Zombie fans, opinions please!

[Bloodhowl]

That time line is ONLY applicable to the zombies in that fictional universe, referred to in Max Brooks books. Every fictional universe filled with zombies has its own set of rules and limitations that the zombies, and their lifespan, must follow. So when the zombie apocalypse hits OUR universe, be ready for some unexpected results. The wise adapt...stay safe.

Y2k, Mayan Apocalypse, Zombie Apocalypse, Hottentots running amok... I got enough stockpiled to get me and my family through. :wink:

 

[Einion]

For God's sakes people, read the Zombie Survival Guide! If you don't, how do you plan to survive when the zombie apocalypse happens!?!?

:laugh: Not applicable here but a good read, thanks.

How long do flies and other bugs/insects/rodents/whatever actually remain interested in a dead body?

IRL, obviously it depends on lots of factors. Flies can arrive shockingly fast (minutes) and beyond that insects should infest the undead, unless you assume something about the process deters them. I think this does have to be assumed, as otherwise maggot activity alone would quickly reduce their ability to move around.

BTW, re. the cause, it's not even determined to be a virus in TWD, in the TV series at least. Have no idea if there's an explanation in the graphic novels.

Also, how would their interest change due to it moving around and growling? It would probably spread out the aroma increasing the number of insects that might be interested but moving around would probably also decrease the interested parties, whether to feed or multiply, if for no other reason than instinct.

It's worth remembering that a lot of decay is driven from within the body itself; so presumably (for zombies of the type we're used to seeing depicted) it has to be a given that bacterial action is also reduced along with the insects. This may also extend to dogs, wolves and other large predators.

Maybe I'm thinking about it all too much. But I hope more zombie flicks start putting some more thought into it. Even though I appreciate the variety in The Walking Dead for example, they still don't seem to consider the timeline. For example, if you come into an area that was JUST overrun, then ALL the zombies FROM that area should be NEW zombies, various amounts of wounds still, yes, but they shouldn't look like they were turned months or years apart.

I don't think so. This would depend on a lot of factors, on the number of undead and living initially; later on, the number of newly-dead that don't get back up shouldn't be ignored because they were fed on too extensively.

Pop quiz: take off a zombie's head and what do you get? A dead body and a zombie head.

So there should actually be lots of disarticulated heads which are active (rolling eyes, some jaw activity, stuff along those lines... no moaning obviously). I've always thought of them as like zombie beartraps, so you gotta watch your footing and boots are probably a must!

be realistic and get into anatomy, if you show brain bits, be sure to know what they do. a zombie with a premotorcortex or primary motor cortex showing wont be able to move, while frontal cortex parts showing, will probably just act wierd, and that would be natural, they dont really have a personality one with a backhead damage will be blinded etc.

Roger that. They do cover the neural side of things in some detail in the TV series of TWD (and then conveniently ignore it quite a bit unfortunately). The graphic novels interpret things a bit more loosely from what I've seen since there are still-active zombies with weapons embedded in their skulls.

Click HERE for a photo of the sculpt with the pregnant zombie with fetus. CAREFUL, NSFW. Its in 1:6 scale, so fairly large. HERE is the guys blog, he does all sorts of cool stuff.

Ta for that! It is lovely work. The piece as a whole is not my cup of tea although it's not quite as disturbing as I'd imagined.

Einion

 

[freakinacage]

I have to say the idea of pregnant zombie appals me a little but the actual model doesn't overly. Out of curiosity, why the sudden interest?

 

[QuietiManes]

zombie beartraps

Good point, also made me chuckle.

As for the brain, I don't get it, they even showed that most of the brain is inactive in a zombie, with the footage at the CDC. Showing only the most central portion of the brain to be active, so, I'd think you'd have to destroy some of that section to kill a zombie. But anytime anything goes anywhere close to a zombies head and does more than look at it funny, the zombie drops to the ground dead as a door knob.

 

[uglybug]

So your telling me that the flame thrower I just bought off of eBay will be useless for the coming zombie apocalypse? Crap! I thought that was the perfect weapon too. What should I use for mass zombie killings that doesn't make noise then? My bow and arrow is slow my crossbow even slower, my chainsaw is way too noisy and as I now have learned will just make a bunch of bear traps if I cut them off at the neck. Shotgun = noise. I guess I will have to buy a couple of 55 gallon drums of that glue they use on those rat boards to slow them down

 

[Bloodhowl]

So your telling me that the flame thrower I just bought off of eBay will be useless for the coming zombie apocalypse? Crap! I thought that was the perfect weapon too. What should I use for mass zombie killings that doesn't make noise then? My bow and arrow is slow my crossbow even slower, my chainsaw is way too noisy and as I now have learned will just make a bunch of bear traps if I cut them off at the neck. Shotgun = noise. I guess I will have to buy a couple of 55 gallon drums of that glue they use on those rat boards to slow them down

Yes. The flame thrower will just create walking undead tiki torches that will pose more of a threat to survivors. Plenty of good strategies in the Survival Guide that are applicable to multiple modern day, zombie infested universes.

For mass zombie killing: remote detonated improvised explosive devices. Or to go lower tech, tiger pit trap, then torch them with the flame thrower so they are confined as they burn.

 

[Bloodhowl]

BTW, re. the cause, it's not even determined to be a virus in TWD, in the TV series at least. Have no idea if there's an explanation in the graphic novels.

In TWD wasn't it explained as a plague of unknown origin?

 

[cyberakuma]

It's interesting that people here have a general consensus that the rules of the dead apply to the UNdead i mean as far as gore goes atleast there have been many zombie stories that go in from the virus approach and that the creatures are still alive something touched on in the comics of the walking dead in early isssues (gave up on the tv series the characters were so annoying they can't die fast enough for me) or for that katter there are the origins of the zombie mythology with voodoo where it is a hypnotic state a living person is put into so in this instance gore would be plentiful

as for the flies isn't the life span of a fly a day and they are feeding off of the infected surely they are likely to become infected themselves. This could go a few ways as i'm pretty sure it's not been covered in fiction but
1. They spread the zombie plague much like the black plague was spread by the fleas on the backas of rats increasing an already quick turning society end result virtually everyone is a. Zombie in no time
2 zombies work on basic motor reflexes for most functions and possibly the most basic of instints to us is to swat a fly thus zombies become the best form of bug repellant known.to man. 3
. Touching on the life cycle of a fly an the infection having very different effects on insects to mamals because of the differing physioligy it is possible that a fly trying to feed off of the dead could flat line off of the new toxin present in their food supply similar could be said of other carrion i have only seen.

One zombie film that has turned crows being the third resident evil movie but body mass could play a crucial part in what turns into a zombie and what doesn't typically smaller than.a child may not but again all dependant on the mythos ( and if this doesn't apply you can only imagine the reaction if zombies got into a maternity ward in a piece of fiction there was a comical scene in the japanese film zomvie nurses that touches on this but i'll spare the details considering the sensitivity towards people on here with reactions to exposed foetus on pregnant zombies and the idea of zombie children)

The list could go on with possibilities regarding the flies but for me personally skyies the limit with zombies it's a work of fiction that toys with the borders of reality. So by all means you can make it as gorey as you want or go the opposite direction with removing all gore from the bodies where they are likely to take on a more leathered sunken appearance similar to that in mumification though in that instance would it still have working. Eyes. Other limbs may still move maybe being a bit more brittle rather than squishy but with the slow dehydration of the body without any present liquids to preserve it so it's almost just skin and bones would the eyes have shrivelled too?

 

[cyberakuma]

There is also the beef jerky factor with flesh dehydrating quicker than mold spores can produce rot and it's associated smells don't factor in nor will flies touch it like all these health articles you see in regards to why a plain mcdonald's hamburger will shrink but not rot nor will flies touch it as it is instead in conditions where it is dehydrating to become jerky so a jerked zomvie would be relatively free from flies or smell be a lot tougher. (try breaking a big piece of jerked biltong) and virtually gore free

apologies for bad grammar spelling and two posts crappy touch screen at 4am and wanted to expand on the goreless zombie side

 

[Einion]

So your telling me that the flame thrower I just bought off of eBay will be useless for the coming zombie apocalypse? Crap! I thought that was the perfect weapon too. What should I use for mass zombie killings that doesn't make noise then?

Assuming availability isn't an issue I think the thing is probably a suppressed submachinegun. In terms of real-world weaponry I can't think of anything better offhand - all the things that make them a good choice for CQB are the same for this purpose.

And for the zombie apocalypse, the ammunition (pistol ammo) is very plentiful. Although IRL I'd prefer to go with .45ACP given the choice 9mm would be the way to go, for its ubiquity. And its ballistic performance is more than good enough for the purpose since you must prefer headshots so penetration of the torso (through clothes, bodily bulk) is not an issue in this context.

For mass zombie killing: remote detonated improvised explosive devices.

Not very aimable though is it? Where to acquire the explosives please? Plus explosions run a big risk of creating more zombie beartraps

There is also the beef jerky factor...

Actually I think this is one of the biggest things that tends to get overlooked - the tendency of the undead to just dry out and become immobile because they don't drink to replenish lost moisture. I wish I'd thought of this independently but I read it in a funny overview, listing reasons (really obvious ones!) there will never be a zombie apocalypse.

Einion

 

[Bloodhowl]

Not very aimable though is it? Where to acquire the explosives please? Plus explosions run a big risk of creating more zombie beartraps

If designed with a small blast radius, they can be tossed into a crowd of zombies from an elevated position and detonated with minimal risk to the living. Or you can rig an area and lure the zombies into it and detonate. Or you can set it up with a trip wire along an avenue of approach the zombies use. Possibilites are numerous and limited only to your imagination.

There are plenty of recipes for explosives made from items found at DiY stores or around the house on the interweb. Also check construction sites for TnT and blasting caps.

As for zombie beartraps, maybe. One of the added "benefits" of IEDs is TBI. That might be enough to destroy the zombie's brain. Obviously, less of a chance the further from the blast the zombie is...

 

[QuietiManes]

I don't think luring zombies into traps is going to be your main concern, more like surviving and getting away...run run run. More panic stricken close quarters zombie killing only in dire need. I mean, if you have time to set up big intricate traps with no danger to the living, taking out large herds of zombies at leisure, t's not much of an "apocalypse" to my way of thinking.

The beef jerky factor kind of depends on the mythology. Some mythology doesn't make much sense, if it's explained at all, you just wonder how come the writers never took a science biology class in high school. Where the body is shut down, not working, but somehow still able to moan without breathing, fire neurons from the brain to the muscles without carbohydrates or electrolytes or whatever.

But if the myth has more of a functioning body, digestion and breathing and such, then feeding could replace much of the moisture they'd lose and the rest of the moisture they'd need could be explained away by other factors, how the virus or mutation or whatever affects the body or maybe it aids in moisture osmosis from the air...hell, there's nothing stopping them from just drinking from puddles, basic urge to feed is always paired with the urge to drink in the instinctual/animal brain, isn't it?

I don't know, I don't think answering all the biology questions is the goal of most zombie flicks. But they're getting better at it, generally speaking.

 

[Bloodhowl]

I don't think luring zombies into traps is going to be your main concern, more like surviving and getting away...run run run. More panic stricken close quarters zombie killing only in dire need. I mean, if you have time to set up big intricate traps with no danger to the living, taking out large herds of zombies at leisure, t's not much of an "apocalypse" to my way of thinking.

Running will only keep you safe for so long. At some point you will need to go on the offensive and start hunting them down, or establish a stronghold you can defend indefinitely. Even if you establish yourself on a remote island, you need to be careful of any ships or boats that are carrying the undead and manages to drift to your shores.

 

[QuietiManes]

Hehe. True enough. But once you get away to the remote island or establish your stronghold, the movie always ends, so I can't fathom what happens next.

 

[Bloodhowl]

Hehe. True enough. But once you get away to the remote island or establish your stronghold, the movie always ends, so I can't fathom what happens next.

I think you get rescued and taken to a larger survivor community where scientists are working hard with live strains of the virus/infection/zombie test subjects to find a cure. One of them ends up having his hazmat suit breached and gets infected. Then the whole fight for your survival, find a safe area, try to get rescued cycle starts all over again, AKA The Sequel! :rotfl:

 

[dogfacedboy uk1]

Hello Einion - sorry for the delay in replying to your question. The artist in question for the pregnant zombie is Alfred Parades, he is a fine art sculptor mainly, he's does a lot of other stuff to - he has been on Ellen Degeneres show at halloween for pumpkin carving and various shows in California, but more importantly he does garage kits as well!!!

I really have no excuse for not putting it on my blog as it is very creepy and I have seen it since he did a sneek peek on Facebook. But here's the link anyway for you to see it if you havent already googled it....

http://www.apsculpturestudio.com/gallery/busts-and-figures/12482767

dfb

 

[Dragonsreach]

Hehe. True enough. But once you get away to the remote island or establish your stronghold, the movie always ends, so I can't fathom what happens next.

You die of starvation.

 

[QuietiManes]

Well that's anti-climatic, DR. I think I'd prefer the cycle re-starting. Plus, who says cooked zombie flesh or zombie jerky isn't edible? It could be safe...with a bit of salt...who knows, right? A couple "hunting parties" with IEDs and flamethrowers that cook, seal in the juices and kill all at the same time could support a huge population.

 

[cyberakuma]

Got to agree with dragonsreach there every zombie apocalypse bar one fails at maintaining an infrastructure in the populous and it is all too easy to forget how reliant we have become on it gone are the times of farms everywhere and producing products that are naturally. Aavilable in those areas without high maintenance so without a proper infrastructure.bringing much needed resources in you are stuck in an old fashioned bit of seige warfare you can.keep them out that isn't hard but those supplies are going to run out not just wherever you are holed up but the city, county and country soon enough

i found it interesting that it took a cartoon focusing on boobs and guns aimed at japanese teenagers to address this

 

[No Such Agency]

I don't know, I don't think answering all the biology questions is the goal of most zombie flicks. But they're getting better at it, generally speaking.

Alas, the only solid way to have scientifically legitimate Z's is to explain them as being still alive, but reduced to a violently feral mental state by a disease (which, like rabies or toxoplasmosis, alters their behaviour to spread to new hosts). You simply cannot ass-pull a way for actual corpses to stagger around biting people, without using some pretty terrible pseudo-science.