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

[Netrigan]

Ghouls are the reanimated dead. Ghouls eat the dead

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?

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.

Believe it or not, the L4D and 28-series "zombies" are closer to the actual definition of zombie than any of the Romero or Russo zombie types. The origin of the word "zombie" goes back to living people in a trance-like state, under the control of another. They behaved like "walking dead people," but were known to be living. The voodoo zombie is the original zombie. Reanimated corpses are more accurately called "ghouls."

In the case of the "living zombies" of L4D and the 28-movies, they are in a highly-agitated trance-like state, under the control of pure aggressive instinct. It's not magic powders and witch doctors, but the mechanism is similar.

ghouls are actually monsters who lurk around cemetaries eating the flesh of the dead.

The Living Dead are sort of a bastardization of zombies and ghouls.

 

[zombie711]

their dead but when a person dies (you need to die to be part of the walking dead) and comes back to life why are able to not only sprint but sprint with high stamina. explain that well and they will be zombies

 

[IndianaJonny]

- Authentic zombies can be either 'undead'( but not all 'undead' are zombies) or a living human under supernatural control.
- 'Undead' as in having been resurrected/reanimated/turned in some supernatural fashion.

So no, 'infected' in the modern sense does not qualify as 'zombie'. A return to the old necrotic approach in cosole games and films would, ironically, be a refreshing change these days.

 

[Twilight_guy]

They have the same behavior and core mechanic. The details are different but the beast is the same.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

By definition, the Left 4 Dead Infected aren't dead. They've been turned into mindless violent beasts and nothing more. They pose the same threat and look similar to zombies, but that's about where the similarities end. So no, they're not Zombies.

 

[Demonicdan]

An infection is more realistic than the dead coming back to life.

 

[Dastardly]

This is why the creatures in Left4Dead / 28 Days are NOT zombies in my book, and never will be. The zombie is a reflection of human nature - we've become afraid of ourselves, of what our actions really mean in the grand scheme of the world. We've become aware of our effect on the transmission of diseases, and of the mutations we've caused by dumping toxic chemicals and radioactive waste. The zombie is a cultural mirror showing everything we're ashamed to admit makes us human.

"Fast-bies" or whatever you want to call them are certainly a scary thing to think about, but it's the same kind of cheap thrill you can get out of the unstoppable monsters - like Godzilla or Jason Vorhees. Zombies are the slow, unstoppable terror of a bleak future where we're finally held accountable for our deeds. "Fast-bies" are just a scary monster coming to get you and the people close to you, and though it might still mean the end of the world they are absolutely NOT capable of the parable and ironic justice found in 'traditional' zombies.

Historical definitions of "zombie" aside, I think you're taking an unnecessarily narrow approach to defining zombies as a human metaphor. I agree with your assessment on what the slower zombies represent--the inevitable decay machine. But if what you feel makes zombies scary is the reflection of our own darker insides, you do yourself a disservice by ignoring the role fast zombies can play in that.

Fast zombies are part of the process of our decay from the supposedly superior beings we believe ourselves to be. They are a reminder that, at our core, we are animals. We eat, we screw, we destroy, and we do so at an alarming rate. And then further down this cycle of decay, the slow zombies remind us that, eventually, we are corpses. We're bags of meat and bone. Finally, the fact that it's (usually) an infection reminds us that, by and large, we are bringing these things upon ourselves with our willful ignorance.

Both types of zombies can provide that sense of doom, and that dark reflection. They're just different stages in the de-volution.

By far, though, the most compelling aspect of the zompocalypse, for me at least, is the fact that each one of us that falls only fuels them. They are our own tissue, turned against us, seeking out more to corrupt. They are cancer of the species. Some cancers are faster and more aggressive than others.

 

[Gahars]

Yeah, I consider them zombies, just "different" zombies.

Compare it to Protestants and Catholics. Both are Christians, but both are very different from each other.

Same thing for fast and slow zombies.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

No they are not zombies they are infected. The hint is in the name. Real zombies have to be undead. That is really their key feature they must of died and then be reanimated it is the dictionary definition of a zombie.

 

[Netrigan]

Check out the Wikipedia entry on Living Dead. The two creators of Night Of The Living Dead had different ideas on how to develop the concept. Since the original is in the public domain due to a screw-up, both went on to develop their own sequels. Return Of The Living Dead is the other franchise and recently infected/dead zombies retain their memories, intelligence, and mobility.

Since it's a chemical that causes it, they're fairly close to the infected in other movies.

 

[Knusper]

Well since zombies don't actually exist (just thought I would fill you in there), I think liberties can be taken over how they move or attack or whatever. That being said, if I was to make a zombie film or game, I would still use the old walking zombies as they give more of the sense of reanimated corpses i.e. they walk as if their muscles are actually rotting away and aren't just people who have a virus in them that causes 'rage'.

But still, I guess it is up to what you think would make a better movie.

 

[CharrHearted]

Considering how they aren't dead but just infected with a severe case of rabies, I say no, they're not zombies. Zombies are the walking dead, not the walking rabid infected swine.

 

[llew]

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.

in L4D, the zombies missing their lower jaw beg to differ but i recon they are zombies but a different type, at the end of the day they are still trying to rip you apart and eat your intestines for supper

 

[CaptainCrunch]

Historical definitions of "zombie" aside, I think you're taking an unnecessarily narrow approach to defining zombies as a human metaphor. I agree with your assessment on what the slower zombies represent--the inevitable decay machine. But if what you feel makes zombies scary is the reflection of our own darker insides, you do yourself a disservice by ignoring the role fast zombies can play in that.

Fast zombies are part of the process of our decay from the supposedly superior beings we believe ourselves to be. They are a reminder that, at our core, we are animals. We eat, we screw, we destroy, and we do so at an alarming rate. And then further down this cycle of decay, the slow zombies remind us that, eventually, we are corpses. We're bags of meat and bone. Finally, the fact that it's (usually) an infection reminds us that, by and large, we are bringing these things upon ourselves with our willful ignorance.

Both types of zombies can provide that sense of doom, and that dark reflection. They're just different stages in the de-volution.

By far, though, the most compelling aspect of the zompocalypse, for me at least, is the fact that each one of us that falls only fuels them. They are our own tissue, turned against us, seeking out more to corrupt. They are cancer of the species. Some cancers are faster and more aggressive than others.

I agree that fast and slow zombies are part of a larger metaphor, but my problem with them is the decreased humanization of the faster breed. They are, in essence, an over-simplification of the decay of man present in both fast and slow types. While I can see where you're coming from, fast zombies are significantly less interesting as a metaphor for the human experience.

With slow zombies, the focus is on the zombie - what they were like when they were still alive, and how they relate to the heroes and the viewer. It's not as much about what the heroes are going to do to stop them, as it is about what's going to happen when they finally get eaten - and how that will go down. There's a chance you can still escape and enjoy peace a while longer, which allows for the heroic charge into battle to be a matter of self sacrifice for the benefit of the group.

With fast zombies, the focus is on the living - what they have to do to avoid being eaten by the unstoppable monsters. It boils the concept down to a strictly survival instinct - what are you willing to do to your fellow man to stay alive just a little bit longer? The hero that charges in to provide a distraction for escape has already given up on his own survival, rather than any heroic inspiration for the common good. This is the same effect as other monster concepts, and even wilderness survival themes like the movie "Alive." It's just as powerful a topic to inspire in the viewer, but it's not the same thing.

 

[Netrigan]

Well since zombies don't actually exist (just thought I would fill you in there), I think liberties can be taken over how they move or attack or whatever. That being said, if I was to make a zombie film or game, I would still use the old walking zombies as they give more of the sense of reanimated corpses i.e. they walk as if their muscles are actually rotting away and aren't just people who have a virus in them that causes 'rage'.

But still, I guess it is up to what you think would make a better movie.

There's actually some evidence to suggest zombies are real. The Serpent & The Rainbow is based on some fact. There is achemical compound that can mimic death and apparently was used to create slaves who were drugged, buried, then dug up. There's even people who claimed it happened to them, having been legally declared dead and buried.... and live to tell the tale.

 

[MercenaryCanary]

Different stories, different terms.
As long as I get to shoot large crowds of things, I'm good with it.

 

[Therumancer]

Honestly, it's one of those cases with a term being corrupted by popular use and marketing things for the "cool factor". A real zombie should be a walking dead body, not a sick person. I think it started with people doing "zombie like" movies, and then deciding to just say "frak it, it's call them zombies" and the mainstream being what it is, just went along with it. I suppose it's not that big a deal overall though, as annoying as it happens to be.

That said, I've long been of the opinion we should see someone actually get around to doing a "back to the basics" approach to the whole thing, probably connecting the Zombies to magic and the occult rather than pseudo-science.

 

[LupusDei]

Technically they'd be called ''Infected''.

 

[vrbtny]

Acording to that Machinima.com thing, Bite Me, there are 9 forms of zombie(Or eight, it's up for debate.)

So, yeah, they're just a different sort of zombies. But, as someone, somewhere must have said somewhen.

"A godamn zombie is just another godamn zombie. Buckshot works all the same, no matter if they run or walk."