Terrifying Zombie Facts That All Horror Movie Buffs Will Adore

Adekunle Olanrewaju Jason
Oct 31, 2023 By Adekunle Olanrewaju Jason
Originally Published on Dec 22, 2021
Read interesting zombie facts and know more about a zombie outbreak and World Zombie Day.
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 7.4 Min

Traditionally, a zombie is depicted as a brainless corpse that feeds on human flesh or, in simple words, dead people or dead bodies that walk.

Zombies are not considered cannibals because they consume living humans and not other zombies. The first zombie stories were published in the 1600s.

People were formerly buried alive if they were in a coma because physicians misinterpreted it as death. When robbers dug up their graves to steal jewels, the bodies sometimes appeared to resurrect.

This contributed to the zombie myth. The zombie myth appears to have arisen in the Caribbean as well.

There is mention of zombie voodoo and in Haiti, some people believe that voodoo sorcerers, or 'bokor' can resurrect the dead, creating a zombie. Since zombies are believed to have no free will, it is believed that a sorcerer has complete authority over them.

In fact, even Ancient Greeks were terrified of zombies or the possibility of a zombie outbreak. Archaeologists discovered ancient graves with skeletons fastened down by boulders, presumably to prevent the dead from resurrecting.

Zombies In Pop Culture

According to popular culture and folklore, a zombie is either a reawakened corpse with an insatiable appetite or it can also be someone who has been bitten by another zombie, catching the 'zombie virus'.

Zombies are typically shown as powerful yet robotic entities with rotting flesh, and their sole purpose is to feed. They normally do not converse, however, some may grunt. The zombie virus is primarily transmitted by the exchange of bodily fluids, so it could be passed through biting, although it can also be transmitted through the air.

Zombies do not exist in the actual world, but they are a huge component of popular culture, particularly in the western world. Zombie costumes are quite popular during Halloween.

Zombie enthusiasts are referred to as 'zombophiles'. Ever since the first zombie stories were published in the 1600s, zombies have appeared in several books and films. They haveve gained popularity in media, such as Capcom's 'Resident Evil' series and AMC's 'The Walking Dead'.

In a zombie movie, zombies are almost always mobile. They can move but are technically dead, without a heartbeat or other vital signs in a decaying and rotting state, with discolored skin and eyes. They communicate by groaning and howling instead of speaking. They show no mercy to victims, and they are always hungry for human flesh.

The first zombie film, titled 'White Zombie', was released in 1932. Although some claim that 'Frankenstein' from 1931 was technically a zombie film, 'White Zombie' directed by Victor Halperin and featuring Bela Lugosi as the zombie master dubbed Murder Legendre, is widely regarded as the first true zombie film.

Bela Lugosi was paid only $800 for his role in the film, but this made him the highest-paid actor. The picture made less than $25,000 at the box office, despite a budget of roughly $50,000.

Zombie aficionados are divided about whether Dr. Frankenstein's creature qualifies as a zombie. Some believe that a zombie should be described as a reanimated body, regardless of how that reanimation happens.

The alternative viewpoint is that the corpse must be reanimated by a virus or radiation and consume human flesh, and only then can it be classified as a zombie.

With each film, special effects technology progressed, making zombies more horrible and lifelike. Dozens of zombie films have been created since the '80s.

'Dead Snow', a 2009 Norwegian zombie comedy, is about a group of students who are attacked by Nazi zombies in the Norwegian highlands. The sequence was nominated for Most Memorable Mutilation.

In the 1998 film titled 'Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island', Scooby-Doo battled zombies. The 2013 release of 'World War Z', starring Brad Pitt, elevated zombie culture to a terrifying new level.

The internet has, of course, provided many new possibilities for the zombie genre to flourish, notably zombie-themed internet comics like 'Zombie Hunters', 'Last Blood', 'Everyday Decay', and 'Slaughter, Inc'.

Recently, films like 'Train To Busan' and 'Para Norman' have updated the theme for a 21st-century audience, incorporating modern action sequences and cutting-edge animation. Although being panned for their graphic nature, many more zombie films have gone on to become cult classics in the years since their official release.

The Different Types Of Zombies In Movies

There are many different types of zombies in movies ranging from supernatural zombies, magic zombies, and chemical zombies. According to some folklore and mythology, feeding a zombie salt can bring the creature back to life.

Early zombie films frequently featured voodoo-style zombies rather than viral or radiation zombies. 'White Zombie' (1932), for example, relates the story of a lady who is transformed into a zombie by a voodoo master.

The 'Night of the Living Dead', directed by George A. Romero, who is viewed as the creator of modern zombie cinema in 1968, was the first zombie film to depict a physical cause of zombification.

It is believed by some people that zombies were formerly generated by voodoo or different forms of black magic, unless you count Frankenstein's monster a zombie. George A. Romero is popularly regarded as the father of modern zombie movies.

He has directed the most zombie flicks in history.

Zombies, as shown in the iconic 1968 film 'Night Of The Living Dead', are lumbering, flesh-eating corpses. This film reinvented zombies, who were shown in prior films such as 1932's 'White Zombie' as beings whose brains had been zapped by some 'master' who was then able to govern their behavior.

Since then, zombies have become an increasingly popular genre and there are popular television shows such as 'Supernatural' which have had great success. In recent years, there has been a shift in the way zombies are portrayed.

Before zombies were scary, however they are now seen as friends in some movies. For example in 'Warm Bodies' a girl falls in love with a zombie, bringing the zombie back to his human form.

Zombies have become an increasingly popular genre

Zombies And The Plague

Zombies are not mentioned in the Bible and there is no real mention of corpses becoming reanimated and remaining in a condition of decay. However, the Bible does mention plagues, like many other scriptures and prophecies. The word plague, derived from the Hebrew word 'maggephah', means 'pestilence' or 'disease'.

An outbreak of human zombies is not unthinkable. Some experts believe that a zombie apocalypse is not impossible because people are vulnerable to brain parasites, behavioral viruses such as Mad Cow Disease, and neurotoxins.

Despite the lack of proof of real zombies, Australia is ranked first in a global poll of safe zones in the event of a zombie epidemic, followed by Canada, the United States, Russia, and Kazakhstan. These nations are classified based on their geography, terrain, population, availability of weapons, and military preparation.

Cordyceps, a fungus common in tropical rainforests, emits spores into the air that infect the brains of ants, causing what are called 'zombie ants' to climb trees and perish.

The fungus then grows through the corpses, releasing additional air spores to infect new ants! The Ophiocordyceps parasitic fungus successfully converts ants into zombies.

A study conducted quite recently also found that this fungus could also make a number of ants bite down simultaneously, and in a synchronized way, onto the underside of a leaf and then die; after which, the fungus then sprouts through the dead ants' bodies.

How To Survive A Zombie Apocalypse

For the last 80 years, filmmakers and authors have utilized the zombie as a metaphor for far deeper fears such as racial sublimation, atomic annihilation, communism, mass infection, globalism, and, most importantly, each other.

On May 18, 2011, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a graphic novel with survival advice for a zombie invasion.

Since zombies are terrified of fire, you should bring some pyrotechnics with you. Incendiary grenades, smoke grenades, and thermites all seem like good ideas too. They will make a lot of booms then fizzle, allowing you to flee.

The only way to kill a zombie, according to zombie lore, is to destroy its brain or chop off its head.

The Fear Of Zombies

Have you ever found yourself wondering why humans are so captivated by a zombie movie, in which many flesh-eating corpses return to terrorize the living?

The concept that we as humans can overcome seemingly hopeless circumstances is inspiring. Nevertheless, a zombie signifies death to the characters, readers, and spectators. It is believed by some people that zombies symbolize all that is evil in the human condition.

The fear of zombies is also known as kinemortophobia. The uncanny valley is a little-known psychological phenomenon that explains it. The 'dead eyes' and near-human qualities of zombies instil fear in us.

This is because we are unable to analyze these odd faces using conventional psychological procedures. The dread of zombies typically comes from genuine human apprehensions about new or chaotic forces in the environment. October 8 is observed as 'World Zombie Day' across the world.

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Written by Adekunle Olanrewaju Jason

Bachelor of Science specializing in Mass Communication.

Adekunle Olanrewaju Jason picture

Adekunle Olanrewaju JasonBachelor of Science specializing in Mass Communication.

With over 3+ years of professional experience, Olanrewaju is a certified SEO Specialist and Content Writer. He holds a BSc in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos. Throughout his dynamic career, Olanrewaju has successfully taken on various roles with startups and established organizations. He has served as a Technical Writer, Blogger, SEO Specialist, Social Media Manager, and Digital Marketing Manager. Known for his hardworking nature and insightful approach, Olanrewaju is dedicated to continuous learning and improvement.
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