What makes a Zombie scary?

[C.E.]

Time to start on my next one, and I want to throw in zombies. Lots of zombies.

But what really makes a zombie scary? We've grown numb to the concept thanks to so many films that depict Zombies as dumb, shuffling brutes with little to no intellect. Wild animals can eat us, so why is a ravenous zombie any scarier than a thousand pound polar bear? Oh, sure a polar bear doesn't bite you and turn you into one of its own, but you're just as dead either way.

I like the old Invasion of the Body Snatchers zombies. Okay, they weren't technically zombies, but they did have that whole stepford wives thing about them at times.

Can I effectively blend a ravenous scratchy/bitey infected with a mind-controlled, not-so-human being and get something scary?

[Margarita]

My two cents - I find zombies scary for a few reasons
1. persistence - they tend to keep coming. a wild animal will at some point presumably give up, but the mindless stalking of the zombie is terrifying
2. leads me to point 2! the mindlessness - they look human but cannot be reasoned with, cannot be swayed by emotions intellectual arguments. I think this drives a spike of fear right into the heart of us - they look human BUT THEY AREN'T
3. this in turn leads us to fear losing our own humanity. we could become a mindless automoton. We could lose what we are, what makes us human - our feelings our memories, our personalites....and become the mindless eating machine.
4. and what does teh mindless eating machine eat? Human flesh/brains. Cannabalism is so anathema [is that the right word?] to us. it's repulsive, it's horrific. So the thought that these things were once human and now eat humans and that we coudl become like them is awful. We wouldn't be able to stop ourselves, because we have no reason and intellect left.
so I think the scary part for us is our intellect knowing what the zombies used to be, and what they have now become.

[Rosanna]

Margarita wrote: "My two cents - I find zombies scary for a few reasons
1. persistence - they tend to keep coming. a wild animal will at some point presumably give up, but the mindless stalking of the zombie is terr..."

I agree with Margarita. It's the fact you can't reason with a zombie. Their unending hunger terrifies me. Mindless is a good way to put it.

I've had nightmares of the things for years for this very reason. No matter how hard you run, they keep coming.

[C.E.]

Ladies, what about the classic Body Snatchers type movies? More or less scary than a hungry walker? I see a lot of similar supporting features in both types of monsters:

1. Aren't really human
2. Are out to get you
3. Want to turn you into one of them

In particular, I liked the Donald Sutherland Puppet Masters movie based on the R. Heinlein book.

The Puppet Masters

[Margarita]

I think it's a great 'creature/villain' as well! it's the whole 'losing my sense of self' or losing what makes me 'me'. I think that's what horror films are missing with some of these creature flicks. it's not the gore or the 'flash' that scare us - it's the inhumanity and the terror of losing our loved ones or losing ourselves. I watched teh Walking Dead on TV for only one season before it got too gory for me, but there was a great scene in the first season where there is a father and son, squatting in the house. and teh son is like "Is she out there? she's out there, isn't she"

and the 'she' in question is his mother. And that to me was the true horror. They had 'lost' her but her physical presence is still there. but whatever made her 'mom' and 'wife' and 'person' is gone.

the whole 'want to turn you into one of them' is what really creeps me out. they'll be using my body like a meat suit and driving it around. Will people notice it's not me?? am i still trapped in there knowing what's happening??

[Rosanna]

C.E. wrote: "Ladies, what about the classic Body Snatchers type movies? More or less scary than a hungry walker? I see a lot of similar supporting features in both types of monsters:

1. Aren't really human
2. ..."

For me, zombies in the true sense are scarier than the body snatcher type creature. Certainly there are similarities, but I just find zombies terrifying. And I agree with Margarita on that mother scene in TWD- it was just horrific in a quiet, insidious way. The loss of humanity is scary no matter how it's portrayed.

[Heather]

The zombies from 28 weeks later.

This is definitely a good question. In the movies, zombies seem to be growing faster (World War Z), can learn (I Am Legend) and don't have much in the looks department. To me, movie zombies have an edge on literary ones since they're in your face chasing you, but I did like the twist in the post-apocalyptic book the End Games. The zombies were called "Bellows" and they creepily echoed everything you say.

[Rosanna]

Heather wrote: "The zombies from 28 weeks later.

This is definitely a good question. In the movies, zombies seem to be growing faster (World War Z), can learn (I Am Legend) and don't have much in the looks depart..."

28 Weeks Later was definitely one of the scarier ones. Some of the scenes still haunt me. LOL

[sam]

i think zombies are scary mostly because their are just so many of them. i mean i dont know about you but im afrade of crouds even when they dont want to eat my flesh.

owh and C.E. for your why is a ravenous zombie any scarier than a polar bear question. its beacuse humans arnt the polar bears main food sorce. ask a salmon then i'll bet you get the proper amount of polar bear fear from them. but for us? turn one polar bear into billions and give them a craveing for human flesh then well talk.