History Main / ParasiteZombie

** Yellow Musk Creepers are vines that create these by growing into their victims' skulls, [[{{Lobotomy}} digging out most of their brains]], and implanting seeds in the empty space. The resulting yellow musk zombies are just intelligent enough to defend the parent plant, until the seed compels them to wander off somewhere for it to [[ChestBurster germinate]].
** [[WickedWasps Hell Wasps]] are intelligent [[ScaryStingingSwarm wasp swarms]] that have the ability to reanimate the body of anything they kill as a zombie to serve them as a temporary mobile shelter. Upon killing the zombie, the wasps swarm out and attack.
** The Dusanu from ''TabletopGame/{{Mystara}}'' looks like a typical rotting skeleton, but in fact is a fungal colony that had taken over a corpse. [[GlowingEyelightsOfUndeath The haunting blue lights coming from its eye sockets]] are in fact caused by the waste fumes of the fungus.
* ''TabletopGame/TheEndOfTheWorld'''s ''Under the Skin'' scenario has an unusually dark variant of this, which is rife with ParanoiaFuel.

* The Adsecula Cerebrum creatures in ''VideoGame/{{Endoparasitic}}''. After the containment breach, the entire station is populated with slow but numerous "shamblers", tiny lab rat "rushers," highly audio-sensitive "listeners" and "chasers", and one(?) teleporting "charger".[[note]]Keep in mind these are likely not the official terms for the enemies you face.[[/note]] The only thing stopping Cynte from joining the hordes is [[HealthPotion modified toxoplasmosis vaccines]] scattered about. Even so, that Adsecula won't die from it...

* The "Zombie" plague Iruel unleashes on Tokyo-3 in ''Fanfic/ShinjiAndWarhammer40k''.

* Toxoplasma is a parasite that has a lifecycle that involves moving from mice to cats and back again. Cats are infected when they eat infected mice. The mice have their minds warped by the parasite so that they are ''attracted to cats''. This decreases their life expectancy considerably. There's a theory that this is the reason the CrazyCatLady exists. It is unproven if the parasite is capable of affecting human behavior to any large extent, but if it does, the supposed changes to behavior the parasite causes in humans (surrounding themselves with cats) increases the likelihood that they will be ''eaten by cats when they die''.

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* ''Manga/CellsAtWork'', being an AnthropomorphicPersonification of the cells of the body, has quite possibly the most literal depiction of this trope--viruses, the most fundamentally basic parasite. They latch on to the heads of cells, causing the equivalent of a ZombieApocalypse.

** The series of course, has a stab at this in chapter 39. The Twist, which is either [[BlackComedy hilarious]] or horrifying, is that instead of zombies, the infected victims turn into [[spoiler:rabid living amusement park mascots]]
** ''Franken Fran'' gets in on this again in chapter 47, with more traditional-style Romero zombies and a small parody of ''Film/DawnOfTheDead''. Notably, after being bitten by a zombie and examining the effects (by decapitating herself and remotely dissecting her own body, because [[MadScientist that's how Fran rolls]]), Fran discovers that [[spoiler:the victims are actually alive and [[AndIMustScream entirely aware during their zombie condition but unable to control themselves]], and that the zombie plague is [[UndeathIsCheap easily reversible]] with the right treatment -- ''but nobody knows this,'' and have used the zombie outbreak [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters as an excuse to go on rampaging kill-sprees]].]]
* One chapter in ''Manga/TheKurosagiCorpseDeliveryService'' had a variation of Leucochloridium paradoxum, a parasite that normally affects snails (more details in the Real Life folder). In this case, the parasite infects ''people'', grossly distending their eyes and leading them to climb power poles and other tall structures so birds can feed on their eyes.

* The creation of the [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Black Lantern Corps]] in the ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' storyline sees wide swaths of DCU characters being transformed into zombies by Black Power Rings. They are nearly unkillable, vaporizing them proves to be only enough to stop them for a few seconds. Also, unlike most other kinds of zombies, these zombies are massive dicks who like to [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech point out all the flaws and shortcomings of the people they are attacking]] while they are attacking them.

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'': ''Unfinished Business'' features magical ''cordyceps'' [[ParasiteZombie zombies]] as one of the horrors of Project Pegasus, which transforms the human host's entire body. Even ''Deadpool'' isn't immune. And it's worth noting that this is one of the comparatively ''lesser'' horrors that Pegasus created - Alan Scott destroyed the worst things when he sealed it away, and Doctor Strange guides the heroes around the worst of what remains.
* The "Zombie" plague Iruel unleashed on Tokyo-3 qualifies in ''[[FanFic/ShinjiAndWarhammer40k Shinji & Warhammer 40K]]''.

* ''Film/{{Nightwish|1989}}'': Someone who was previously killed shows up again without explanation. It turns out that his body was taken over by alien parasites who need human bodies to germinate their young.
* ''Film/TheLastDaysOnMars'' (2013). An expedition discovers proof of life on Mars; unfortunately it's a fungus-like growth that infects the DwindlingParty and [[RecycledInSpace makes them act exactly like zombies]].

* ''Film/Shivers1975''. Sex zombies as {{Squick}} rather than necessarily fetish appeal. The infection itself is caused by a worm-like parasite designed by a MadScientist that requires human bodies to procreate.

* ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'': [[spoiler: The people possessed by [[StarfishAliens Starro the Conqueror]] are depicted this way. Unlike the comics where it's possible to free Starro's minions by removing the drones from their face, if someone is captured by him here, then [[YouAreAlreadyDead they're already dead]] and are just extensions of his HiveMind.]]

* The Literature/BasLagCycle has the Handlingers, magical disembodied hands that parasitise people and turn them into zombies.

* In David Wong's ''Literature/ThisBookIsFullOfSpidersSeriouslyDudeDontTouchIt'', Spiders from another dimension that are invisible to most people infect their human hosts by crawling into their mouth or... another cavity, and fuse with them. They then take over their bodies and morph them into monstrous forms.
* Taken in Creator/JimButcher's ''Literature/CodexAlera'' series are created by the Vord sending small creatures to kill and take over hosts. They're faster and stronger than they were when alive [[spoiler:and the Alerans can use furycrafting.]]

* In Mira Grant's ''Literature/{{Parasitology}}'', the title parasite is a genetically engineered tapeworm used to keep people healthy that mutates [[spoiler:and moves from the gut to the brain]]. Unfortunately, when this starts happening millions of people across the world have them inside them.

* In Creator/ClarkAshtonSmith's ''The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis'', the vortlup, an ancient Martian leech that consume brains and use the bodies for their own purposes.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS37E8TheWitchfinders The Witchfinders]]", the [[Characters/DoctorWhoAliensAndMonsters Morax]] are sentient aliens basically reduced to living mud, who seep into dead bodies and possess them. The Queen however, infects a living host by lashing said host with a tendril.
** The pilot episode of ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'' involved the Bane, aliens who turned humans into zombies with a parasitic life form that took the form of a sports drink.

** The Dusanu from TabletopGame/{{Mystara}} looks like a typical rotting skeleton, but in fact is a fungal colony that had taken over a corpse. [[GlowingEyelightsOfUndeath The haunting blue lights coming from its eyes sockets]] are in fact caused by the waste fumes of the fungus.

* ''[[TabletopGame/TheEndOfTheWorld The End of the World's]]'' ''Under the Skin'' scenario has an unusually dark variant of this, which is rife with ParanoiaFuel.

* ''VideoGame/{{Darkwood}}'' features Centipedes of the Swamp, a giant centipede that burrows into a human corpse — replacing the head with its top portion and one of the human body’s arms with the bottom portion — that aggressively attacks anyone who wanders near the hole it’s buried in as well as invading the Protagonist’s hideout randomly at night. They’re one of the few enemies in-game with a ranged attack, slinging rocks from a considerable distance in a spray pattern, plus they’re fast and will bull charge the Protagonist if he’s far away from them. Fortunately, [[FragileSpeedster despite their speed and range of attacks they’re rather fragile]].
* A rare heroic example in ''VideoGame/DeadCells.'' The hero is a Slime fused to a beheaded human corpse at the neck.

* ''Franchise/DeadSpace'': Necromorphs. Shooting them in the head just annoys them. You have to shoot off a limb or three. This is because they "operate" due to a very virulent virus that animates and mutates its victims, however it only affects dead flesh[[note]]If the body has no limbs, it's of no use to the virus, so it stops[[/note]]. However it takes effect very quickly (as in: immediately) and a bite ''does'' have a high chance or turning a person into a Necromorph...not because of any sickness, but because said bite has probably taken the head off their shoulders.
* The Adsecula Cerebrum creatures in ''Endoparasitic.'' After the containment breach, the entire station is populated with slow but numerous "shamblers," tiny lab rat "rushers," highly audiosensitive "listeners" and "chasers," and one(?) teleporting "charger." [[note]] Keep in mind these are likely not the official terms for the enemies you face. [[/note]] The only thing stopping Cynte from joining the hordes is [[HealthPotion modified toxoplasmosis vaccines]] scattered about. Even so, that Adsecula won't die from it...
* ''[[VideoGame/ExtrapowerAttackOfDarkforce EXTRAPOWER Attack of Darkforce]]'': The bem are parasitic organisms from space who propagate by infesting and assimilating other lifeforms. While certain individuals like Franciska or Zweihander have individual personalities and agency, the standard bem soldiers are no better than mindless zombies. They infest humans, take them over, and throw themselves into combat.

** The ''Poison'' Headcrab Zombie, bloated and swollen with toxins and carrying ''four'' venomous headcrabs, as well as the ''Fast'' Headcrab Zombie, which climbs up drainpipes to reach you on rooftops, can jump across streets and entire buildings as it hunts you, and pounces with a pants-wetting scream. Oh, and all its skin and most of its organs and muscles are missing, most probably self-inflicted. ''[[NightmareFuel * Twitch* . * Tremble* .]]''

* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', while NotUsingTheZWord, has the Flood, an alien parasite who can use small squid-like 'infection forms' or airborne spores to turn dead or living bodies into highly-mutated zombies with CombatTentacles. Once the infected are too damaged or decayed to fight, they begin to bloat and explode, releasing more parasites, which go on to infect other organisms and so on and so forth. After the Flood infect enough bodies, they form a HiveMind known as a Gravemind, as well as a variety of other creatures and environments that is comprised of pure Flood biomass. They are highly adept, if somewhat suicidal, in their tactics and strategies, and are perfectly capable of utilizing all sorts of advanced technology, from plasma rifles to teleportation grids. The most recent Gravemind incarnation even enjoys speaking in [[GratuitousIambicPentameter trochaic heptameter]]. The only organic sentient beings that seem truly immune to direct infection are those lacking a central nervous system, though they can still be killed and converted to Flood biomass. To top it off, the Flood are revealed in ''Literature/TheForerunnerSaga'' to be [[spoiler:the malevolent remains of an ancient and highly-advanced species known simply as the Precursors.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{IMGCM}}'': According to Kamisaman, [[spoiler:Zombified Magical Girls a.k.a. heroines' Zombified Selves]] in Demon's Tower dungeon, are [[spoiler:heroines' alternate selves]] who are infected by Earworms (a [[PuppeteerParasite parasitic fungus]] from Demon Realm). Earworms infect the hosts' brains through their ears and gradually corrupt them into zombies, both physically and mentally.

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'' has the SKULLS Parasite Unit. As the name implies, they're a group of soldiers infected by a parasite that shamble around like zombies... [[LightningBruiser until they see you]], then they reveal the [[SuperStrength powers]] [[{{Intangibility}} the parasite]] [[FlashStep gives them]]. One of their abilities is to turn any other soldiers in their vicinity into parasite puppets who they can command to attack Snake.
* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}:''

* ''Franchise/StarCraft'': {{Averted|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/StarCraftI'', in which the Parasite ability only serves to give you permanent vision of an enemy unit. ''VideoGame/StarCraftII'' has the Infestors, who mind-control units via a big fleshy tentacle implanted in the target's brain (including, somehow, vehicles and spaceships).

* Squirg Zombies from ''VideoGame/WildStar'' are dead critters who have mutated Squirg (mind-controlling octopi) latched onto their heads. If this sounds bizarre and silly, it's because [[BlackComedy it's intentional.]]

* Piper form ''WebComic/{{Intragalactic}}''. She's actually a large, leech-like parasite driving around a woman's corpse. The parasite is completely sentient; and has a GuiltComplex [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone from killing its host]].
* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', "[[http://www.egscomics.com/egsnp.php?id=267 mutant mind control fungus]]" is mentioned as one of the possible ways a "zombie" could be created similar to the real life examples listed below.
* ''Webcomic/Trevor2020'': This is [[spoiler:Terry's]] fate after [[spoiler:Trevor]] gets ahold of him.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/MightyMax'' had green insect-like creatures that latched on the neck of their victims and turned them into zombies. This being a kids' show, splatting the bug would cure the victim.

--->'''''[[TheStinger YABBA,]] [[VideoGame/HalfLife2 MY ICING! GAAAAAAAAAAA!!]]'''''

* ''Film/{{Shivers}}''. Sex zombies as {{Squick}} rather than necessarily fetish appeal. The infection itself is caused by a worm-like parasite designed by a MadScientist that requires human bodies to procreate.