Why Zombies shouldnt RUN!!!

[Dr. Yan Reeb]

First and foremost I applaud anybody who attempts a feature with Zombies. So many Zombie based movies have been created that coming up with a new twist and new way to tell the story is becoming more and more of a challenge.

The question I pose to you is this. Why are modern film makers deciding that Zombies need to RUN? 28 Days later, Dawn of the Dead remake. WTF? If your species is taking over the world, eating the flesh of anything in its path AND you don't need any internal organs to survive, what's the rush?

Is it a symbol for the status of our society? Is it the video game instant gratification bigger and bader effect? Or is it just someone trying to change the state of zombie?

When a Zombie runs, it seems more like a scary effed up human than something that should be described as zombie.

R
your thoughts please!

[Taors]

I'm pretty sure it's for intensity purposes.

[EVILxxx]

While I prefer the slow moving breed, fast zombies work as well.
Return of the Living dead is one of my favorites and it was one of the first movies to go in that direction.

[Juice]

The scary thing about zombies is that they're usually pretty weak on their own, but as a group, they form a huge danger that will surely take over the world. The fact that they're only a big danger when there's a lot of them, is what makes them so threatening.
And that works a lot better when they're slow, dumb, weak assholes.

[Tony_Montana]

Technically speaking the zombies in 28 Days Later where actually infected humans, although Dawn of the Dead remake is another matter.

[dellamorte dellamore]

I'm almost positive that U Lenzi's Nightmare City ( 1983 ) was the first horror film to feature running zombies , so it's nothing new . The ones in this film could also utilize weapons and coordinate atacks , drive cars and such .

[PhantomOfTheParadise]

If running zombies bothers you, I fear what'll happen when Stephen King's Cell movie gets released...

[zombievictim]

Originally posted by PhantomOfTheParadise
If running zombies bothers you, I fear what'll happen when Stephen King's Cell movie gets released...

Those aren't zombies though

[PhantomOfTheParadise]

Well zombies in most "zombie" films aren't traditional zombies either when you come to think about it.

[the dead one]

Ya’ know, there’s nothing stranger then coincidence.

Here’s why, tonight I was out shopping at a local supermarket and the one thing that makes me nuts is being in a mall and or supermarket. Let’s not even go into the subject of wall-mart! Anyway, have you ever stopped to take a long hard look around when you’re in one of these madhouses?

The general populace is down right scary. Because people can be rude, slow, and seemingly off in their own little world shuffling around aimlessly. The next thing ya’ know I find myself hearing the quirky ‘Shopping Mall’ music from Romero’s Dawn of the Dead in my head, then it hit me all at once. People can be so damn slow and mindless. it's like they arent even aware of their own enviorment and surroundings. People stop dead in front of you blocking the isle way, or cut you off with their damned shopping carts nearly killing you without so much as an "excuse me"...what the hell is that shit, I ask you? Tell me you have never had one of these experiences.

Hence, George Romero’s social commentary is correct and does make sense.

Dead or alive, people can be so damned slow and mindless…

(Muted trumpet from DOTD 1978 plays)...Bump, ba-ba-ba bump, ba-ba-ba-bump, ba-ba bumppa-bump-bump-bump! ;)

[NightStalkerGtx]

Dawn of the Dead remake fucking rocked. :cool:

[KillerKlown]

Originally posted by NightStalkerGtx
Dawn of the Dead remake fucking rocked. :cool:


No it didn't. :D

[Bloody_Knife]

Zombies shouldn't run. The Zombies in DOTD 1978 are even hard to get away from. WTF, I hate zombies, It doesn't matter if they run or walk or crawl or fly, they'll get us, not because they're fast or slow, because there are so many of them. My favorate Example of a Zombie Apocolypse is
Zombie Simulator (http://kevan.org/proce55ing/zombies/) It shows what a zombie apocolypse will be like.

[zombievictim]

Originally posted by PhantomOfTheParadise
Well zombies in most "zombie" films aren't traditional zombies either when you come to think about it.

Yes but THOSE ones aren't at all. They're never even referred to as zombies like in other zombie movies. In 28 Days Later, They are infected with rage and at no point are considered zombies by the characters.

[dellamorte dellamore]

I just remembered , the baddies in Nightmare City were'nt zombies per se , they were some research scientists that were exposed to radiation and became these bloodsucking , rage filled freaks with poo on their face . They did spread their infection , if a couple of scenes were any indication , but i don't think they were ever considered reanimated from an expired state .

[Tuukka]

The answer for the question is that WALKING ZOMBIES AREN'T SCARY.

I mean really, watching zombie movies with walking zombies, it's always painfully obvious that even one decently intelligent human with decent physical condition can ALONE take down THOUSANDS of zombies, before getting killed.

Yes, THOUSANDS. You don't even need a gun, a baseball bat will do. Just walk around and beat their brains out. They are never gonna even touch you, because you can escape from them by simply WALKING away. It doesn't matter if there are dozens or even hundreds of zombies fighting you, just beat the shit out of them one by one.

Hell, if there would an invasion of zombies on my home town, and I would just grab a baseball bat, and start killing them. I could probably beat the shit out of one zombie every five minutes. After 10 hours of hard work I would have killed 120 zombies.

If they are slow, traditional zombies, you can simply climb over a fence and they can't catch you. You can lock the door behind you, and they can't catch you. If you need sleep, go to the closest harbor, kill off the zombies who are on your way, take a boat and sleep over the night on the sea/lake. Or go to the closest gun store, load you pack with weapons, sleep overnight in a closed, locked environment. And when you wake up in the morning just blast the brains off from every stupid motherfucker who has gathered around the building.

So all the "world taken over by zombies" are silly if they can't run. Because humans could kill the fuckers with very little effort.

But if the zombies are FAST, at least they can catch up with you. This changes everything. When they run towards you in crowds and bite you, it's impossible to protect yourselve. They are a real threat. They are scary.

In walking-zombie movies this problem of non-threat has always been solved by making the human characters completely idiotic, useless and lacking in even the most basic survival and problem-solving skills. Which leads to a situation where you hate the humans much more than the zombies, and can't wait for them all to be killed. The sooner the better.

Since zombies aren't real, there is no reason why they couldn't just as well run as walk. But if they walk, it kills all the credibility and you just look at the screen and wonder how the human characters are so useless against a foe that can be killed very easily.

[EVILxxx]

Tuukka has obviously not read The Zombie Survival Guide.;)

[APzombie]

What made the slow zombies work amazingly in Romero's films is that zombies should NOT be a serious threat. We can out run, out smart, out gun and (in the beginning) out number them. What makes the situation so scary is that most of the characters deaths as a result of the zombie attacks are due to their inability to cooperate with fellow human beings. The real monstars in Romero's zombie films are not the walking dead but the humans for being most most selfish orginizm on the planet. As Ripley said in Aliens (not a zombie film but the quote seems fitting) "You know I don't know whose worse- us or them, I dont see them fucking eack other over for a percentage."

Along with the social commentaries (racism in Night, consumer society in Dawn, ect.) they all display the basic human feature of greed. Which is why slower zombies are on a whole different level compared the the steriod using undead... in terms of filmmaking.

[CHANCE]

Originally posted by EVILxxx
Tuukka has obviously not read The Zombie Survival Guide.;)

Aint that the truth!buy that book for the real lowdown on your al related zombie questions...

they even debunk the super gymnast zombies...!

[imtheiceman]

I'll have to agree with anyone that said the Dawn Of The Dead remake was fucking amazing.

[KillerKlown]

I'll have to disagree with anyone that said the Dawn Of The Dead remake was fucking amazing.

:D

[Tuukka]

Originally posted by APzombie
What made the slow zombies work amazingly in Romero's films is that zombies should NOT be a serious threat. We can out run, out smart, out gun and (in the beginning) out number them. What makes the situation so scary is that most of the characters deaths as a result of the zombie attacks are due to their inability to cooperate with fellow human beings. The real monstars in Romero's zombie films are not the walking dead but the humans for being most most selfish orginizm on the planet. As Ripley said in Aliens (not a zombie film but the quote seems fitting) "You know I don't know whose worse- us or them, I dont see them fucking eack other over for a percentage."

Along with the social commentaries (racism in Night, consumer society in Dawn, ect.) they all display the basic human feature of greed. Which is why slower zombies are on a whole different level compared the the steriod using undead... in terms of filmmaking.

The problem I have with this is that Romero's solution to the ineffectiveness of his zombies was to make his human characters even stupider and incompetent than the zombies.

It's hard to care for characters who are like that.

When I watch a horror movie, I want to see a horror movie. Not a simple minded social satire, which sacrifices storytelling for "message". If I want something with social consciousness, I rather read the Amnesty newsletter instead of watching a horror movie.

[zombievictim]

Originally posted by EVILxxx
Tuukka has obviously not read The Zombie Survival Guide.;)

Ah, probably one of my best purchases. I carry it always (not really but I have it in a spot that I can access in a jiffy). I know I'm paranoid so what, wanna fight about it?:D

[SteeleDude]

Originally posted by dellamorte dellamore
I'm almost positive that U Lenzi's Nightmare City ( 1983 ) was the first horror film to feature running zombies , so it's nothing new . The ones in this film could also utilize weapons and coordinate atacks , drive cars and such .

Actually if we want to get technical Night of the Living Dead had the first running zombie. It was the first zombie who chased Barbara through the cemetery. He used tools to break through her car window too (a rock after his hands didn't work, but a tool nonetheless).

[SteeleDude]

Originally posted by EVILxxx
Tuukka has obviously not read The Zombie Survival Guide.;)

Or the rules to streetfighting survival guide. Just because someone isn't running doesn't mean they will lose a fight. Especially if there's a lot of those someone's.

[Tuukka]

Originally posted by SteeleDude
Or the rules to streetfighting survival guide. Just because someone isn't running doesn't mean they will lose a fight. Especially if there's a lot of those someone's.

It's not just that they can't run. They can't WALK either. And average "walking" zombie is walking maybe 1/5 of the speed of a human. So if you want to escape, you can just walk slowly.

Fighting a Romero-type zombie equals fighting one of these people:

http://www.mstc.org/Learn%20and%20Serve/Images/elder.jpg

http://www.orbitmedical.com/wheelchairs/images/insurance-wheelchair.jpg

No, I take it back. The people above are actually MORE dangerous than zombies, since they are able to think, to use weapons, to open doors, to outsmart you.

Romero zombies are less dangerous, because intellectually they equal these guys:

http://www.yankeemagazine.com/extras/april/graphics/sheep.crop.180.jpg


http://columbiasheep.org/twins.jpg

Oooh... Scary...

Physique of a 80-year old granny + brains of a sheep = Romero zombie.

[SteeleDude]

Nice propoganda to prove your point, however it doesn't work under any amount of scrutiny. I can't recall the last time I saw an old person like that try to take a bite out of me. Though I do remember my grandpa had a hard time getting around (bad injury in the war, fake hip, etc.) but he sure as hell kicked my ass from here to kingdom come one summer when I was 20 years old. Didn't matter I could outrun him he had a streak of viciousness that compensated for his stunted agility.

The sheep doesn't work at all. It's okay though. Video games and movies make people think they can flip over backwards in slow motion while shooting two shotguns at once. Yeah, Romero's zombies don't stand a chance against Keanu Reeves, but in real life you might find it harder to overcome a group of slow moving people than you think.

And his characters were indeed interesting. Check out any write up on NotLD and you'll find a lot of character studies involving the character of Ben and his interactions with the other small group of people. A lot is subtle which is why you may have missed it.

[the dead one]

Originally posted by SteeleDude

Check out any write up on NotLD and you'll find a lot of character studies involving the character of Ben and his interactions with the other small group of people. A lot is subtle which is why you may have missed it.

Duane Jones played the role of Ben to perfection, as far as this subject on slow moving zombies---I would love to see how people would really respond if surrounded or encircled by a horde of flesheating dead people....slow moving or not!

It would still be very fucking unsetteling. :eek:

[X-Nightcrawler]

Originally posted by the dead one
Duane Jones played the role of Ben to perfection, as far as this subject on slow moving zombies---I would love to see how people would really respond if surrounded or encircled by a horde of flesheating dead people....slow moving or not!

It would still be very fucking unsetteling. :eek: Bring it on. *kung fu*

But on subject, I think that it really depends. A slow zombie is definitely scarier because it conveys the idea that this one dude isn't supposed to be even walking at all. Refer to Night's beginning with the first zombie. Now THAT guy beloned on a mofuckin crypt and not talking a walk around the cemetary. On the other hand, running zombies make thing more intense. Then you REALLY feel a need to escape because these fellers are really after you. Look at the Dawn remake when the lead gets on her car and the zombified husband runs behind her. It made it very intense.

So I like either. Slow (scary) and fast (intense).

[Tuukka]

Originally posted by the dead one
Duane Jones played the role of Ben to perfection, as far as this subject on slow moving zombies---I would love to see how people would really respond if surrounded or encircled by a horde of flesheating dead people....slow moving or not!

You guys are forgotting that there are 6 billion humans on earth. So it's not like you would be ALONE fighting them, you have 6 billion other humans to kick their asses. Humans who have guns, brains, a lot of them have military practise, etc.

When the zombies start coming out, just collect all your friends, go to the nearest graveyard, and start kicking some zombie ass.

[Tuukka]

Originally posted by SteeleDude
I can't recall the last time I saw an old person like that try to take a bite out of me. Though I do remember my grandpa had a hard time getting around (bad injury in the war, fake hip, etc.) but he sure as hell kicked my ass from here to kingdom come one summer when I was 20 years old. Didn't matter I could outrun him he had a streak of viciousness that compensated for his stunted agility.

That's why you need the baseball bat I mentioned above. If he can't reach you, he can't bite you.

If you were to put up a fight with your grandpa, and you were equipped with a baseball bat, I'm sure you would win.

[the dead one]

Originally posted by Tuukka
You guys are forgotting that there are 6 billion humans on earth. So it's not like you would be ALONE fighting them, you have 6 billion other humans to kick their asses. Humans who have guns, brains, a lot of them have military practise, etc.

When the zombies start coming out, just collect all your friends, go to the nearest graveyard, and start kicking some zombie ass.

You seem to be making quite a few assumptions here my friend---lets look at this scenario. Since ‘Night of the Living Dead’ is the archetype, we would be in an unpredictable situation. 6 billion people you say? Were talking a mass epidemic of people who have recently died, or have possibly been murdered or killed in an accident of some kind. Who are now returning to life---for reasons unknown and attacking the living!

Be realistic, given the situation, all of us would be ill prepared. Unless, you’re a gun enthusiast and well armed (or you work in a gun shop) you’d be up shits crick. It would be like a nuclear war breaking out all at once, what they call the un-thinkable! Remember, no one saw it coming in NOTLD.

So, wherever you are or wherever you may be at the present time, you’d have to rely on your wit and cunning to survive. Suppose hypothetically, you’re lost in some hick town visiting a relative, you traveled by train and you’re alone.

Lets say for arguments sake, you don’t have any firearms on your person. Suddenly a large mass of dead flesh eating people are coming from all sides, you’re surrounded. FORGET the MOVIES here; this IS for REAL! No time to think, only to react to your given situation. The only hope you have is to be as resourceful as Ben! ;)

[Tuukka]

You have to remember that only recently dead turn into zombies. You don't see skeletons walking around in zombie movies. I don't know how fast a human body decomposes, but it happens pretty fast. So even theoretically the dead can be dead for a year at maximum, after that they can't become zombies anymore. How many people die every year? 200 million? In that case it would be 30 humans against one slow-moving, braindead zombie.

It's not the humans who would be alone - It would be the zombies. We can easily kick their asses, if all they can manage is to move at a pace of a snail.

If they can RUN, then it can turn into an epidemic.

[Alzabra]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dr. Yan Reeb
First and foremost I applaud anybody who attempts a feature with Zombies. So many Zombie based movies have been created that coming up with a new twist and new way to tell the story is becoming more and more of a challenge.

The question I pose to you is this. Why are modern film makers deciding that Zombies need to RUN? 28 Days later, Dawn of the Dead remake. WTF? If your species is taking over the world, eating the flesh of anything in its path AND you don't need any internal organs to survive, what's the rush?

Is it a symbol for the status of our society? Is it the video game instant gratification bigger and bader effect? Or is it just someone trying to change the state of zombie?

When a Zombie runs, it seems more like a scary effed up human than something that should be described as zombie.

R
your thoughts please! [/QUOTE

To be honest I like the idea of zombies that can run as it adds to the terror off them in a movie.
It works as im pretty sure 8-10 fans off zombies would agree that 28 days later and dawn of the dead 04 made a hell off a good job off bringing zombies back to the big screen.
The easyiest way to get away with this issue is that the "runners" could be folks who have recently been killed while the "walkers" could be those who have been dead for a long time either way zombie flicks must continue on the big screen!!!

Day of the dead re-make im looking forward to....

[dellamorte dellamore]

I don't see the protagonists in Romero's zom films as dumb or idiotic , in the first three films , most dealt with the zombie threat as effectively as humanly possible , but like a character said in Day , we all have ideas about what we want out of life , and levels of cooperation break down as a result .



Greed , fear , selfishness , bravado , arrogance these were all elements in parts 1-3 that led to the downfall of not only the groups of survivors on display , but society overall.


Nobody could ever agree about how to deal with the plague , and regardless of the speed and agility or mental capacity of the undead , those negative character traits always gave them the upper hand . The Undead were single minded in their pursuit , a loosely based united front against the living . The plague was a war that people were not prepared for , distracted by their creature comforts , they failed to see how much of a threat the ever growing infection was , blinded by ignorance and the inability to see the outbreak in macroscopic terms .



We also have the sentimental aspect of the ones who were sympathetic to the undead , especially when it came to their own loved ones , this aspect only made it that much more difficult to contain . It's easy to say someone would just hit them over the head with a bat , not when it's your wife , or son , or close friend . This hesistation , and inability to accept the fact that they are not who they once were , and are now just a rotting , soulless corpse , who only exhibit or mimic human emotion , allowed the contagion to spread even further . Like a parent who won't accept the fact that their son has murdered someone and defends them to the bitter end in spite of overwhelming evidence , these people in the romero films could not accept the reality of the situation and stll saw them as the person they once knew .



Then , the last aspect that i feel is an overriding theme in these films , and another reason the outbreak spread so fast was very simple , no matter the good and heroic intentions of some of the survivors , at crucial moments in time , panic would set in , and they would become irrational . Sure they know they can just run away , but it's not always a learned response . In a panic , most people will make mistakes , sometimes mortal ones , as these characters have done in the romero dead films . Remember Steven , he almost killed Peter when he lost it and shot in his direction . It was when certain characters reached a stress break point that they made that one crucial mistake that led to their downfall ( when the stress finally caught up with Roger , he made some deadly and idiotic decisions , but he was inherently an intelligent character overall ) . It dint matter how fast the threat was , it was their ill advised decisions , motivated by panic that allowed the zoms to run rampant .



Now , i have no prob with fast zoms , they worked great in Dawn 04 , and i still love the lumbering beasts in some other zom films , it's all a matter of the subtext , and the characters . Romero proved he still knows how to utilize the stumblebums in Land , and Zach proved the fast movers can add another aspect of tension . 28 days later made it popular and Snyder followed that lead ( unless you want to go way back and give Lenzi credit for his sprinters in Nightmare City :D ) .

[dontlikehorrors]

Dellamore I think you need to chill mate after I have read that, blimey you need to get a different interest I got bored after the 1st paragraph! don't you go out? seems like you are obsessed mate, anyway whats this I hear about you getting married soon well 4 weeks, nevermind I thought I might have had a chance with you!

[dellamorte dellamore]

I'm flattered hun , but i don't think i could get involved with someone that doesn't share the same passion for zombie movies as me :D . Oh , and the impending marriage thing also .

[dontlikehorrors]

Thats very weird dellamore, considering I watched 3 zombie films with you, and found them very enjoyable, Oh and the marriage thing.........lol are you nervous yet? we should let the cat out the bag, we are to be married 19th august, is'nt that right babe? xx

[DreadPirateKong]

why shouldn't a writer have license to make a zombie run? have we had hard evidence that zombies would indeed walk like they had a broom andle up their ass? i for one like the feeling of mass rush and forboding danger when i see a pack of zombies run, i'm all about the intensity of the situation. And since i lke to watch movies and horror films much more, i seperate my disbelief that much more, so i can either watch a Fulci zombie or a Zack Snyder version and be perfectly happy.. and why isn't anyone complaining about Joe D'amato's zombies? zombies are not supposed to have sex!...damn...well Dead Alive had zombies sexxenin' it up... now i want to be a zombie...

[dellamorte dellamore]

Originally posted by dontlikehorrors
Thats very weird dellamore, considering I watched 3 zombie films with you, and found them very enjoyable, Oh and the marriage thing.........lol are you nervous yet? we should let the cat out the bag, we are to be married 19th august, is'nt that right babe? xx


Yep , Don't , i can't wait , but what i really wan't to know is if you think a fast moving zombie is scarier than a lumbering beast . Since you already saw me stumbling somewhat in a slightly drunken state , and you have seen the sprinters in Dawn of the Dead remake , which one do you think is scarier ? :D .


By the way , we saw 4 zom films together , Shaun of the Dead , Dawn of the Dead remake , Resident Evil 2 , and Land of the Dead in London ( fulham broadway mall ) . I could'nt tell which one of those creeped you out more , but now that i think of it , it had nothing to do with speed , it was the fact that the zoms in these films shouldn't have even been walking / running around in the first place . I know , that can make things comedic at times , but given the proper setup , zombies will always be scary , or can be scary , it was like watching these films for the first time when i witnessed your responses , and it renewed my love of these type of films altogether .



The premise is so simple , but it takes real talent to utilize it in an effectively unnerving manner . The most effective films in this genre are never about death , but the human spirit and the ones left behind to witness this hell , a zombie outbreak .

[LordSimen]

I like both types of zombies- It all matters in the end how they are used, really.

[JayWolf]

Is it just me or does Tuukka remind you of Cooper from NotLD? :p

[dontlikehorrors]

[yes dellamore, good point mmmmm which was more scarier than seeing you stumbling around drunk or either of the zombie films you insisted I watched. Well I must admit it was more scarier watching you, the zombie movies were most interesting.... cant wait to see more! and I never thought I would see or hear myself admitting that, must admit very scary but also very enjoyable too.

[nekroman41]

I think its all based on whether you prefer a stalk scene or a chase scene.

A zombie who stalks..err bumbles around like an idiot makes for a more suspensful braineater.

A zombie who chases (like an idiot) i guess you could say is a more action-packed, in your face livingdead.

Final summation: Zombies are numbskulls

[Dr. Yan Reeb]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by EVILxxx
Tuukka has obviously not read The Zombie Survival Guide.;) [/QUOTE

I'm in the process of reading this genius piece of writing myself!! It's been a very helpful decision maker in the process of me writing my script.
I think personaly zombies need to stay slow, or just call them monsters. I feel there are still plenty of gags that have not yen been done with zombies and the only reason we cant keep our attention held by modern slow zombies is b/c writers arent using their grey matter as much as they could. ROMERO was all about interpersonal relationships anyhow and the zombies kind of took a back seat for most of the movie.
Part of me just wishes there were more shaun of the deas out there striving to come out. Shaun of the Dead = slow zombies done right!

[speed_rebel]

Originally posted by Bloody_Knife
Zombies shouldn't run. The Zombies in DOTD 1978 are even hard to get away from. WTF, I hate zombies, It doesn't matter if they run or walk or crawl or fly, they'll get us, not because they're fast or slow, because there are so many of them. My favorate Example of a Zombie Apocolypse is
Zombie Simulator (http://kevan.org/proce55ing/zombies/) It shows what a zombie apocolypse will be like.

your a fucking god man. you know how long ive been looking for that????

[Freezing Moon]

Wait, are people trying to use the laws of the real world to justify that zombies shouldn't be able to run?

In the real world, I am sure that the reanimated dead do not exist, so this argument is moot.

Anyways, running zombies in film are strictly for entertainment value.

[ERIN_LoJ]

Yeah they both work, just depends on the movie

[Juice]

Originally posted by Tuukka
It's not just that they can't run. They can't WALK either. And average "walking" zombie is walking maybe 1/5 of the speed of a human. So if you want to escape, you can just walk slowly.

Fighting a Romero-type zombie equals fighting one of these people:

http://www.mstc.org/Learn%20and%20Serve/Images/elder.jpg

http://www.orbitmedical.com/wheelchairs/images/insurance-wheelchair.jpg

No, I take it back. The people above are actually MORE dangerous than zombies, since they are able to think, to use weapons, to open doors, to outsmart you.

Romero zombies are less dangerous, because intellectually they equal these guys:

http://www.yankeemagazine.com/extras/april/graphics/sheep.crop.180.jpg


http://columbiasheep.org/twins.jpg

Oooh... Scary...

Physique of a 80-year old granny + brains of a sheep = Romero zombie.

That's the great thing about them; even though they aren't powerful on their own, they become scary because there's so much of them it doesn't matter how weak they are, they'll win anyway because they produce more zombies really fast. Way more threatening than those hyperactive fuckers.

[sparunaway]

i agree that zombies should be walkers rather than runners. maybe it's just in case the dead ever do walk the earth i want to be able to run the hell away from them. it could happen!

[KcMsterpce]

George Romero made a name for himself with his zombies, and then 28 Days Later comes out (no, it's NOT the first movie to have running zombies, but it's the first POPULAR movie to have them) with what many refuse to call "zombies" because they are infected with rage, not really the undead. Plus, they RUN, they don't WALK, and all zombies are supposed to WALK! (Obviously they haven't seen Chinese zombies, who don't run OR walk - they HOP!) After that, there's the Dawn of the Dead remake, that has zombies that run. George Romero HATED that movie, and HATES the idea of running zombies!

The dictionary definition of a zombie is a resurrected corpse brought to fruition by voodoo magic. There's no known voodoo is Romero's zombies. The NEXT definition is "one who looks or behaves like an automaton", which is "one that behaves or responds in a mechanical way". Perhaps running isn't mechanical enough of an action to deem running killers as "zombies". OK, that could end the argument right there, perhaps. I could still see their unending urge to eat human flesh, and have no other task in their existence but to find more for feeding as a very mechanical thought process, and running to that goal is like having an AMD64 5000+ reaching its' goal versus an XT/AT 8MHz trying to get to the same destination!
The problem with those who hate running zombies are that they refuse to admit there can be any OTHER kind of zombie than Romero's vision of them. Granted, 99% of all zombie movies from America and Italy are based off of his same concept. But how scary IS a zombie that walks so slow that even a crawling baby can get away? Romero used his zombie movies to make commentaries on modern society. The breakdown of a cognisant group of humans is what ultimately lead to their downfall in each movie. Everyone had their own agendas, and be it greed, fear for one's own life, or another selfish act, it led to people within the group dying.
For George Romero, flesh-eating, slow walking zombies were effective for him to tell the story he wanted to tell. Are they scary? Fuck, no! Who in real life couldn't just walk away from a large horde of zombies, and if somehow (probably by being dangerously unobservant and stupid) is surrounded by hordes of zombies couldn't just take a blunt object and smack the shit outta these slow moving creatures' heads by the dozens?

For true fear and a plausible threat, I say zombies should go ahead and run. I thought the Dawn of the Dead remake was smart to copy the popularity of 28 Days Later by making the zombies able to run. The first ten minutes alone made the entry fee worth paying! Boy, does a running zombie pay off! Plus, with 28 Days Later, a horde of running zombies intent on eating your still living flesh would get my nutsack tighter than a jump in below freezing waters! That would be SCARY! FUCK a social commentary, and screw those idiot 70's iconic actors from Romero's movies who throw themselves into danger in the most illogical of actions so that they can be in the midst of zombie crowds, or who die because they don't WALK AWAY FROM THE ZOMBIE! I enjoy his movies, but seriously folks, who's gonna really believe most of those deaths would really happen in the real world? It's a movie FANTASY, and you gotta accept that these people are absolute morons.

For me, I say gimme running zombies any day over the walking kind. I think that walking zombie movies would be awesome if handled in a realistic manner, but unfortunately, that isn't usually the case. For some charming gore and cheesy acting, I like George Romero. But if I want to get some real tension and thrills, I'd choose running zombies any day.

[Shockwave]

They can be either as long as the movie is good.:)

Romero used the undead but never had them be the direct threat, it was always the peoples own fears and foolishness that led them to destruction from the inside.

Running zombies on the other hand dont have to wait for the person in question to fuck up, theyll do that to u no problem without inside help.:cool:

[teenkiller]

Just read through this thread and there was some pretty good debate going on here. I personally prefer zombies to walk but if they run I'm still fine with that. For me it all depends on the movie alone. If I think it sucks the speed of the zombies really makes no difference to me. Well thats all for now GOoD JOURNEY my fellow schmoes.