Zombies are the world's most gruesome creatures. They terrify most people. Creeping, like decaying slugs, into people's nightmares. When you hear the word zombie (or in this case, read the word), your mind calls up an image of an undead person. Maybe that person is decaying, showing ribs, or dropping an arm. However, did you know that there are actually several different types of zombies?
The first zombie is the classic creature from the Night of the Living Dead movies. The second type of zombie is depicted in movies like 28 Days Later and Resident Evil. Then there are the creatures of fiction, such as from Laurel K. Hamilton's the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. Finally, you have the real creature, the vodoun zombie.
The Classic Movie Zombie
The Night of the Living Dead movies has tormented the dreams of many people since their debut in 1968. These movies created the initial fear over the undead. Many remember the black and white film, which starts with a brother and sister who are visiting a graveyard. They leave the car to place flowers on a grave and suddenly realize that strange people are approaching them. The people move in a strange manner and do not respond when the brother and sister try talking to them. These are the classic zombie, and possibly the best known of all zombies.
The classic zombie is depicted as a dead person. Classic Zombies are dressed in out of date clothing. They hold their arms out in front of them when they sense their next meal, and walk with a shambling gait. They are incapable of bending their knees or elbows except when attempting to claim their prey. They gaze is devoid of life and eyes seem to have a sunken, long-dead appearance to them. It is assumed that they have an acrid, decayed odor, which strengthens as they move steadily closer to their prey.
With this type of zombie, zombie survival requires a two-story house. It is helpful if the house has a basement, as well. If you live in a two-story house, you may want to have a good supply of wooden boards in case of a zombie attack. Zombies seem to have problems with things like boards nailed to windowsills.
The Modern Movie Zombie
Horror movies, such as 28 Days Later and Resident Evil, have revealed a new breed of zombie. This zombie seems to have been turbo charged with energy and strength. They also seem to have some base form of intelligence, like another type of movie zombie, which appeared in Land of the Dead.
This zombie always has some wound with blood pouring out of it. Its brethren usually inflict the wounds before it joins their ranks. The teeth are revealed, blood dripping down its chin, as if the zombie cannot use the lips. Though the gait is still shuffling, there is a marked difference from the classic movie zombie. That difference is that the modern movie zombie has a remarkable gift of speed. They also seem to be able to move their arms in a more human-like fashion.
The deal with facing this zombie is to have a gun, preferably automatic, with an unlimited supply of ammunition. If you run out of ammunition, the next best bet is your team, a tank, a large supply of grenades, or a chainsaw. However, if you cannot access any of these, you should run as if the hounds of hell are after you. Even then, you will not have much hope of escaping.
Fictional Zombie
The zombie in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series is very human-like. They are raised by the magic of the heroine, Anita Blake. She gives them the gift of animation, which enables them to perform necessary functions, such as end a debate over a will.
These zombies look and act like anyone else. The only problem is that they usually have a spot or two of dirt on their clothing. They also have a vacant gaze, as if something crucial is missing. They also have to obey the orders of their animator' unless there are special circumstances involved with the corpse. (To find out more, read the series.)
Surviving this zombie is no problem. Just take out whoever is commanding it.
The Real, or Vodoun, Zombie
This zombie is created by magic, to be precise, Voodoo power. The voodoo that most people know now began in Africa and came to America. It also spread to Haiti, where the beliefs were adjusted to suit the people who used them. Now, voodoo is a religion and a practice. However, many people believe that voodoo is a dark art. Few people even realize that voodoo has love spells as well as spells that bring people back from the dead.
The book Magic Island by William B. Seabrook brought the truth of zombies to people's attention. The book details several of his encounters with zombies. According to Mr. Seabrook, the bokor, a voodoo sorcerer, would have a person drink a potion, and then the bokor would cast a spell. After that, the person became a zombie, a slave of the bokor.
Another way that this zombie is created is by special drugs, which are administered to a living person. It is unclear whether the person dies after taking the drugs or not, but in either case, the person becomes like a zombie.
The few accounts of this particular zombie describe it as an average person. They do not wear clothes, but rags, which are given to them by their "controller". They are used as laborers, tending fields and crops. However, these zombies have no interest in human flesh and do not try to kill living people or attack each other as with the classic movie zombie or modern movie zombie. As a result, there are no records concerning survival of attacks in association with this zombie.
Conclusion
The zombie is indeed a dead, or apparently dead, person. But as you can see, there is more than one species of zombie. Each zombie has traits that are unique to it. From the shuffling, stumbling movement of the classic zombie, to the poison induced "coma" of Vodoun zombies.
In the end, identifying a zombie is half the battle. Now you should be planning ways to protect yourself especially from the ones that just broke in your living room windows.