Best kind of Zombie stories?

[stephanie00]

I know there are a lot of huge zombie fans here at comic genesis, and I thought this would be an interesting discussion.

What is the best way to create a zombie story in terms of consequences causing the outbreak/infestation?

Is it through supernatural circumstances, or through scientific circumstances? Or through another means not listed above?

[McDuffies]

I've seen so many variations on zombie apocalypse stories that there's probably no way to make an original twist on the theme. I lost interest in seeing any that isn't made by Romero ever again.

[KWill]

It's not really the zombies that make a good zombie movie, it's the survivors and how they deal with society collapsing. There's not much potential for an interesting plot if you focus on the slow, dimwitted masses of undead.

[Nanda]

I've seen so many variations on zombie apocalypse stories that there's probably no way to make an original twist on the theme. I lost interest in seeing any that isn't made by Romero ever again.

So you would rather watch "Land of the Dead" than the new "Walking Dead" series? Because I have to be honest, as much as I respect what the man did for the genre, some of those Romero films are just...awful.

[McDuffies]

I've seen so many variations on zombie apocalypse stories that there's probably no way to make an original twist on the theme. I lost interest in seeing any that isn't made by Romero ever again.

So you would rather watch "Land of the Dead" than the new "Walking Dead" series? Because I have to be honest, as much as I respect what the man did for the genre, some of those Romero films are just...awful.

Hey, stuff like "28 days later" and "Night of the comet" are great, but when it comes to such narrowly defined (and so popular) genre you can only see as many variations of the theme before you can imagine all the other variations yourself. Thus Walking Dead doesn't seem like my cup of tea even though by all records it seems to be a good show. As for Romero - I haven't seen too many of his zombie movies, and they're cinema classics, so I'll eventually get around to seeing more, though probably not every single one of them.

[Procelis]

It's not really the zombies that make a good zombie movie, it's the survivors and how they deal with society collapsing. There's not much potential for an interesting plot if you focus on the slow, dimwitted masses of undead.

I agree with you on how boring a movie following a classic zombie, slowly shuffling and moaning down the street, BUT, if you consider "Resident Evil", "I am Legend" and others with faster paced "infected" zombie movies, following one of them around as it hunted seems like a pretty cool idea.

[Bustertheclown]

I've seen so many variations on zombie apocalypse stories that there's probably no way to make an original twist on the theme. I lost interest in seeing any that isn't made by Romero ever again.

So you would rather watch "Land of the Dead" than the new "Walking Dead" series? Because I have to be honest, as much as I respect what the man did for the genre, some of those Romero films are just...awful.

Honestly, I would.

The Walking Dead comics taught me that zombie stories are better-suited to short form storytelling. 90 minutes of people fighting off undead hordes is just about enough, and dozens of hours of the same is waaaaaaay too much. That's especially true when none of the lead characters are all that likable. I'd prefer to root for somebody's survival, and not their death. Plus, I've always liked Land of the Dead. There's a camp factor that appeals to me.

[McDuffies]

The Walking Dead comics taught me that zombie stories are better-suited to short form storytelling. 90 minutes of people fighting off undead hordes is just about enough, and dozens of hours of the same is waaaaaaay too much.

If you wanna see the pinnacle of that, see City of Rot. While it's impressive that one guy did entire feature film, it's basically an hour of completely repetitive scenes of a guy killing zombies, without even a bit of change. If there was ever any plot in it, I certainly didn't remember it, all I remember is thinking "will you get over with this already?" And then in the end he tried to shoehorn some message about how we should think with out own head, something he obviously thought of when film was nearly finished.

[Skwinky]

If you wanna see the pinnacle of that, see City of Rot. While it's impressive that one guy did entire feature film, it's basically an hour of completely repetitive scenes of a guy killing zombies, without even a bit of change. If there was ever any plot in it, I certainly didn't remember it, all I remember is thinking "will you get over with this already?" And then in the end he tried to shoehorn some message about how we should think with out own head, something he obviously thought of when film was nearly finished.

This sounds wonderful, and now I want to watch this. From my experience though (which admittedly was mostly from an obsession in high school), most zombie stories are good, it just depends on the mood I'm in for them. Old classic films with cheesy blood are good if that's all I want to get out of it, where I think of "I Am Legend" more of a character story. To take that further, I feel like "The Walking Dead" treats zombies more as a setting and they are used in the plot more in the beginning of the story (what's shown on AMC now) than later, which I think is what is really cool. (So reaaad the comics, they're so much better. I'm actually super surprised this is a TV series to begin with.)

But what would be coolest is zombie dinosaurs. Just sayin'.

[Nanda]

I'd prefer to root for somebody's survival, and not their death.

Boy, are you in the wrong genre.

[McDuffies]

Why? I think that in zombie stories you're pretty much expected to root for characters to survive. It's slasher stories where you root for characters to die.

[Bustertheclown]

Exactly. It's survival horror. You don't get the survival part without survivors.

Yeah, half the time, everyone dies in some Tales from the Crypt style twist ending, but that's just to play on the bleakness trope. In a good zombie movie, you still should be rooting for someone to make it through, and crying at (most of) the casualties. Otherwise, there's really no point.

[Nanda]

I guess it depends on your perspective. For me, a zombie story is the ultimate no-win scenario, and I try not to get attached to any characters. But then, this is coming from a person whose zombie contingency plan is to shoot herself in the head as soon as possible.

[McDuffies]

I guess it depends on your perspective. For me, a zombie story is the ultimate no-win scenario, and I try not to get attached to any characters.

What's the appeal then? Zombie murders are hardly as creative as murders in other horror genres.

[Nanda]

I guess it depends on your perspective. For me, a zombie story is the ultimate no-win scenario, and I try not to get attached to any characters.

What's the appeal then? Zombie murders are hardly as creative as murders in other horror genres.

I like post-apocalyptic stories, and seeing the different ways that people deal with the zombie problem in general is interesting. The best zombie movies are really studies in human nature. Plus zombies themselves are fantastic; for every human we lose, they gain another zombie. They don't have to sleep, they don't ever stop, they can't be reasoned with or intimidated. And we are doomed to become them - no matter how long you survive in a zombie future, you're only prolonging the inevitable. They're us at our basest, and they force us to face up to our own animal nature and mortality. What's more terrifying than that? (In fact, I was having a mini, weekly existential crisis after each episode of "The Walking Dead.")

[Brockway]

I am extremely fond of the "badass survivors" take. Stuff like Zombieland (movie), High School of the Dead (manga), and most videogames really. The survivors are initially overwhelmed, but then they step up and save themselves. I especially like when there's a sub story of the different people forming a family unit.

[Lostmind]

I miss the weird zombie tales. Now a days everyone has gone to scientific, trying to explain where they come from, what the rules are for their behavior. Where the aliens bringing the dead back for no reason they never do anything like conquer us (Plan 9 and Astro Zombie, if I remember right only saw it once?) Where are the zombies having sex and making babies (both in the Dead Alive?) The people who turn into rotting corpses and then some how get fully healed (Undead.)