" Destruction: Total incineration (releases Trioxin into atmosphere), electrocution.
Return of the Living Dead is a horror-comedy series originally based on ideas that Romero rejected for his movies (full mobility, full intelligence, known vector). The zombies retain all of their mobility based on how badly their corpses are rotted, full intelligence (they can speak), and can survive even total dismemberment. Burning the bodies results in releasing the Trioxin into the atmosphere where it can be brought down by rain (which could infect the living and dead alike). They seek out brains because it eases the pain of being dead. RotLD 3 shouldn't be seen as canon since it deviates so far from the established mythology.

These are just three examples chosen to cover the NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) methods of rationalizing how the dead walk. There are other types of zombies brought back my other means (curses, magic, demonic possession, alchemy, etc.) and follow very different rules. Add other zombies to this thread, please. Zombies are like money: you can never have enough.

[riMkrad]

Okay so far; how about the Walking Dead zombies?

[High Priest Mikhal]

Okay so far; how about the Walking Dead zombies?

I don't watch that show, but I am interested in their zombies. Anyone got anything on them?

[Jester of the FoS]

They're Romero zombies caused by a disease of unknown origin and vague details. Not shown to be intelligent.

[Joël of the FoS]

They're Romero zombies caused by a disease of unknown origin and vague details. Not shown to be intelligent.

Are sometimes moving quite fast when after a prey, not running, but somewhere in between walking and running.

[High Priest Mikhal]

They're Romero zombies caused by a disease of unknown origin and vague details. Not shown to be intelligent.

Are sometimes moving quite fast when after a prey, not running, but somewhere in between walking and running.

Plodding? Like the zombies in 3.5 Expedition to Castle Ravenloft? Not able to run but can move their full speed in a round?

[Zettaijin]

You're missing some key zombies here...

Italian zombi (not a typo):

Vector: Usually related to a gate of Hell being opened accidentally, possibly by a plumber or some random blue collar worker. Black magic is also a very common cause, as are rogue scientific experiments gone wrong.

Movement: Stiff rigor mortis gait. There was one case of a flying zombie head, but details on how this came about are sketchy.

Infection: Yes, if enough of the body remains intact. It is not known whether or not animals will be affected in the same way as no one knows the fate of that shark which fought with the underwater zombie.

Intelligence: Limited, although some have been shown to be quite creative (hiding under a stretcher where a pregnant lady is resting, just waiting to somehow go through said stretcher and come out of the woman's belly) or unusually cruel (forcing a woman's head against a wooden splinter eye first). Rare cases of still living subjects slowly transforming into zombies may in fact possess normal human level intelligence driven by growing maliciousness. Gates of Hell had zombies apparently capable of teleportation and basic camouflage.

Destruction: Usually, anything from a head shot to a severe blow to the head should be sufficient. People are prone to forgetting that easily. Cremation would also be efficient, one surmises.

When it comes to Italian zombies, Lucio Fulci was clearly the driving creative force with Umberto Lenzi and Ruggero Deodato providing their own uneven work. Risible hacks like sometimes collaborator Bruno Mattei and Claudio "Actors are dogs! Dogs are actors!" Fargasso shamelessly copied his work, which was itself very derivative of Romero's Dead series (especially the highly popular Dawn of the Dead aka Zombi). Fulci's Zombi 2 was so named because of a clever marketing ploy to trick Europeans into believing he had produced a sequel to Romero's Dawn of the Dead.

Eventually, Hell related shenanigans and black magic would take over as the main reasons behind the zombie plague (as per Gates of Hell and The Beyond).

His zombies were known for a certain propensity for cruelty and Zombi 3 provided us with some rather batshit insane moments like the flying zombie head and zombie popping out of a pregnant woman's belly. Neither hold a candle to Zombi 2's shark vs. zombie underwater fight.

Italian zombies could be said to be a more supernatural version of the Romero zombie with added maliciousness.

[High Priest Mikhal]

I know I'm missing some key zombies, Zettaijin. That's why I'm asking others to post zombies as well (thank you for the Zombi ones; perfect examples of "demonic possession" and "black magic" zombies). As for the flying zombie head, I remember that one somewhat. It came flying out of a fridge IIRC.

[Zettaijin]

Naughty Eurotrash zombies

Vector: Anything from Hell-related shenanigans to desecration of holy grounds to ancient curses, but the vector is almost always supernatural in origin.

Infection: Usually, yes. Modeled on the Romero zombie, the naughty Eurotrash zombie usually causes infection by bite.

Movement: As per Romero zombies, these are usually slow and stiff - yet unusually agile when ripping off clothing.

Intelligence: Limited, but enough to know how to rip off clothing from comely continental female protagonists, especially around certain key parts of the body. Notorious for their fixation on boobies (whether they belong to Brigitte Lahaie or any other Eurotrash starlet) which reveal at least a hint of human-like behaviour at times. They are also known to mimic behaviours from their past life either to better approach a prey or due to some deep-rooted reflex - especially if this involves breasts.

Destruction: As per the Italian zombi and Romero zombie that preceded them, the naughty Eurotrash zombies are prone to massive head trauma. A few may be dealt with through exorcism as well or by somehow breaking the curse.

Oh boy... While the names of Rollin and Franco may come to mind, and they certainly both enjoyed their sleaze, zombie cinema was never their real claim to fame. They both dabbled in it at one time or another (well, mostly Franco thanks to he shagging his "muse" the gorgeous and very willing Lina Romay), but never all that much (given Franco's body of work, his zombie movies make up a small portion of his entire work). Andrea Bianchi and a gaggle of lesser known peers from Italy and Spain are the real culprits here.

Ah, who am I kidding here? Franco is as guilty as any of them no matter how many "artsy" films he tried to make.

Although one might say these movies followed the Zombi 2 pattern to an extent (gratuitous nudity, Romero zombies, copious amounts of viscera), they cranked up the sexual content and nudity while downplaying the gore due to SFX budget limitations. de Ossorio's famous Blind Dead series is often cited as a major influence, possibly greater than that of Zombi 2.

[Zettaijin]

The Blind Dead

Vector: Templar knights who either worshiped Satan or dabbled in black magic or both were granted a semblance of eternal existence akin to that of a mummy but, in some cases, more like that of the hungry dead.

Infection: None, usually, as their undeath is the result of unholy rituals and a dark gift, hence not easily transferable to the uninitiated. Besides, they need the living to sustain their unlife be it by drinking their blood or eating their flesh and are notorious for decapitating their victims.

Movement: Varies quite a bit, as some seem incapable of anything but a slow, shambling gait, while others are a lot more nimble. Their blindness may in fact be a major reason for their more careful movements. As with the naughty Eurotrash zombies they eventually engendered, they do get surprisingly motivated around attractive continental females sporting commendable attributes.

Some are even capable of fairly effective underwater movement, including the ability to (possibly) commandeer a ship. They have been known to wield blades with some precision and even ride undead horses.

Intelligence: As the movement entry suggests, the Blind Dead are not mindless corpses driven by hunger, but malicious men who made a dark pact with Satan or some other demonic entity(ies) to attain a form of eternal life.

They have to sustain their unlife through various black magic rituals, thus they clearly maintain most of their original minds. Again, just how intelligent they are is hard to assess as they do seem rather single minded at times.

They are also blind and have developed keen hearing, being able to hunt by sound alone.

Destruction: Complicated and far from clear... They are able to enter a state of hibernation for prolonged periods of time when victims are unavailable, but they clearly need at least an unknown quantity of fresh human blood for their rituals. Failure to enter hibernation and hunt victims will likely result in the end of their unlife (in theory).

Being the result of dark magics, exorcism and holy rituals are possible means to destroy them.

Physical destruction would technically work as well as cremation (some skeletal templars reveal that the bones would need to be incinerated as well).


de Ossorio's Blind Dead pre-date the "zombie craze" of the 80's and Fulci's Zombi 2, but came after Night of the Living Dead. It owes more to European horror cinema as a whole than Romero. In fact, de Ossorio himself chimed in to say that his Blind Dead were no mere corpses but rather "mummies" of sorts.

The above may apply to the original, but later installments show a growing resemblance to the average European zombie movie, especially the Eurotrash variant.

Eurotrash movies owe a major debt to de Ossorio's frisky Templars who seemed to enjoy playing with their female victims much more than the males.

[Zettaijin]

Nazi Zombies

Vector: Nazi science (Shockwaves) or the sheer power of their hate/devotion (Uhh, I guess Oasis of the Zombies, Dead Snow, and Zombie Lake). The fuhrer is dead and the war is over, but they didn't get the memo.

Infection: None, although whether a living Nazi could be turned into a member of the undead is up for debate.

Movement: Varies, some are Romero-like shambling corpses who can't be bothered to salute or goosestep, while others are surprisingly limber and aggressive despite being buried in snow for God knows how long.

Intelligence: Again, varies quite a bit from one group to the next. Some are merely voracious creatures bent on eating nubile Euro babes others have shown keen tactical minds.

Destruction: Case by case basis, although the usual Romero/Fulci rules apply most of the time.

Be it Rollin's green skinned grease painted undead nude Euro babe eating machines, Franco's Afrika corps zombies buried under an oasis, or Dead Snow's breathing (?) Norwegian Nazi, the idea of the hateful group joining the ranks of the fearsome hungry undead has survived as one of the most oft-visited examples of zombiedom.

I guess some folks figure Nazis are pretty scary, but the idea of Nazism never fully dying, coming back from the grave (in this case literally) is even scarier.

In most cases, the actual facts surrounding the Nazi zombies are vague and, like the Taiwanese ninja, perhaps it's best we not try to understand it too hard.

[Zettaijin]

I'll take a break from the Euro zombie and look at a much more local product...

The Re-Animator zombie

Vector: Re-animated corpses (so far only mammals have been tested) who have had the "spark of life" reignited in their brains and bodies through chemical means. The actual process has been refined by one Dr.Herbert West who has worked diligently at perfecting the formula and the actual process of re-animation. While at first it was believed that only the brain could be reanimated, somehow a beheaded corpse or severed male genitalia (which will somehow gain some form of sentience after being forcefully separated from the body) could also be somehow affected by the serum.

Infection: None, as the undead are the result of a chemical reanimation process involving a very precise formula. They are not infectious in any way.

Movement: Varies tremendously, but usually it isn't speed, but coordination that differs. Some will move about in violent, jerky movements, others will be more "natural" - especially those affected by the more recent versions of the West formula.

Intelligence: Again, varies a lot according to the version of the formula used and the dosage.

The original formula could create violent and dangerous zombies or merely slightly "slower than before" reanimated corpses. On the other hand, Dr.Hill's zombie form was just as intelligent (but perhaps more malignant) despite being a disembodied head and even gained the ability to control lobotomized zombies with his mind alone along with controlling his body.

Destruction: Huh... hard to say... Given the ability of a corpse to function without a head or even for a set of male genitalia to engage a reanimated rat in combat, proper method of disposing of the undead is unclear. An excessive dose of the reagent should eventually cause the reanimated body to mutate and eventually decay. Destruction of the body through cremation or other means would surely work.


Stuart Gordon's loose adaptation of Lovecraft's short story remains notorious to this day for its different approach to the zombie genre.

These zombies are closer to the ravenous but alive victims of The Crazies and Nightmare City, and by the time Beyond Re-animator rolled along, they had gained more or less complete motor skills and intelligence.

The effects of the serum on the body were loosely explained, allowing for severed parts to somehow continue to function and even gain semi-sentience (mostly for purposes of sight gags).

[Zettaijin]

Chinese hopping vampire/"stiff corpse" (as per the Mr.Vampire series and other popular filmed interpretations)

Vector: Reanimated by a whole slew of vectors in Chinese myths, Mr.Vampire focused on two: either a freshly deceased body is not buried properly or one is a victim of the "jiang shi virus" transmitted by the bite of a preexisting jiang shi.

Infection: Traditionally, none, but the Mr.Vampire "jiang shi virus" idea meant living beings could be turned into the hopping dead in a gradual process similar to that in Return of the Living Dead if infected (usually through a bite).

Movement: Their stiff, rigor mortis infected bodies are incapable of anything but the most rigid, and limited movements. However, they can and will hop at a surprising speed, with some specimens having particularly well developed hopping skills. Some are even able to perform fairly skillful martial arts albeit with an obvious "stiffness" to the moves.

Intelligence: They are known to have very basic motivations and may exhibit some cleverness at times. Their minds are often just as stiff as their bodies.

Destruction: Immolation can work and there are any number of ways to keep them at bay. Most often though, the taoist priest will simply keep them immobilized with a small charm (a spell written on a small piece of paper then glued to the jiang shi's forehead).


Mr.Vampire and Encounters of the Spooky Kind brought the classic tales of the jiang shi to a wider audience thanks to the growing interest in Hong Kong kung-fu movies outside of the local market.

These jiang shi were a little streamlined as the original myths (spanning multiple centuries) meant a highly convoluted set of wards, vectors, and motivations. A few key elements were kept and gave us a basic template for the "popular modern" jiang shi.

The taoist priest's ability to use jiang shi to do his bidding was later explored, including carnal encounters involving mortals and jiang shi (ah, CAT III sleaze...).

[Wiccy of the Fraternity]

The Walking dead Zombie

Vector: Unknown, possible cause includes worldwide pandemic of some origin.

Movement: Varies depending mostly on the preservation of the corpse, but generally a slow gait.

Infection: No. Bite and scratch can cause infection that can cause death without medical attention, but like the Romero Zombie, all those that die, bitten or not return as a zombie in anything between 2 minutes and 12 hours.

Intelligence: Animalistic. Is hinted that they hunt by smell over the sense of sight and sound.

Destruction: brain damage.

The Walking Dead zombie is a twist on the classic Romero, they are similar on most levels, but do not evolve, instead they simply continue to exist until they have sufficiently rotted to cease functioning. The Walking Dead Zombie is split in to two categories, the Roamer and Lurker. Roamers continue to move about and are more aggressive, continuing to hunt prey indefinitely, even moths or years after losing them. Lurkers simple lay down or remain seated (though some stand around) in one place until something suitable for them to eat passes to catch their attention, at this point they will follow, but after losing sight of their prey they will go back to their original state of dormancy. Some zombies have also displayed various states of physical ability from walking to simply being all but unable to move, the reasoning behind this is unknown.

[A G Thing]

Siren Blood Curse Zombie

Vector: A curse initiated by the failure to maintain a ritual to contain a strange spirit creature in a single Japanese town of some size. Possibly also resulting from abuse and intentional release out of a cult deifying the spirit.

Movement: Varies to such a high degree depending upon the level to which the mutation has progressed for the body. Bodies seem to plod and jerk but in a sporadic way going from fluid to rigid but with only minor defects to precision and accuracy.

Infection: While a vector for other diseases and perhaps supernatural taint it is unclear if such taint can cause victims to transform without dying first. It is seen most often that victims must die in some fashion in order to rise back as this type of zombie.

Intelligence: Similar to demonic possession and yet also a limited hive mind effect each victim still has memories and or personality similar to how they acted in life but they are malicious in trying to use such to hunt others and target those closest to them personally if they are within the area. They tend to react as if nothing is wrong with their surroundings or actions often reveling in disgusting parodies of normal life and seem manically aggressive and even mockingly helpful as they attack. They are unconcerned about damage or hazards and still show shock and other emotional responses but when introduced to the living they will attack without provocation and hunt for victims they lose sight of.

Destruction: Key to this type of Zombie is the fact that there are few ways to permanently defeat them outside of purification rituals. No injury will prevent them from rising back up within a few moments after they are downed. Bullets damage them but they seemingly ignore such injuries when risen and may have regenerative qualities. Spine injuries do not affect other body parts though a blow to the head of sufficient damage can knock them out for a limited span. As mutations occur certain insect larva creatures act as a sort of psychic node for the others like a relay of sorts. It is not certain if these larva nodes are derived from the zombies or mutate from them but if these are killed until another takes its place all such zombies in an indeterminate area fall unconscious until they can be restored in some fashion. Fire deals continuous damage to these Zombies and can knock them out but they will recover after the flames have receded. It is thought that a certain individual has significance to the demon in the ritual and yet her inherent quality is both desired by and anathema to the demon/god. After the demon/god was killed the holy power could be used to perhaps destroy the infected but it is unclear whether this contains or destroys them.

The Siren Blood Curse zombie is possessed by a corrupting intelligence of some sort of corrupt spirit of a demon or evil god. Appearing to be suffering wounds as how they died from, (none of which leave them with twisted bodies or severed parts!) these zombies are under the sway of this entity and as such are a threat to any people who enter into the area of the curse. They act as normal when not hunting victims and also stay within familiar areas or in familiar company as if unaware of having died. When the living catch their notice they attack and do so using what ever tools or methods that are both expedient and cruel. They may perform any action or used devices just as a human would be able or any new limbs may allow. These zombies also mutate into insectile forms of varying abilities and or utility. Some grow wings from their eyes, or crawl upon surfaces with their limbs spread as a spider or ant might. Others grow massive maggot like areas and immense strength or some may or may not become strange pulsating larva like things. Despite the appearance of such alterations the senses of these creatures are not hindered by loss of certain organs or such but they are also not significantly greater as they can be fooled or lost by cunning and stealth. They have a limited hive mind ability and within small areas they can become hard to escape from as they can react however their demon/god master directs them. Being nigh indestructible to any permanent death they still die due to injury but it is temporary and they will rise within moments of being seemingly killed. None of them suffer significant dismemberment that can be seen and all have whole but sometimes mutated bodies. Total destruction seems hard to manage as the bodies will not burn to ash and wounds will mend. Nothing seems to deliver a confirmed permanent death blow to the creatures except perhaps divine magic but even then the demon controlling them must be destroyed.