In the horror genre, especially zombie films, there are certain rules one must follow if they don't want to become one of the undead, or even worse, a feast for the undead. Recent entries like "Zombieland" and even "28 Days Later" (we know its not a zombie film, but still) made it clear that rules are the key to survival in a zombie-infested post-apocalyptic world. Well, The Walking Dead is no different from its counterparts it seems, and thank God it isn't.
AMC's Walking Dead Twitter account has been tweeting "Zombie Rules" all this month and they are currently at #8, with more to come. Right now, we at TVOvermind will give you the first eight and will update this page as soon as a new rule is announced. Are you ready for the list? We suggest you get a a pencil and paper to write these down for safe keeping...
Zombie Rule #1: Ability to run is based on the amount of time a zombie has been undead, and how much decay has set in.
Zombie Rule #2: Zombies decay but at a much slower rate than humans, and it's still possible to differentiate between young and old zombies.
Zombie Rule #3: Zombies are like lions: if they've eaten, you can walk by them without fear, but a pack of hungry zombies will attack you. (Good to know. Good to Know...)
Zombie Rule #4: The quickest speed of any zombie is a shambling run. see Night of the Living Dead. NO sprinters exist. (Also good to know...)
Zombie Rule #5: Zombies are not dexterous. They cannot pick up or use any items more complex than a rock or a stick.
Zombie Rule #6: Zombies have poor eyesight but they do have a strong sense of smell.
Zombie Rule #7: Zombies cannot speak but can communicate by pack mentality. The herd tends to move together if they sight food. (Jeez!!! Crafty bastards...)
Zombie Rule #8: There is no overt recognition of people or places, there is a sense of familiarity that can dictate where a zombie moves.
Zombie Rule #9: There's no known cause of the zombie mutation, but it's suspected to be a virus or infection.
Zombie Rule #10: Once you're bitten you'll die and reanimate as a walker. How long it takes is related to the nature your bite.
Get 'em? Got 'em? Good.
Try not to get eaten, people. You have been forewarned...
The Walking Dead premieres Halloween Night @10/9c on AMC.
The only monster to suspend our disbelief in the modern era is the ZoMbIe. No true scientist- given our current knowledge of the complexity of biological systems- could say for sure zombies are not -at least-plausible. That said, I believe the success and serious ass-kicking drama in the show demonstrates a scary foreshadow to our current world view. Just as King Kong spoke to the depression, and foreshadowed the "beast in modern man": WWII, the holocaust, nuclear weapons…, the zombie has come to replace our old monsters. To me, this spells out another coming tragedy for humanity- if each of us continues on the current path of personal gain at the expense of the greater good, then The Walking Dead may be a sociological wake up call (like Dracula, Frankenstein and the monsters of old were.) The depression gave us Kong. But Now…..WE ARE THE ZOMBIES!!!!! We rough beasts slouch towards a dark dawn, to devour the world.
Or maybe I just LOVE the show, and am really High right now…… Brains!!!!!!
Jason
Corvusgr@aol.com