by Dallas Spires

Created on: October 12, 2009

I can appreciate the fast, cracked out zombies of the contemporary zombie film. They definitely have a place. They appeal to a younger crowd, and they inspire sheer panic. Run! They're coming! I think everyone can relate to the fear of something that is difficult to outrun. Add to that the already dead and difficult to kill factors, and you've got yourself a formidable villain. That being said, I think the sense of dread that comes from slow-moving zombies is far more powerful and makes a stronger statement.

Slow movements are definitely more in fitting with how we view death, since zombies are supposed to be the walking dead. They are decaying, rotting, falling apart in front of their victims, while they hunch over and walk the best they can. The dead call "Brains" in a drawn out zombie drawl, and they always get their man, woman, child, or any other living thing that happens to be in the way. Their own brains function in severely limited ways. They are human, but mostly only in form. In death, they have been reduced to their most animal instinct to hunt for food.

In a world of instant gratification, the immediate panic inspired by fast zombies is immediately relevant. They're coming. They're on you before you realize it. You better run, and you better run fast. There is no dread. There is no waiting. There is no anticipation. They are coming. They are here. You are dead. They move to the next victim. They might as well be texting you on your cell phone or dropping you a message on Facebook for all the real worry they cause.

The slow zombies frighten people. They are the dead, and they have come back from some sort of vengeance on the living, as if we have wronged them somehow by still being alive. Unlike the fast zombies who must be outrun or they will kill you quickly, the slow dead leave their victims wondering when they will arrive. They give victims time to prepare and time to worry, and when they finally catch up (they always do, which is eerie - they can't be escaped) the victims die slowly, painfully, listening to the sounds the dead make as they feed, including the zombie chant "Brains."

Fast zombies seem to die faster, too. Due to the panic and urgency, the protagonist is more likely to look for a way to kill off a few and do it quickly. Slow zombies give a false sense of security by being slow and inept. They allow their vicitms to put way too much effort into planning and preparing. This false sense of security and time gives the zombie the opportunity to catch the victim off guard and do some serious damage.

All in all, slow zombies are so much more terrifying. They always catch you, no matter how slow they are. They are surprisingly difficult to stop. They represent the dead's vengeance on the living or a past that cannot be escaped. They are death personified. They are coming for you, and they will bring death and pain. And there isn't anything you can do about it except run and hide.

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