The Three Types of Zombie.

[SammenMacks128]

I realized a while ago that zombies come in three different types. I've named each of these types, "Formulas" and they go as such:

Type 1, Romero formula: These types of zombies are your typical "Dead guys crawling out of their graves", a relatively simple formula that you'd see in earlier zombie movies, such as George A. Romero's films, these zombies are essentially, the living dead.

Type 2, Virus formula: These types of zombies are people that have been infected by some type of wide spread virus causing symptoms such as aggression, extreme mutation, and loss of all rational thought. This a more contemporary formula that you'll often see in movies nowadays, but also very often in video games.

Type 3, White Zombie formula: These are people that have been turned into zombies via way of Voodoo, Brainwashing, or some type of force that turns them into mindless mooks under someone else's command.

Please, feel free to discuss the different types of zombie below, do you have any formulas I missed? Please tell me!

[TomPravetz]

King of the White Formula.

[GuruGuru214]

I'd add that there's two subgroups of zombies that probably only fall under the first two categories. There's the Slow Zombie and the Fast Zombie.

[ShaggE]

There's also the Chemical Zombie, which tends to be a mixture of the first two. Dead, but not resurrected by supernatural means.

[Remolay]

FPS Zombies.

[figmentPez]

There needs to be sub-categories for the living dead (I'd call them supernatural zombies). I don't watch horror movies, but from what people have told me, is that sometimes it's a "hell is full, so the dead walk the earth" thing and everyone comes back as a zombie, even if they died of natural causes, even if they'd been dead long before the zombie plague began.

Others have only the newly dead rising, or only those who were killed by zombies, or only those who were bitten by zombies, but didn't have their brains eaten, or...

Also, there are the zombies that act as manservants to vampires. I think they eat the flesh of the living in most mythologies, but they're not infectious and sometimes not mindless.

Then there are magical zombies that don't feed on the flesh of the living. Examples: Mr. Slant and Reg Shoe from the Discworld novels, The Post and other servant zombies from Planescape: Torment, the nameless zombie from the webcomic Hanna is Not a Boy's Name. Some of these aren't mindless, but they're all definitely undead.

EDIT: Also, can't forget head-crab zombies. I guess that could sorta get lumped into the virus category, if we just expand that to parasite zombies in general.

EDIT2: And cyber-zombies. There's some overlap with supernatural zombies, like in doom, but other times it's pure pseudo-science that brings back the dead, like Frankenstein's monster.

EDIT3: Where do Black Lantern zombies fit in? Are they supernatural or science-based zombies?

[rober]

I quite like zombie,the adroable image

[thesporkman]

And then there's philosophical zombies, who behave exactly like ordinary self-aware people, but who lack self-awareness.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_zombie

[TomPravetz]

Originally Posted by figmentPez

EDIT: Also, can't forget head-crab zombies. I guess that could sorta get lumped into the virus category, if we just expand that to parasite zombies in general.

Virus' arn't parasites. X_X

[figmentPez]

Originally Posted by TomPravetz

Virus' arn't parasites. X_X

True, but I didn't want to spend any time trying to figure out a word that encompasses both parasites, viruses, and any other biological invaders that could cause zombies in an infectious manner.

Since your educated mind is obviously so offended by my laziness, why don't you figure out what term best fits the category, instead of just sitting there in stunned stupor at the mere prospect of someone being wrong on the internet.

[TomPravetz]

Originally Posted by figmentPez

True, but I didn't want to spend any time trying to figure out a word that encompasses both parasites, viruses, and any other biological invaders that could cause zombies in an infectious manner.

Since your educated mind is obviously so offended by my laziness, why don't you figure out what term best fits the category, instead of just sitting there in stunned stupor at the mere prospect of someone being wrong on the internet.

People? Wrong? On the internet?! Unheard of.

Wasn't trying to be rude or insult. Sorry... But, taking what you said, would "Biologically Caused" count?

[figmentPez]

Originally Posted by TomPravetz

But, taking what you said, would "Biologically Caused" count?

Well, it's not very catchy, but it is more accurate.

So, does that make the major zombie categories (with overlap between groups, and multiple sub-categories for varying levels of self-awareness and hunger for living flesh):

- Magical undead
- Animated by science
- Biologically mutated or altered
- Brainwashed but not dead
- Philosophical zombies


Actually, in thinking about these categories, I'm going to reconsider citing Frankenstein's monster as a zombie. I haven't read the novel yet, but I can't recall hearing anything to suggest that the monster was undead. He was made from dead parts, but I think he functioned more as alive than not.

Which brings up interesting questions about the Borg (Star Trek), the Phalanx (X-men/Marvel), and other techno-organic life. Are they zombies, machines that have co-oped dead tissue, or are they life? One might cite Picard and Seven of Nine as being proof that they're still alive, but that's only if you assume that life can't be restored to the dead. I'm inclined to call any techno-organic parasite, that takes over it's host's functions, as undead. Anyone rescued is brought back to life, like reviving someone that drowned in an icy lake.

[Origami]

^
I agree with what he said.

I would put TC's zombie group 1 and 3 under the same category: Supernatural zombies

I prefer zombies created through supernatural/magical causes.
Somehow zombies being the effect of a virus never has me scared.
Resident Evil is exciting but never scary imho. Not as long as the zombie plague is accounted to a
'biological weapon'

[Molokov]

Where do Xombies fit?

[doodo!]

The Three Types of Zombie you meet in heaven...

Sorry, I'm done spamming and trolling now.