to begin with, lets find out where the whole zombie idea cames from....
In Haitan terms, a zombie is an animated courpse resurrected back to life by mystical means. (1)
Zombies are suppose to be self aware, and aware of their surroundings.
In west Africa a zombi can be made by a witch person, who will then be able to command such zombi. the way to do this is to capture a little bit of the dead persons soul, and then they can command the body.
South Africa
The idea of zombies is present in some South African cultures. In some communities it is believed that a dead person can be turned into a zombie by a small child. It is said that the spell can be broken by a powerful enough sangoma.
It is also believed in some areas that witches can turn a person into a zombie by killing and possessing the victim's body in order to force it into slave labor. After rail lines were built to transport migrant workers, stories emerged about "witch trains". These trains appeared ordinary, but were staffed by zombie workers controlled by a witch. The trains would abduct a person boarding at night, and the person would then either be turned into a zombie worker, or beaten and thrown from the train a distance away from the original location.
Voodoo priests that were concerned with the study and application of black magic, posessed the ability to ressurrect the deceased through the administration of coup padre--coup padre is a powder that is issued orally, the primary ingredient of which is tetrodoxin, the deadly substance of the notoriously poisonous fou-fou, or "porcupine fish." According to lengend, "a zombi(e) is someone who has annoyed his or her family and community to the degree that they can no longer stand to live with this person. They respond by hiring a Bokor..to turn them into a zombi(e)." (Keegan, www.flmnh.ufl.edu)
Once they had been issued the coup padre, the subjects being prepared for their descent into zombidom would appear to die insofar as their heart rate would slow to a near stop, their breathing patterns would be greatly subdued and their body temperature would significantly decrease. The public, thinking that the person was dead, would bury him/ her as if they were a corpse. They would then be exhumed, still alive, by the Bokor and, although their physicality remained intact, their memory would be erased and they would be transformed into mindless drones. "Though still living, they remain under the Bokor's power until the Bokor dies." (Keegan, www.flmnh.ufl.edu)
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In 20th century American culture, the idea of zombies has traditionally been portrayed almost exclusively through the medium of film. The prototype for early zombie movies was White Zombie (1932), which took its subject matter directly from the zombie myths of Hatian folklore. White Zombie, one of the celibrated horror films of the "Universal era" (which also included important versions of Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman and The Mummy) starred Bela Lugosi as a rich Haitian businessman who had taken upon himself to win the hand of a lady by turning her husband into a zombie. He had hoped that, by doing this, he would be able to rid her of her connection to her husband and thus clear the way for she and his romantic union.
Other zombie movies of the 30s and 40s followed suit insofar as they generally portrayed zombies as they existed in Haitian folklore: as beings whose brains had been zapped by some "master" who was then able to control their actions. Many of these pictures, such as The Voodoo Man (1944) and I Walked With a Zombie (1943) maintained that zombies were directly rooted, geographically and thematically, in Haitian myth. Other films, such as Revolt of the Zombies (1936) and Zombies on Broadway (1945) kept the theme but altered the geographic location. Also, while some of these films reinforced the idea that zombies were, in fact, the reanimated dead, some films portrayed zombies as being the products of a sort of malevolent hypnosis. In such films, the monsters were not "dead" at all, but merely humans who were reduced to a trance-like state and who were, again, controlled by a "master."
During the "Hammer Films era" of the 1950s and 1960s, zombies began to a adopt a more sinister air. Films such as I Eat Your Skin (1961) and The Plague of the Zombies (1965) offered zombies that were forced to maintain their posthumous existence by actually consuming human flesh. This version of the zombie was generally still "controlled" by a "master," but was awakened from its deathly state by some sort of supernatural or otherwise extraordinary force (satanic incantation, etc.). Here we see the invention of the "zombie-as-cannibal" type that was to characterize the genre for years to come. Virtually any given zombie from one of these movies was little more than "an utter cretin, a vampire with a lobotomy." (Twitchell, 265).
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Other mythologies
In the celtic world, they believed that the souls of the departed would come back on oct 31, the day of the dead. the family of the dead were responsible to feed their dead. some believe that if the family did not feed their dead relatives, they would become dinner themselves.
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Today, scientists have studied the zombie legend and have developed several of explanations for the belief. Victims of a number of psychiatric disorders such as catatonic schizophrenia may exhibit symptoms that could be wrongly interpreted by the superstitious as zombies.
Another explanation suggests that the houngans may have used combinations of toxic drugs to send their victims into a deep coma. Mistaken for dead, the victims would be buried, only to be disinterred and revived by the Houngan. Other drugs would be used to keep the “zombie” in a passive and obedient state.(2)
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Ok so lets say zombies are out to get you, what should you do to be prepared?
What I've learned by watching movies....
*Do not go back.
something is really wrong with your loved one, and he or she just tried to bite you, so you ran to your bathroom, bedroom, or whatever to stay away from them. don't second guess your self. if you where wrong you can explain it later. just find a weapon, and get out of the house. hopefully to your car.
*help the living
not only can you help each other later. but I think the reocurring theme in all of the movies, is that people do not help the living and then there a fewr of us to kill the dead.
*make sure your new friend has not be bitten.
strip them naked if you have to, and leave behind anyone who has been bitten or scratched. precaution is key.
*Zombies don't talk.
you have no idea what is going on, and you have someone infront of you. ask them to say something, if they cant. run away.
* Don't go to safe zones.
millions of people will be flocking to the nearest safe zone. military will not have a clue what they are looking for, which means that even the sick and infected will be there. its a recipe for disaster.
*don't stay in one place too long.
*try the sewers
chances are, the zombies are not thinking about where to find you. the sewers will not be populated by people, and the odors will mask your own.
*propane gas + flare, then shoot.
how to kill a massive wave of zombies.
*chainsaws are not a good idea in close quarters
*Dont go after the dog.
*DOn't save experimental on animals.
you have no idea what decease or drug they have had injected on them. if you really want to help, take videos and pictures and show them to the public. dont go messing with things you dont understand.
*if you wake up from a comma during a zombie apocalypse, find newspapers. you will get an idea of what is going on.
*when there is no one around, money is useless.
*look for weapons first.
food will be the least of your problems f your dead.
*Dont go into a church.
its a safe place. many people will go there hoping god will safe them.
*DOnt hesitate, its you or them.
*ask questions after your safe.
*old clorox bottles make great canisters to keep water for a long time.
* you only have to safe one.
help the living
*keep away from recorded messages of salvation
*don't go into dark tunnels
*give up your morals
it might be a child zombie, but it will still kill you.
* keep a jack and a spare tire in your car
*keep a hose handy
suck hose to steal gas from other cars. hose should be short, six to ten feet long.
*make noise to find infected.
you walk into a supermarket to find food. make lots of noise, it will draw out any infected, and then you can kill them.
*keep playing cards
there is no television, music or entertainment in zombie land
*keep away from major cities
*batteries and held hand ratios are a blessing.
*birds and animals are bad.
you dont know if they can get sick, so just keep away from them.
*be ready to not feel sorry, humans will become animals too.
*try fireworks to distract them.
*do th eunthinkable
*dont give up
*always go for the brain
*think, they dont.
*Be a hero
*lights and noise atracts them
*enjoy the little things.
Guide to Zombie Movies
Astro Zombies -Director: Ted Z. Mikels, 1967. This movie has a running time of 83 min., and is on video. There was not much said about this movie, except that John Carradine plays the monster. (1, p.51)
Carnival of Souls - Director: Detkliarvey, 1962. This is on video. A girl is haunted by a menacing figure, after almost drowning. The movie has wonderful Photography. (1, p. 170; 2, p. 659)
Dawn of the Dead - Director: George Romeo, 1968. This movie is on video, with a running time of 140 min. Four people barricade themselves in a shopping mall to get away from man-eating zombies. This movie is packed with hard core blood and gore and is the sequel to Night of the Living Dead. (1, p.261; 2, p. 270)
Day of the Dead - Director: George Romero, 1985. This movie is on video, with a running time of 100 min. A female scientist is trapped in an army bunker with sexists. She tries to study the zombies, but the men want them destroyed. (1, p. 262)
Dead Men Walk - Director: Sam Newfield, 1943. This movie is on video and has a running time of 67 min. Two brothers, one good, one evil, battle in this flick. Includes Vampires and zombies as well. It is in black and white. (2, p. 671)
The Fog - Director: John Carpenter, 1980. This movie is on video and has a running time of 91 min.
Eighteenth Century pirates come back from the dead to terrorize a fishing village. As the fog moves in, the people roll out dead. (2, p.686) I have seen this one for myself, and it is not too bad.
White Zombie - Director: Victor Halperin, 1932. This movie is on video and has a running time of 73 min. " Now we understand each other a little better", says Bela Lugosi, as he turns his rival into one of his eerie slaves. This, by no means, is one of his more well-known lines from a movie; but after seeing this film, I am convinced that it has to be one of his most sinister quotes. Lugosi plays the evil overseer of a sugarmill, who turns his workers into zombies to do his dirty work. White Zombie is a wonderful low-budget flick, with wonderful background settings that add to the eeriness of the film. For the most part, the zombies are mindless creatures that would not have hurt anybody, if it had not been for Lugosi. So, they really do not add to any of the misconceptions that Americans have about Voodoo. The few Haitians we do see in the film are burying one of their dead. None of them ate depicted as being evil. The real big "misconception" in the film is a carved Voodoo doll. Iam under the impression that they do not exist. As one last note on the film; the way that Lugosi turned his victims into zombies, was to give them a special powder that would feign death. He would then go and get the body, giving it another concoction. Perhaps Victor Halperin was Wade Davis' "secret society." (Willey)
King of the Zombies - Director: Jean Yarborough, 194 1. This movie is on video and has a running time of 67 min. This is one of those mad scientist movies, only this time it adds Nazis on a tropical island. (2, p.709)
Night of the Demons - 1983. This movie, unfortunately, is on video. Teenagers party in the wrong cemetery. (1, p.816)
Night of the Living Dead - Director: George Romeo, 1968. This movie is on video. "Praying for church", says Johnny. Immediately you think to yourself, "you better pray." Johnny and Barbara, in the opening scene, are in the family cemetery putting flowers on the grave of their deceased father. Johnny's next line, "They're coming for you Barbara", is his last. He is intending to be teasing his sister about being in the graveyard, but what he does not realize, is that they really are coming to get her. After her brother gets killed by the Zombie, the girl runs off to an abandoned farm house, thus beginning her fight with the man-eating corpses.
As the movie progresses, six other people enter the farmhouse to get away from, what the news reports call, "unidentified assassins." This movie is jam-packed with stiff walking dead and the stereotypical screaming woman. The ending of the movie, I think, was supposed to be a social statement by George Romeo. (Willey)
"A government made chemical somehow gets into the air and brings the dead back to life. The effects are horrible, and unless you are a connoisseur it is hard to even sit through the whole hour and a half." Brook Turner.
Night of the Zombies - Director: Vincent Dawn, ?. This movie is on video. A very trashy movie with one long cannibal feast after another. (2, p.947)
Plague of the Zombies - Director: John Gilling, 1966. It is on video. This is a fairly intense story about a Voodoo cult in a Cornish village. Contains beautiful photography. (1, p.947)
Return of the Living Dead - Director: Dan O'Bannon, 1985. This movie is on video and has a running time of 91 min. A spoof on George Romero's classic that consists of the dead rising after a chemical leak. These morbid creatures are after one thing: Brains! (1, p. 1008)
"This was basically the same idea (as the return of the living dead) except in a more modern setting. The tanks containing some of the bodies of the living dead are now in a medical supply warehouse. The foreman is telling the story behind the living dead and asks if the boy wants to see the tanks. To make a long story short, the man hits the tank and it begins to leak the gas. Suddenly things begin to come alive in the warehouse including a cadaver. The gas leaks out into the graveyard and all of a sudden there is an angry mob of the living wanting "brains."
Return of the Living Dead II - Director: Ken Wiederhom, 1988. This movie is on video and has a running time of 89 min. The walking dead are once again in control and they want more brains!
(2, p.800)
Revenge of the Zombies - Director: Steve Sekely, 1943. This is not on video. The running time is 61 min.
Revolt of the Zombies - Director: Victor Halpetin, 1936. This film is on video, with a running time 65 min. This project lacks the style of White Zombie. Cambodian troops are turned into zombies.
(2, p.801)
The Serpent and the Rainbow - Director: Wes Craven, 1988. This project is on video, with a running time of 98 min. "In the legends of Voodoo, the serpent is a symbol of Earth, the rainbow is a symbol of heaven. Between the two, all creatures live and die. But because he has a goal, man can be trapped in a terrible place, where death is only the beginning."
I thought it pertinent to add this quote in my review, because from what I have learned, the concept was distorted. Distortion is probably the best word to describe the whole movie that this quote was taken from. The Serpent and The Rainbow is based on the Wade Davis book of the same title. From what I understand of what was taught to me, his account of Haiti is somewhat distorted as well. Hollywood, as everyone knows, has it's own little problem with distortion. So, the movie version is even less credible than Davis' book. Let's return to the quote, after all it's the first problem I saw in the movie. The serpent is probably a reference to the loa, Dumballah. He is, if anything, more of a father figure than an Earth figure. The Earth is a cruel place, and Dumballah is thought of as a protector. The Rainbow is probably a reference to Ayida, his wife. She is not the symbol of heaven, because the Haitians do not believe in Heaven, but the spirit world. Together they are the forces of human sexuality.
Basically, the movie is about an American scientist who goes to Haiti to find the powders that create zombies. For the most part, if one knows nothing about Haiti, this film would be rather hard. One should have some knowledge of the Duvaliers, the Ton Ton Macoute, and Houngans. (Willey)
Shock waves - Director: Ken Wiederhorn, 1975. Peter Cushing leads a brigade of Nazi zombies to power the 3 rd Reich's submarines. Watch it if you have to. Apparently, this movie is good for comic relief (1, p. 1095; 2, p.806)
Dr. Terrors House of Horrors - Director: Freddie Francis, 1965. A fortune-teller tells some terrible secrets. May or may not have zombies. This is on video, with a running time of 98 min.
Voodoo Dawn - Director: Steven Tierberg, 1990. Two college buddies visit a friend who is being turned into a zombie. (2, p.823)
"In this movie a bokor name Makoute goes around killing the Haitian migrant workers in a southern town. He then makes them into zombies and has them work in his fields. He then gets this idea to make a zombie man. He begins to gather bits and pieces of people to make up the man. When all is finally complete, Makoute slashes his wrist and lets the blood drip into the zombie man's mouth. In the meantime, the migrant workers, led by a mambo, decide to kill Makoute. They surround his house and when he comes out they attack him and get a piece of his clothing and use it for a Voodoo doll. With this doll, the Mambo kills Makoute and they burn his body. All seems to be well except for by this time the Voodoo man had come to life and was not very happy to see his master a clump of ashes. After a long battle between the Voodoo man and the hero, the Voodoo man loses his head, literally, and dies. However, for the grand finale, this demon thing looking like it came straight out of "Aliens" bursts out of the Voodoo man's stomach and tries to eat the hero. But the hero kills the demon thing too. So the hero and the pretty girl live happily ever after." Brooke Turner.
Voodoo Island - Director: Reginald LeBorg, 1957. Boris Karloff is a business man who goes to investigate strange happenings in Haiti. Very boring. This is not on video. It does have a running time of 76 min.
Voodoo Man - Director: William Beaudine, 1944. Lugosi has a zombie wife who he tries to cure, by experimenting on other women. This is not on video. Running time is 62 min. (1, p. 1325)
Voodoo Woman - Director: Edward L. Cahn, 1957. Englishmen are turned into monsters. This little dud is not on video. The running time is 77 min. (1, p. 1325)
I Walked With A Zombie - Director: Jacques Toumeur, 1943. A doctor is sent to a Caribbean Island to treat someone's zombie wife. This movie, believe it or not, is adapted from Jane Eyre. This movie is on video, with a running time of 69 min. (2, p. 603)
The Walking Dead - Director: Michael Curtiz, 1936. Not on video.
Zombie - Director: Lucio Fulci, 1979. This little beauty is rated X for gore and nudity. The tale is about a mad scientist who creates zombies that can only be killed with a bullet through the brain. It is on video, with a running time of 91 min. (1, p. 1400; 2, p. 827)
Zombies on Broadway - Director: Gordon Douglas, 1945. This movie is on video, with a running time of 68 min. Two men search for a zombie act to use in their nightclub. (1, p. 1400)
Zombie High - 1987. This dud is on video, with a running time of 93 min. An administration of a school lobotomizes it's students to keep themselves young. In England, this film is known as The School that Ate My Brain. (2, p.827)
"It takes place in a boarding school where the students are given a sort of lobotomy to turn the students into zombies. The professors, who are behind the operations, are taking tissue from the students' brains and replacing them with quartz crystals. With the tissue that is taken from the brain, the professors make a serum that will give them everlasting life, while the students remain zombies in a cheesy B rated flick." Brooke Turner.
Zombie Island Massacre - 1984. This film is on video, with a running time of 95 min- Corpses come alive on a Caribbean island.
"Strait to video. Never in theaters. In this movie you do not even see the zombies, they do all the killing behind the scenes. The plot is a group of tourists who go to the islands and watch a Voodoo service. During the service a lamb is sacrificed and the tourists are disgusted. When they reach the tour bus to leave it is broken down, what a coincidence. The tourists then decide to walk through a jungle towards a house they had seen earlier. Much to their surprise, they end up being picked off one by one by the zombies that you never see. It had horrible acting and special effects." Brooke Turner.
The Zombies of Mora Tau - Director: Edward L Cahn, 1957. This film is on video, with a running time of 70 min. All this does is show how dull movies were before Night of the Living Dead. (2, p.827)
Zombies of the Stratosphere - 1958. It is not on video, but has a running time of 70 min. Leonard Nimoy plays a Martian who saves the day. ( 1, p. 1400)
The Zombies of Sugar Hill - 1974. This film is not on video, but has a running time of 91 min. A woman tries to avenge her lover's death by conjuring black zombies. (2, p. 827)
References
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombie
Keegan, www.flmnh.ufl.edu
Twitchell, 265
http://www.umich.edu/~engl415/zombies/zombie.html
(2) http://www.thingsinthebasement.com/index.php/site/comments/the_history_of_zombies/
