by Morrigana Shalafae

Created on: June 15, 2008

Asking which type of zombie is more effective leaves room for interpretation. More effective at scaring the audience? More effective at killing the characters? More effective eating machines? More effective at making for a compelling zombie movie?

Let us address these questions.

First of all, fear. Which is scarier? Ignoring the actual storytelling and direction for the moment, we have the monsters themselves. Fast zombies bring out the fear of a predator, of something that can easily take us from this world. Slow zombies are frightening because of their swarming abilities, and their relentless pursuit of their prey. One will overwhelm you and devour you, the other shall tear you apart before you finish screaming. Both are equally frightening, but in different ways. There is too much personal opinion for the scare factor of a fast or slow zombie, but I find a swift predator more pulse raising. There is something more intimidating about something so like us, that is a so capable of killing us.

Fast zombies are hands down more effective at killing the characters of a movie. Or, they should be if the script didn't demand stupidity of the victims. A slow shambling zombie can be escaped, because they are so awkward. A good shove would topple most slow zombies, and then one could flee while the corpse gets back to its feet. Whereas a fast zombie has none of those disadvantages. Fleeing them will only make you tired before they eat you. They are more agile, less corpse like, and are better predators. They are mindless slaughter machines, and they do it far better than their slow cousins. If not for characters being "overwhelmed" by terror and pausing in their flight, or falling down, or otherwise allowing themselves to die, the slow dead would never eat.

Although, killing well does not always mean eating well. Fast zombies have a tendency to kill someone, take a few bites, and move on to the next warm body. Slow zombies will tear apart a victim and finish them off before they swarm to another. As the swifter living dead seem interested in killing, and not entirely in consuming, I have to give this to the corpses. They are brilliant eating machines, and they exist only for their next meal.

Finally, the key debate. Which one makes for a better movie? The basis of the zombie, a living dead bent on slaughter and feasting with a dark craving for the flesh of the living, plays on our fears of being hunted. Right there, one has the start of a good scare fest. With the proper

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