I am the Zombie Master and I will be fielding your questions. We will use our time together to better prepare ourselves for the impending doom of a zombie invasion. My hope is to correct any misinformation that has made its way out there so that there will be no confusion on the battle field.

In the process there will be a few rules. I will not tolerate any form of disrespectful behavior in class. There will be only one warning given with expulsion to follow. Remember that we are all here to learn and that is impossible in a hostile environment.

You in the back row. Yes, you with the lady on the right that has the cloudy distant stare, the rotting teeth, and the decaying skin. No, that is my stepmother-in-law. The other right. Yea. If you could take your pencil and ram it in the eye socket hard enough to puncture the brain then we can get started. Thanks. 

FreakyCreepieChic (has her hand up for question) Zombie Master why can some Zombies move better than others?

Good question. There a few factors that play a part in this. The main factor however is the shape that the body is in at the time of death and the amount of time that has lapsed between death and zombification. A fresh body will be more mobile than say one that has been dead for a few years and decay has set in.

Another factor is the form of zombification itself. A zombie formed by demon possession, i.e. Evil Dead, will be more active than say one formed by unknown contamination by a space probe because of the form of control. 

Thank you for clearing that up for me. (hand raised again for question) I know this might sound a bit silly but has there every been Zombies reanimated by a ghost (spirit) not demon possession?

FreakyCreepieChic(has her hand up again) Now this is really an out there question but has there ever been just a town of Zombies that function as normal humans? I mean they do what we (humans) normaly do, like have a job, drive a car etc? I think this would so awesome to see.

That would still fall under the Zombus Demonicus genus of zombies because it would be labeled as a possession.

By the true definition of the term zombie and by all that is holy, no. It would be awesome to see if I needed target practice.

There are children zombies in the original Dawn of the Dead and who can forget Karen (Kyra Schon) from Night of the Living Dead. Honestly, I believe that the lack of them in film has more to do with "public acceptance" rather than anything else. Amazingly, even though we do not have a problem watching zombies eating human flesh and heads being blown away we do have a problem watching a child being put down as one.

This is a study that has been going on for several years and is ongoing but there has been no definitive answers one way or the other. It is actually a combination of all three but they have been observed more often sniffing the air after hearing the noise of the non-infected. However, people have been able to get around zombies by not being noisy. It is rare but it has happened.

Happy zombie day master! (ì`m such a suck up). now to my question: i've been a zombie for a while now and all those delicious soldiers have started making me fat, do you think i should start eating vegetarians? (sorry i just couldn't resist) the real question: only the flesh/brain eating living deads count as zombies, or the blood craving ones (like in "i am legend" or "damn nation", still waiting for the movie) also apply? (apologies if my english its not good)

Happy Zombie Day to you too. I am not fond of vegetarians myself, to bony (yuk,yuk). Sorry about that.

Although "I Am Legend" was a main influence of Romero for NOTLD, Matheson's novel was about vampires hence the blood craving. Now if you watch something like "Zombie Lake" you will see blood craving zombies so I would suggest that there are a few out there but they are rare.

BTW, I am still waiting on a true movie version of "I Am Legend" but I don't think it will happen.

(Hand raised in the air waving wild and crazy) I have a question. I know Zombies have to eat brains because they hurt, however what would happen if a non-Zombie ate Zombie brains? Do they turn into Zombies or do they just get indigestion?

First of all, remember that you are talking about the O'Bannon zombies (Return series). That being said, you bring up a very interesting question. I would hypothesize that the Trioxin would get into the system of the non-zombie and eventually turn them.I believe I have a little Trioxin left from a previous experiment. I just need to pull out my list of people....

Oh, excuse me. Uhmm... I have to go do something. I will get back to you when I have a definitive answer.

There's no disrespect intended for the zombie master here but for the first question posted on the forum (Zombie Master why can some Zombies move better than others?) The Zombie master seems to have neglected the very real effects of rigor mortis. The physical situation of the body after death is not to be ignored but most reanimations happen no more than an hour after death. Rigor mortis sets in after three hours and lasts almost 72 hours. It's really nothing more than a chemical change in the muscle tissue. A certain biochemical is released with the metabolic cycle of your body that releases the natural tension on your muscles. When metabolism stops the chemical isn't released in to the muscles and they stiffen up. The way one zombie moves as compared to the other probably has more to do with the time of death than anything. On another thought this leads to various inaccuracies in the movement of extras in the movies.

As for children I'd have to agree with the Master (there was also one in 28 Days Later if you consider that a zombie movie, that's still up in the air in some circles). It is hypocritical to not be able to stomach the death of something that resembles a child as opposed to "watching zombies eating human flesh and heads being blown away." At the time of procurement of the video you've bought your ticket. No sympathy for the devil.

P.S. Trioxin? Is that from the 'Zombie Survival Guide'?

(Hand raised waving crazy) I got another question? Do Zombies have a preferred climate? Hot, warm, rainy, cold etc? One more thing I need a hall pass I have to go to the restroom.

 Hi Welcome to The Ossuary, could make your font size just a bit bigger so I can read it better. Thank you.

No disrespect taken. I am always open to added facts to help clarify an answer. You must also add in the fact that depending on the actual cause of zombification, it is not just centered on the recently deceased. References such as "Return of the Living Dead" and "Zombi 2" clearly show the long-term deceased being affected. So Rigor was not ignored as much as just not mentioned. I take the blame for that however.

As far as the Trioxin goes, the question was related to brain-eating zombies which are found in the "Return of the Living Dead" series and within that series it is the chemical Trioxin that causes the zombification.

BTW, Welcome to the class.

Zombies do not care about climate. In World War Z, they are frozen in the winter months up north only to thaw out and resume their flesh eating ways in the summer. Which, btw, is information to hold on to for you guys in the Northern climates.

And yes, but be quick. I don't want you to miss anything.

Question:

Do zombies 'love' and/or 'hate'?

hey ZombieMaster i have one question. why are zombies called 'walking dead' when they're alive (not really ALIVE per say) and they're walking around just like us? we aren't dead and we're walking around.

Answer: They are probably like me in the sense that they 'love' eating and 'hate' not eating.

The term originated from the people who witnessed other people that they were absolutely, positively sure were dead get up and walk around. The name was somewhat fitting and stuck.

thanks ZombieMaster. i will talk to you again when i hve another zombie related question. 

Hey Zombie Master (standing on desk with hand in the air) I was in a morgue today for a Anatomy and Physiology unit test I had to dissect the abdomen of a Cadaver (A+ grade). Afterwards, I was kissing the Porcelain God because of the smell of death. My question is this Why is it that people can't smell a zombie until they have been bitten? I could smell death 3 floors before I reached the morgue.

Zombie Master, is it permissible to refer to rabid humans (a la 28 Days Later or Quarantine) as "zombies," even though they're not dead?

Also, can you tell us where you studied? Do you have a Zh.D. or just an M.Z.? What course of undergraduate studies would you recommend for those of us who wish to do post-grad zombie work?

I was wondering the same thing!

At the end of Lifeforce when all these Londoners who've had there lifeforce stolen are running around creating havoc...are they zombies??  Their lifeforce stolen indicates death...but they dont seem to be feasting on people...just attacking them and stealing their lifeforce(s). So are they vampires or zombies?

Lifeforce is a great movie but they are vampires and not zombies.

I completely know how you feel. A&P is both great and sucks at the same time. Kinda like Jason Goes To Hell. Anyway, I myself think that I, like you, would be able to smell these things a mile away. As far as why the people can't smell one when it is creeping up from behind to take a chunk, I have no idea. I would place it to either shock induced loss of smell (what?) or really stupid people (which I would actually lean more towards since there are so many of them).

No it is not. I will quote from a blog that I wrote;

"A zombie is a reanimated corpse. Whether your flavor is voodoo, toxic substance, cosmic radiation, or some other form of inducing a zombie state, the cause must kill the body before it is reanimated. Films such as 28 Days Later, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and the god forsaken piece of filth that is the remake of Day of the Dead have humans that are not reanimated corpses but rather humans infected by a virus that causes changes while still alive"

As for studies, I have been trained at many places and hold a Zh.D in Corpse Reanimation Theory from the Fulci dept at the U. of M. Undergraduate studies have a mandatory reading list that includes Zombie CSU:The Forensics of the Living Dead, History is Dead, Day by Day Armageddon, and the Max Brooks titles. BTW you can pre-order the follow up to Max Brooks Zombie Survival Guide, Recorded Attacks at Amazon and other fine booksellers. It has a June 2nd 2009 release date.

Kayla has a question Zombie Master!!!!

Does a zombie have to be an actual corpse or could it be a skeleton, because after rotting for a while it would turn into a skeleton. Is that possible?

:)

Answer Kayla's question first, but I'm glad she revived this thread because it reminded me of a question I wanted to ask you, Zombie Master: is the Frankenstein monster a zombie? His parts were all once alive, although they belonged to different people. Now that they have been united in a single body, should the creature be counted as a full-fledged zombie or as some sort of hellish, twisted freak?

I was wondering the same thing about Jason Vorhees after...let's say part 4.

Hmm, I think we need a Clear definition of a zombie, because TECHINICALLY, Jason and Frankenstine could both be zombies. Zombie Master? Will you please provide one? :D

Ok. I will attempt to answer all four of the previous questions in order so stay with me:

1) Can a zombie be a skeleton? There is a great series of movies by director Amando de Assorio. They are known as the "Blind Dead" series and they do show corpses decomposed to the bones. As far as a skinless-organless skeleton I would have to say no because there would be no brain for control.

2) Is the Frankenstein monster a zombie? In the truest sense of the word, no. The great doctor was looking to create life. The monster is alive in that it needs sustenance to survive and is only limited by the abnormal brain that is placed in him.

3) Is Jason Vorhees a zombie? Beginning with Part 6 he is very much a superhuman zombie, although we do not physically witness him eating of the fruits of his labor.

4) A clear definition of a zombie. Because of the handful of different ways to create a zombie there is no clear definition but there are some constants that should aleviate some of the confusion regarding them. 1) If they did not die first then they cannot be zombies. If they did not cease to be animated then they cannot not logically be reanimated. 2) A true zombie does not need any form of nutrition to sustain life. In other words, they cannot starve to death because they are already dead. 3) If someone is bitten by a zombie and not devoured, they to will die and become a zombie. 4) If you can kill it with a body shot to the heart then it is not a zombie. Zombies are completely controlled by the brain and cannot be stopped without severing that control.

I do hope that I have cleared up some questions and not just confused the issue more.

Proof positive that I am not a zombie.

kk, so in Army of Darkness the evil skeleton dudes weren't zombies?

Ok.

Thank you oh wise Zombie Master :)

I agree with whatever Orlando says

Uh oh, ZM. She callin' you out, dawg 

No i wasn't! I was clarifying. But why we're on the topic, what are they? lol

Actually, by definition, Orlando is correct. They are actually under the control of "Evil Ash". Kinda in the same vein as the skeletons in I believe "Jason and the Argonauts" (I could be wrong about the reference) where the evil magician raises the skeletons to fight Jason.

Woo!

zombie master, question?

can you clarify the zombie's digestive process? what happens to the food they ingest?

zombie master... (stands up)

i have another therory as to why people dont smell zombies. when zombies are in the vacinity, of said people, and a known zombie out break has happened, the whole area smells putrid. therefore clogging the persons smell receptors with zombie funk. said people do not notice the smell. (kinda like when you go into an office setting and someones wearing too much perfume, the smell is overpowering you, but all coworkers seem to be oblivious.) not to mention all the corpses lying around with head trauma, too far gone to even be zombies.

i submitt my theory for consideration...(sits down)

I would have to say that is a very plausible explanation.

I offer an example to verify the viability:

My wife grew up in Crossett, AR. It is a paper mill town that stinks all to high heaven. However, when we have been there a day or two, you no longer notice the stench.

I am going to keep the "stupid people" theory in the mix though.

Good work.

That I am aware of, exhaustive studies have not been conducted into that region of the ecology of the zombie.

However, if you think about it logically there should be no functioning digestive system because the zombie does not require the nutritional sustenance that the system would supply. I would think that what ever was ingested would just rot over time.

This is only a hypothesis and therefore should not be accepted as law. More tests will have to be done.

Zombie Master, where have you been?

Studying. You should see my "to be viewed" stack of DVDs. It makes me sick.

Aha! So that's why you never see zombie poop layin' around.  I was wonderin' about that.

Can The Cat and Little boy from Pet semetary be classed as Zombies?

While on the subject, didnt Jesus come back to life

Technically yes, both the cat and Gage would be classified as zombies. Specifically, they are of the Zombus Cursicus class. They are reanimated by a curse, in this instance from an Indian burial ground.

I direct you here, http://www.best-horror-movies.com/is-jesus-a-zombie.html for an answer to you second question.

Thanks for clearing that up for me :)

How about

Eric Draven (the crow)....(the good one)

Chucky (techniclly he died, but got brought back. Does the fact he is a doll prevent him from being a zombie)

and finaly...for now

If someone dies on the operating table then gets brought back could they IN THEORY be considered a zombie? (if it makes it easier you can asume they were a canibal)

Only if, after they get up, they stumble around with their arms stuck out in front of them.

Eric Draven is actually a vengeful soul that has taken a physical form. He has total control over his actions but is tied spiritually to the crow.

Chucky is a soul that has been transfered, before death, to a doll via a voodoo incantation.

And finally, no they are still in complete control of themselves (although that would explain my mother-in-law)

Thanks again, you have all the answers

and thats why they call him zombie master :)

can zombies of any variety form a plan?

I did wonder...:P

i thought their overall plan was to infect everyone.

i mean by plan, could they get a ladder or find a ladder and climb it? something like that.

and if so could they set up a trap?

That would require cognitive reasoning on the part of the zombie. Now if you look at the O'Bannon zombie (ROTLD) you will find that they called in backup for more brains but that is an exception to the rule because he was breaking the rules on purpose. Romero toyed with the idea in LOTD but he moved away from it quickly with Diary.

Ok ok. Here's where your real test lies oh wise Zombie Master :)

This is actually a question from Unscarable but he won't ask. If you're blowing a zombie will his dick fall off? And if it doesn't will he still be able to cum?

:D

...I'm going to hell lol.

Well...

Personally, I wouldn't dignify that with a response. The Zombie Master, however, may feel more charitable than I... hard to say.

Don

Hey, Unscarable was too scared to ask so I did it for him lol. IT'S A LEGITIMATE QUESTION.

i seem to recall reading a short story by stephen king, involving zombie sex, and eating each other during the act.

i say the question is legitamate what say you, zombie master?

While we're at it. Do zombies even have sex, or is Stephen King bonkers?

:)

stephen king is deffinetly bonkers! but the good kind of bonkers :)

Oh bullshit it was a question of mine. Way to blame me Kayla.

Ok, children. Settle down.

I am not sure about a King story but Clive Barker wrote a short story for "Dark Delicacies:Original Tales of Terror and The Macabre" (full of great bedtime stories) that became the basis for MoH Season 1 Episode 12 entitled "Haeckel's Tale". If one went by this story alone then you would have a precedence for stating that not only can zombies have sex but they can copulate. Now if you add this one story to the vast number of other zombie stories then you find much more evidence to the contrary. As a matter of fact that was the only problem I had with "Haeckel's Tale". Not the sex for sex but the sex for the fact that the zombies would have totally ripped up the wife.

And for the record, although I wouldn't used quite the same verbage, the question is actually legitimate. The last thing we need is a whole bunch of zombie ankle biters running around.

Braindead

Ninja zombie priest and Zombie Nurse have a baby....the most awesome Zombie ever, and one of the funneyst scenes in a film i have seen in a while (in the park)

The stroll in the park is one of my favorite scenes! I have heard that it wasn't in the original script, but they ended up having a higher budget than they had planned for and were able to shoot the scene.

I personally think that every film should have a ninja zombie priest. Not just zombie films.

i read that ages ago, coulda swore it was king lol, but now that i know the author and title i can hunt down a copy and re read it. i dident read all of the stories, but it sounds like theres some good reading in there.

zombie master, what can be infected by the zombie virus? obviously humans, animals? reptiles? fish? parasites? viruses? bacteri?

Defenitly, That was contender for best part of the film, along with the Lawnmower and Stroll in park

There have been a few cases sited of dogs and cats. I have not heard of nor have I seen any case studies of any other wildlife being infected.

Would you count that crazy deer in Slither, I dont know if that would be counted as a zombie though.

I agree, this is answered in Day of the Dead. Doctor "Frankenstein" has removed the zombie's intestines etc and says that he does not eat for nourishment but is just obeying a primal reptilian urge. In short, nothing happens.

"Shut up and sit down Attrage, you precocious little shit, you're ruining it for everyone!!"

Oh, THAT'S why you posted that over in site suggestions Attrage....got it....lol

Yeah not everything I do is completely random. Most things, yes. But I have occasional lucid moments ;)

I don't believe you lol. You walk around on highways in your panties :)

Heeeeyyyy...that wasnt me, that was the dementia. And they were silk boxer shorts!

Mhmm, SURE.

Mr Zombie Master? Orlando is talking in class again

If you guys don't watch it I will have to volunteer the lot of you for the next Lab experiment. Wait that was supposed to be a surprise. Uh, never mind, you guys just hush. Yeah, that will quiet them down. You too, shhhh.

I'm not the one passing notes in class!!! *cough*ATTRAGE*cough*

God you 2 act like youre in middle school. You wanna pull her hair now too attrage?

Hey - this thread is for questions about zombies and zombie movies. Please do not post any more random discussions here or I'll have to be mean and lock the thread and ask The Zombie Master to create a new one.

Don't even post a comment or response to this note, please. Zombie questions and answers only.

Thanks.

Don

ZombieMaster - How did Romero come up with Zombies? and the name "Zombie?" and finally if the world was coming to an end and there was no food do you think people would actually eat other people to survive? - Thanks!

Question #1: Romero actually never used the term zombie. The idea however came from Richard Matheson's great book "I Am Legend" (a must read). The book is about vampires but the idea of being couped up in a house surrounded by monsters and then having to deal with different personalities on top of that (added by Romero) just made for a great concept.
Question #2: The term "Zombie" comes from the Afro-Carribean Voodoo belief system. It is of Bantu origin from the word zonbi which is a person who is believed to have died but is brought back to life without freewill. He/she is under the control of a Bokor, or voodoo sorcerer.

Question #3: There have actually been many cases of just such a thing happening. Reports appeared during the Siege of Leningrad during WWII, the famine in Povolzhie in the 20's, the famine in North Korea in '96. These are just a few so yes I do believe so.

Hmm. I guess it is time to start that diet now.

zombie master... could a zombie be created using nano technology?

Watch Jason X. The only example to date.

Very Interesting! Thanks!

Are all zombies braindead? Do intelligent zombies exist?

That really depends on the definition that you are using.

If you use "having good understanding or a high mental capacity" then I would have to say no. However, if your definition is more towards "having the faculty of reasoning and understanding" then there are a couple of examples that we could view as showing minimal, almost training a pet, intelligence (i.e. Bub, Big Daddy, the ROTLD zombies, etc.)

These are actually the ones you have to worry about. I don't know about you but me personally, the last thing I want to see is a zombie with a machine gun that knows how to use it.

hand raised:

Do zombies ever cough up hair/fur balls?

I got a question Mr Zombie Master!!

In Romero's Dead movies its never explained but hinted that the zombies are the result of either a mutated virus or some kind of organism from space. Which one do you think it is?

My brother would like to work in Hollywood and we both decided that it would be an amazing trademark to have at least one zombie in EVERY movie. They could be inconspicuous extras and could be the equivalent of trying to find Hitchcock in his movies.

Now my question, if you swallow zombie blood do you become a zombie?

Not that I have witnessed but that would be frackin hilarious.

Although the "Venus probe" causing the dead to rise is just circumstantial, it was the only explanation given in NOTLD. Because of this, I tend to think that it is some kind of organism from space that mutated into a virus.

One of the most well known cases would have to be when Roger had the splatter enter his mouth and eyes in the original Dawn. He did not become a zombie however until he was bitten.

This is a very serious question ZombieMaster...

Do you really believe that zombies could exist someday, and possibly take over the world? If so, what should we do to prepare ourselves?

Yes!!

Now, for preparation. Me personally, I have a cabin in the hills of Tennessee that is so far removed from humanity that it takes me 30 minutes of driving time to get a cell signal. It is stocked with non-perishable food, weapons, ammo, closed-circuit surveillance equipment, satellite based internet and such. I make the trek at least once a year to check up on things. If you do not know how to use a bow or crossbow, learn. Do not rely solely on guns because they are loud and can bring unnecessary attention to your neck of the woods.

Hey, Zombie Master dude, i got a question and I asked my 8-Ball but as I was shakin it up it flew outta my hand and now I can't find it because I live in the sort of squalor that would make Jason Voorhees go: "Whoah man...I thought MY place was messy!!"

So anyway, are the Pirates of the Caribbean movies zombie movies? I mean, the pirate guys in those flicks are dead, and yet they move around and talk and stuff.

And by that token, is Star Trek III: The Search for Spock also a zombie movie? Coz basically Spock dies and comes back to life in that movie!

Mr. Zombie Master, sir. Could Zombies commit Suicide? As for say, I turned into a Zombie and I didn't want to eat someone Is it possible to have the ability to do so? Or would I not be smart enough to think that way?

I know the brain controls the whole being of a Zombie but with a Brain you have memories and I know it sounds to Logical but I'm curious :)

Some good questions on here. I await your answers to the new questions.

Good questions and it shows that you are trying to prepare for every possibility. Alas, however there is no need to prepare for these and I will explain:

Pirate of the Caribbean - Barbossa and crew are members of the undead but they are not zombies. They are cursed to walk the earth for eternity neither alive nor dead unless a blood sacrifice is made. Nothing really zombie-ish about that.

Star Trek III - Spock was dead and was blasted to the Genesis planet while the molecular reorganization was still taking place. In other words, Spock was not reanimated, he was broken down and reorganized molecularly having been reborn as a child and growing into adulthood.

The only way that a zombie could commit suicide would be to knowingly destroy the brain. In other words, just stepping in front of a moving vehicle is not enough. You would have to step in front of that moving vehicle with the intention of doing yourself harm. Is that possible? There have been some cases of the emotional baggage being retained for a short period after the initial zombification but eventually the primal instincts will take over. So if you are going to put a gun to your head after becoming a zombie you better make it quick because you will get hungry.

So this may not have much to do with zombie lore, but I was wondering why there aren't more zombie animals. Seems like the things that affect humans should also affect animals. My initial guess is budgeting and filmmable projects. Think about it, if everything could become a zombie, that would be intense. Birds, dogs, fish, etc.

There have been a couple as seen in Resident Evil (Hey ma, can I keep him if I promise to feed him and pick up after him) but also, as seen in the remake of Dawn, most zombies just don't care to bite animals. Also, if the reanimation is from a virus then it may not affect all species the same just like certain viruses today.

 Oh..Thanks :) This is like my favorite class.

That's the explanation I was expecting, I still think if Romero had the budget and forsight, then once they were zombies and not ghouls, everything could have turned. Bugs, animals, humans, wow we wouldn't stand a chance.

If Zombies were to exist (They will one day) do you think as many people would die like they do in the movies? There are some pretty stupid people but then again we've all seen the movies. We know how to stop them.

I just want to know what you would do, besides hide in your cabin like you explained before..

:)

Well that certainly is a relief. Thanks ZM

Although the thought of a zombified William Shatner scares the beejesus outta me, I don't think I would have coped real well with a zombie Spock, either, so my thanks to you good sir for putting my mind at ease :)

Ah ah ah.......hold it there.  Student teacher over here would like to point out the kiln scene in Return of the Living Dead as proof it is possible and has been done in a movie.

Thank you very much. That had totally slipped my mind.

Oh, well thanks :)

so there is an exception but most likely it won't happen.

What is your opinion of "The Crazies" remake, and do you think Romero will ever get credit for starting both the Zombie craze and the "infected" craze?

Love Romero.  Saw his movie The Crazies long time ago, very good and orignal for that time period.  He may get the credit for the Zombie craze but I doubt he will for the infected/infectious craze.  I don't even know how many people know that he is the person responisble for the movie.

I am not a fan of remakes but this is actually pretty good. As far as giving credit where credit is due, it is up to us who know the truth to set the record straight.

Apologies if this has been asked already ZM but do zombies have to be human? Can animals also be zombies?

EDIT Okay it has been asked before. Sorry!