Poll: Are Left 4 Dead/28 Days Later "zombies" really zombies?

[LaMer]

So, I was playing Left 4 Dead 2 locally with some friends the other night, and our group came across a cemetery. Upon seeing this, the always charismatic Ellis said something along the lines of "Aw man, a cemetery? If these were real zombies, we would be screwed!" This sparked up a conversation, about whether the "infected" in games like L4D and in movies like 28 Days Later are really "zombies" in the traditional sense. They don't rise from their graves, and they seem to be less centered on eating you and more focused on spreading the infection. So, what do you, my fellow escapists, think of this? Are they zombies? Or should they be removed from the zombie (not horror, mind you) genre altogether?

 

[archvile93]

Well traditional undead zombies would never be able to rise from a grave anyway, but no, I always felt a true zombies is a literal walking corpse, not someone who's still alive and just has super rabies. I won't complain if you call it a zombie though. That's much easier to say than "living guy with super rabies."

 

[LaMer]

Good point.

 

[hey_iknowyou]

I think of them as zombies anyway. I can't think of any other more accurate word anyway.

 

[VincentX3]

Their NOT zombies! Their infected with a virus and "technically" they are still living people.

Point is their not really zombies, just a bunch of rage-infected people.

 

[ThatLankyBastard]

By definition maybe, but not by tradition...

I think everyone should just start calling them "Diseased, Red-Bull Addicted, Non-Living Persons with a Vengeful Attitude Towards Us" like I do...

Shortened, they're DRANPVATU's!

 

[nomadic_chad]

I think "zombies" is a applicable word for them in the sense that they're humanoid and savagely wish to eat parts of you during some kind of apocalyptic event.

I think most of the naysayers are sore about their increased speed and viciousness, because their survival chances would be greatly decreased during a ZA event with "fast zombies".

 

[manythings]

Well in L4D 1+2 they are dead, ergo Zombies. In 28 days they are all still living people just INFECTED WITH RAGE! They are still in theory zombies which I have taken to calling "Fast-bies". All the problems of zombies with none of the slowness.

I think the 28 days writers, producers etc. tried to make the case that they weren't zombies because they aren't dead but by the end of it they seemed to either give up or just admit that yes, they are just a different flavour of zombie.

 

[VincentX3]

Simple answer

ZOMBIE

A zombie is asserted to be a reanimated corpse, or a human who is being controlled by someone else by use of magic with some media renditions using a pandemic illness to explain their existence

INFECTED

they are living humans who have been Infected by the Green Flu virus, causing massively increased aggression and loss of many higher brain functions such as speech and self-preservation. Unlike cinematic zombies, those present in the Left 4 Dead series attack human victims but do not attempt to eat them.

No nom-nom = Not Zombie

 

[Andrew_Waltfeld]

I think they are the traditionally sense of zombies - Most brain functions have ceased except the primal need to feed. That is what I consider to be a zombie. The need for them to die and come back isn't really needed... though more often than that, in L4D, zombies get up from shots that would cripple a normal person from the sheer shock of it happening. Heck, I even had a mostly HEADLESS zombie get up and hit me.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

It depends on the translation of zombie.

If zombie means a reanimated corpse, then no.
If zombie means a humanoid being that is unintelligent and wants to kill you, then yes.

 

[thiosk]

Simple answer

ZOMBIE

A zombie is asserted to be a reanimated corpse, or a human who is being controlled by someone else by use of magic with some media renditions using a pandemic illness to explain their existence

INFECTED

they are living humans who have been Infected by the Green Flu virus, causing massively increased aggression and loss of many higher brain functions such as speech and self-preservation. Unlike cinematic zombies, those present in the Left 4 Dead series attack human victims but do not attempt to eat them.

There is a middle road.

Solanum works by traveling through the bloodstream, from the initial point of entry to the brain. Through means not yet fully understood, the virus uses the cells of the frontal lobe for replication, destroying them in the process. During this period, all bodily functions cease. By stopping the heart, the infected subject is rendered "dead". The brain, however, remains alive but dormant, while the virus mutates its cells into a completely new organ. The most critical trait of this new organ is its independence from oxygen. By removing the need for this all-important resource, the undead brain can utilize, but is in no way dependent upon, the complex support mechanism of the human body. Once mutation is complete, this new organ reanimates the body into a form that bears little resemblance (physiologically speaking) to the original corpse. Some bodily functions remain constant, others operate in a modified capacity, and the remainder shut down completely. This new organism is a zombie, a member of the living dead.

infected, then dead.

They instinctively eat humans, too, though they gain no nourishment. Given enough victims, zombies have been known to eat until their abdomen distends and bursts, at which time they simply continue eating with the consumed flesh falling right out onto the ground.

 

[CNKFan]

Well in Left 4 Dead they have what is essentially super rabies whereas in the old Resident Evils and Dead Rising they are reanimated corpses. Zombies by definition are reanimated corpses so in Left 4 Dead they are not zombies.

 

[VincentX3]

Simple answer

ZOMBIE

A zombie is asserted to be a reanimated corpse, or a human who is being controlled by someone else by use of magic with some media renditions using a pandemic illness to explain their existence

INFECTED

they are living humans who have been Infected by the Green Flu virus, causing massively increased aggression and loss of many higher brain functions such as speech and self-preservation. Unlike cinematic zombies, those present in the Left 4 Dead series attack human victims but do not attempt to eat them.

There is a middle road.

Solanum works by traveling through the bloodstream, from the initial point of entry to the brain. Through means not yet fully understood, the virus uses the cells of the frontal lobe for replication, destroying them in the process. During this period, all bodily functions cease. By stopping the heart, the infected subject is rendered "dead". The brain, however, remains alive but dormant, while the virus mutates its cells into a completely new organ. The most critical trait of this new organ is its independence from oxygen. By removing the need for this all-important resource, the undead brain can utilize, but is in no way dependent upon, the complex support mechanism of the human body. Once mutation is complete, this new organ reanimates the body into a form that bears little resemblance (physiologically speaking) to the original corpse. Some bodily functions remain constant, others operate in a modified capacity, and the remainder shut down completely. This new organism is a zombie, a member of the living dead.

infected, then dead.

They instinctively eat humans, too, though they gain no nourishment. Given enough victims, zombies have been known to eat until their abdomen distends and bursts, at which time they simply continue eating with the consumed flesh falling right out onto the ground.

Yea but then again, the L4D series don't actually eat anything. Yet in 28days\weeks they do.
Soo... different type of flu = different type of "undead" = Were still fucked -.-

 

[Atmos Duality]

"Zombis'" (Voodoo) vs "Zombie"
Both the pop culture contexts I know of. I'm looking at them from popular fiction.

The original popularly-known "Zombis'" is simply a person who has been bewitched in some way. Usually enslaved or tricked into temporary (or worse) submission through voodoo.
Wide Sargasso Sea and Jane Eyre both portray this form of Zombis'.

The popular concept of a Zombie we know today is basically a Romero Zombie. The reanimated corpse of something (or someone) through the use of magic or mad science.

The concept of "Infected", is functionally identical to a "Zombie" for the sake of plot convenience. Zombies eat brains, or bite people to spread the curse, Infected can do the same (though it's story-specific).
So yes, the two might as well be interchangeable, because the behavior (and purpose) is the same.

 

[Kagim]

Yes. Because a zombie is not a real thing(VooDoo zombies\philosophical zombies aside), so it can be defined by the writer who creates them. While there are trends, which these zombies keep (aggressive, violent, unthinking, swarm mentality) they can have changes and differences in there overall characteristics. This is a good thing, because it keeps these creatures from becoming drool, repetitive, and stupid.

 

[SaetonChapelle]

I believe they are truly zombie's, but of course this is assuming we are talking about the "rising from the dead" kind of zombie. There are so many variations besides Romano it would take forever to converse about.

I always found the zombie illness to be interesting, only because of any other type of '"monster" creation I feel like zombies could be the most realistic. No, not the rising from the dead, but the filled with rage, cannibalistic behavior, and perhaps the actual rotting of the flesh.

Are we talking about the old zombie which had enough cognitive thought and actually felt PAIN, who desired the brains of humans to stop the hurt of decay? Are we talking about the zombie which attacks and has little cognitive thought for the flesh? Are we talking about the ones who go on a mad rage for the desire to infect? Are they slow? Runners? Can they climbs on walls and ceiling (screw that I'm out). /sigh

 

[Terminate421]

There are two kinds of Zombies:

The rise from the grave zombies

and

The infected

The RFTG zombies tend be shambling and meaty guys who are as slow as hell and are not much of a challenge.
The Infected are zombies that often have become feral due to a disease

The main difference is how the zombies are transmitted, a bite is a bite but if the zombie rises from the grave by some unknown reason, its a RFTG
an Infected, is a once human person that converted to zombie hood and now wants to eat your brains.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

in the traditional sense, no i wouldn't say they are, but they are much scarier and are much more of a threat, so i just call them zombies anyways.

(i dont get super elitist about stuff like that so it doesn't bother me)