History SoYouWantTo / WriteAZombieApocalypse

Also, how does zombiism spread? It's universal that a zombie bite turns you into a zombie, but some other works have additional means of transmission. In some cases, simply getting scratched by a zombie is enough to infect you. In Romero's films, everybody who dies turns into a zombie, whether or not they were bitten. This last one, more often than not, implies a supernatural/religious justification for the ZombieApocalypse as opposed to a scientific one, so keep that in mind in case you want to use it.

When this theme is prevalent in a work, it can't help but imply some statement about humanity -- what we're really like when you take away our jobs, our homes, our [[TvTropesWillRuinYourLife internet communities]]. Under these conditions of stress, your characters can become [[HumansAreGood heroes]], [[HumansAreBastards monsters]], [[HumansAreWarriors something in between]] [[HumansAreSpecial or who knows what else]]. Of course, if you're aware of this implication, you can just as easily subvert it.

As long as we're on the subject of video games, ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' (especially the earlier games) is also a must-play for anybody interested in zombies. Not only is it the TropeCodifier for the SurvivalHorror genre, it is also largely responsible for the resurgence of interest in zombie media in the late '90s and 2000s, as well as popularizing the idea of zombies being created by TheVirus. Every game in the series (other than the ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilGunSurvivor Gun Survivor]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilOutbreak Outbreak]]'' spin-offs) is available on [=PS3=], be it on a disk or through the PlayStationNetwork, so if you own a [=PS3=] you have no excuse not to play them. A word of caution: starting with ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 RE4]]'', the series started downplaying both the zombie and horror elements in favor of an action-shooter direction, with the "traditional" zombie enemies replaced with a cross between ''Film/InvasionOfTheBodySnatchers'' and the "sprinters" of modern-day zombie fiction -- a shift that wound up creating a BrokenBase in the ''RE'' fandom. There also exists [[Film/ResidentEvil a live-action film series]] based on the games, but be warned: it is a classic case of divisiveness. A last mention would be the popular bonus game in Call of Duty: World at war. This "Nazi zombies" mode offers a survial-as-long-as-you-can spin on zombies in videogames. It supply's you with endless undead nazis that increase in numbers and speed each round. The gameplay is tense and addicting, and the atmosphere as well as the haunting shreaks of the 40's era zombies will stay with you. Give it a go if you think you can handle it.

As long as we're on the subject of video games, ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' (especially the earlier games) is also a must-play for anybody interested in zombies. Not only is it the TropeCodifier for the SurvivalHorror genre, it is also largely responsible for the resurgence of interest in zombie media in the late '90s and 2000s, as well as popularizing the idea of zombies being created by TheVirus. Every game in the series (other than the ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilGunSurvivor Gun Survivor]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilOutbreak Outbreak]]'' spin-offs) is available on [=PS3=], be it on a disk or through the PlayStationNetwork, so if you own a [=PS3=] you have no excuse not to play them. A word of caution: starting with ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 RE4]]'', the series started downplaying both the zombie and horror elements in favor of an action-shooter direction, with the "traditional" zombie enemies replaced with a cross between ''InvasionOfTheBodySnatchers'' and the "sprinters" of modern-day zombie fiction -- a shift that wound up creating a BrokenBase in the ''RE'' fandom. There also exists [[Film/ResidentEvil a live-action film series]] based on the games, but be warned: it is a classic case of divisiveness. A last mention would be the popular bonus game in Call of Duty: World at war. This "Nazi zombies" mode offers a survial-as-long-as-you-can spin on zombies in videogames. It supply's you with endless undead nazis that increase in numbers and speed each round. The gameplay is tense and addicting, and the atmosphere as well as the haunting shreaks of the 40's era zombies will stay with you. Give it a go if you think you can handle it.

As long as we're on the subject of video games, ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' (especially the earlier games) is also a must-play for anybody interested in zombies. Not only is it the TropeCodifier for the SurvivalHorror genre, it is also largely responsible for the resurgence of interest in zombie media in the late '90s and 2000s, as well as popularizing the idea of zombies being created by TheVirus. Every game in the series (other than the ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilGunSurvivor Gun Survivor]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilOutbreak Outbreak]]'' spin-offs) is available on [=PS3=], be it on a disk or through the PlayStationNetwork, so if you own a [=PS3=] you have no excuse not to play them. A word of caution: starting with ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 RE4]]'', the series started downplaying both the zombie and horror elements in favor of an action-shooter direction, with the "traditional" zombie enemies replaced with a cross between ''InvasionOfTheBodySnatchers'' and the "sprinters" of modern-day zombie fiction -- a shift that wound up creating a BrokenBase in the ''RE'' fandom. There also exists [[Film/ResidentEvil a live-action film series]] based on the games, but be warned: it is a classic case of LoveItOrHateIt. A last mention would be the popular bonus game in Call of Duty: World at war. This "Nazi zombies" mode offers a survial-as-long-as-you-can spin on zombies in videogames. It supply's you with endless undead nazis that increase in numbers and speed each round. The gameplay is tense and addicting, and the atmosphere as well as the haunting shreaks of the 40's era zombies will stay with you. Give it a go if you think you can handle it.

The ZombieApocalypse is one of the enduring narratives of modern horror. Zombies have been around for centuries -- the original "zombies" appear in Voudoun beliefs, and many "real" cases of zombiism have been attributed to the toxins used in Voudoun rituals - but the modern impression can be traced to the George Romero movie ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968'', which gave the world many of the original tropes which can be found in zombie apocalypse stories. It's a popular kind of story, so for some advice on how to do it well, you may find this page useful.

Most of them are usually set in America as well. Why not try another country and deal with the unique problems, advantages, quirks and culture that comes with it? Perhaps you can pick a country with very little gun ownership, or has a harsh environment after civilization breaks down, or is densely populated on a small landmass, or don't know much about zombies because they haven't seen the movies? ''HighSchoolOfTheDead'' does just that, showing what happens when a bunch of Japanese high school students (and the school nurse, and later a little girl and a dog) find themselves [[BlackAndGreyMorality forced to steal things (including guns) to survive]], drive without licenses, and rely on themselves ([[TrueCompanions and each other]]) rather than on government or authority figures, bringing in a whole bunch of ValuesDissonance considering how Japanese culture works ([[{{Fanservice}} also]] [[GagBoobs boobies]]).

As long as we're on the subject of video games, ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' (especially the earlier games) is also a must-play for anybody interested in zombies. Not only is it the TropeCodifier for the SurvivalHorror genre, it is also largely responsible for the resurgence of interest in zombie media in the late '90s and 2000s, as well as popularizing the idea of zombies being created by TheVirus. Every game in the series (other than ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil0'', the ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilGunSurvivor Gun Survivor]]'' games and the ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilOutbreak Outbreak]]'' games) is available on [=PS3=], be it on a disk or through the PlayStationNetwork, so if you own a [=PS3=] you have no excuse not to play them. A word of caution: starting with ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 RE4]]'', the series started downplaying both the zombie and horror elements in favor of an action-shooter direction, with the "traditional" zombie enemies replaced with a cross between ''InvasionOfTheBodySnatchers'' and the "sprinters" of modern-day zombie fiction -- a shift that wound up creating a BrokenBase in the ''RE'' fandom. There also exists [[Film/ResidentEvil a live-action film series]] based on the games, but be warned: it is a classic case of LoveItOrHateIt. A last mention would be the popular bonus game in Call of Duty: World at war. This "Nazi zombies" mode offers a survial-as-long-as-you-can spin on zombies in videogames. It supply's you with endless undead nazis that increase in numbers and speed each round. The gameplay is tense and addicting, and the atmosphere as well as the haunting shreaks of the 40's era zombies will stay with you. Give it a go if you think you can handle it.

As long as we're on the subject of video games, ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' (especially the earlier games) is also a must-play for anybody interested in zombies. Not only is it the TropeCodifier for the SurvivalHorror genre, it is also largely responsible for the resurgence of interest in zombie media in the late '90s and 2000s, as well as popularizing the idea of zombies being created by TheVirus. Every game in the series (other than ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil0'', the ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilGunSurvivor Gun Survivor]]'' games and the ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilOutbreak Outbreak]]'' games) is available on PS3, be it on a disk or through the PlayStationNetwork, so if you own a PS3 you have no excuse not to play them. A word of caution: starting with ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 RE4]]'', the series started downplaying both the zombie and horror elements in favor of an action-shooter direction, with the "traditional" zombie enemies replaced with a cross between ''InvasionOfTheBodySnatchers'' and the "sprinters" of modern-day zombie fiction -- a shift that wound up creating a BrokenBase in the ''RE'' fandom. There also exists [[Film/ResidentEvil a live-action film series]] based on the games, but be warned: it is a classic case of LoveItOrHateIt. A last mention would be the popular bonus game in Call of Duty: World at war. This "Nazi zombies" mode offers a survial-as-long-as-you-can spin on zombies in videogames. It supply's you with endless undead nazis that increase in numbers and speed each round. The gameplay is tense and addicting, and the atmosphere as well as the haunting shreaks of the 40's era zombies will stay with you. Give it a go if you think you can handle it.

Most of them are usually set in America as well. Why not try another country and deal with the unique problems, advantages, quirks and culture that comes with it? Perhaps you can pick a country with very little gun ownership, or has a harsh environment after civilization breaks down, or is densely populated on a small landmass, or don't know much about zombies because they haven't seen the movies? ''HighSchoolOfTheDead'' does just that, showing what happens when a bunch of Japanese high school students (and the school nurse, and later a little girl and a dog) find themselves [[BlackAndGreyMorality forced to steal things (including guns) to survive]], drive without licenses, and rely themselves ([[TrueCompanions and each other]]) rather than on government or authority figures, bringing in a whole bunch of ValuesDissonance considering how Japanese culture works ([[{{Fanservice}} also]] [[GagBoobs boobies]]).

Watch George Romero's original ''Dead'' trilogy -- ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968'', ''Film/DawnOfTheDead1978'', and ''Film/DayOfTheDead1985''. Most of the classic zombie tropes that people now take for granted, as well as the genre's association with social commentary, come from these movies. All three have been remade. ''Night'', thanks to its public domain status, has had several remakes over the years, but the [[Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1990 1990 version]] starring Creator/TonyTodd and directed by Creator/TomSavini is generally held up as the best of them, to the point where Romero himself has given it his stamp of approval (he produced and wrote the film). The [[Film/DawnOfTheDead2004 2004 remake]] of ''Dawn'' by Creator/ZackSnyder is also considered a good movie in its own right, albeit one with a very different, far more action-packed tone than the original. Romero's later ''Dead'' films (''Film/{{Land|OfTheDead}}'', ''Film/{{Diary|OfTheDead}}'' and ''Film/{{Survival|OfTheDead}}'') are generally considered a mixed bag, but all three have their fans.

You'll need zombies, obviously. There are many different types out there; however, there's a few common details amongst them that you'll want to at least be aware of. They're often (but not always) slow-moving, generally move using the ZombieGait, and lack any kind of intelligence or all but a few lingering remnants of their former personalities. They possess a ravenous, unending hunger for human flesh. (The ''ReturnOfTheLivingDead'' series was pretty much [[SmallReferencePools the only one]] to actually feature [[BrainFood brain-eating]] zombies.) A bite from a zombie is both fatal and contagious -- anyone who is bitten by a zombie dies soon after, only to be "reborn" as a zombie.

You should also consider ''how'' the zombie apocalypse is started -- is it TheVirus? A Voodoo curse? A crashed, radioactive satellite (don't laugh -- it's one of the reasons given in ''Night of the Living Dead'')? God punishing the sinners on Earth? {{Hell}} [[Film/DawnOfTheDead being full]]? Whilst you should give this some thought for your own reference at least, it's not uncommon for Zombie Apocalypse stories to be vague about how it all started -- no one knows how it started, it just did...

As mentioned above, most zombie movies, especially those made by amateur filmmakers with little money, tend to copy the plot of ''Night of the Living Dead'', with the main characters trapped in some kind of building (traditionally a house, although we've seen [[Film/DawnOfTheDead shopping malls]], [[Film/DayOfTheDead1985 military bases]], [[Film/ShaunOfTheDead pubs]] and many other variants) with zombies outside trying to get in. It's gotten to be more than a little cliche. How about inverting this -- what if the zombies were trapped in a building trying to get out, and the main characters were trying to keep them ''in''? Or what about a story where the main characters have to travel a long distance across zombie-infested territory, rather than being barricaded indoors somewhere?

Possibly the largest challenge is dealing with the fact that a traditional Romero-style zombie is not much of a threat to a healthy human. They're slow and dumb. Since the key to any horror movie is peril, you need to find some way to either advantage the zombies or disadvantage the humans. You can: [[Film/DawnOfTheDead2004 make the zombies faster]], [[Franchise/ResidentEvil have the zombies mutate into more dangerous forms]], [[Film/LandOfTheDead have the zombies learn]], [[TheHorde add a lot more zombies]], [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil trap the zombies and humans together in tight quarters]], [[GameBreakingInjury injure one or more of the protagonists so they can't simply escape]], [[TheLoad introduce a character that the protagonists must defend]], [[NotAZombie establish that the characters don't understand the rules (initially)]], or introduce dissent in the ranks of the survivors, either by introducing [[DayOfTheDead a power struggle among them]] or [[VideoGame/DeadRising plain old psychological breakdowns.]] There are any number of ways to increase the danger. However, the biggest and most common pitfall of the genre is to balance the scales by [[IdiotPlot making the survivors dumb]]. Since part of the appeal of the genre is the "What if this happened to you?" effect, making the characters act foolishly breaks the immersion of the audience.

As mentioned above, most zombie movies, especially those made by amateur filmmakers with little money, tend to copy the plot of ''Night of the Living Dead'', with the main characters trapped in some kind of building (traditionally a house, although we've seen [[Film/DawnOfTheDead shopping malls]], [[Film/DayOfTheDead military bases]], [[Film/ShaunOfTheDead pubs]] and many other variants) with zombies outside trying to get in. It's gotten to be more than a little cliche. How about inverting this -- what if the zombies were trapped in a building trying to get out, and the main characters were trying to keep them ''in''? Or what about a story where the main characters have to travel a long distance across zombie-infested territory, rather than being barricaded indoors somewhere?

->''[[Film/DawnOfTheDead "When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the Earth..."]]''

The ZombieApocalypse is one of the enduring narratives of modern horror. Zombies have been around for centuries -- the original "zombies" appear in Voudoun beliefs, and many "real" cases of zombiism have been attributed to the toxins used in Voudoun rituals - but the modern impression can be traced to the George Romero movie ''NightOfTheLivingDead'', which gave the world many of the original tropes which can be found in zombie apocalypse stories. It's a popular kind of story, so for some advice on how to do it well, you may find this page useful.

Finally, how are zombies killed? Entire online debates have been held on the best way to accomplish this, so it's something that must be considered. Most zombie works have it so that the only way to permanently put down a zombie is by RemovingTheHeadOrDestroyingTheBrain. This applies more often than not with the traditional "undead" zombies. And the best part is that it also works on non-zombies too! However, more modern zombie rulebooks often have it so that the zombies are [[TechnicallyLivingZombie living humans infected with a virus]], in which case anything that can kill a human being (blood loss, massive trauma) will kill one of these zombies as well. Other zombie works obey different rules (the ''ReturnOfTheLivingDead'' series has it that only [[KillItWithFire fire]] will kill the zombies), so you can consider those too. Or, you can try coming up with your own and seeing how well they work.

Watch George Romero's original ''Dead'' trilogy -- ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead'', ''Film/DawnOfTheDead'', and ''Film/DayOfTheDead''. Most of the classic zombie tropes that people now take for granted, as well as the genre's association with social commentary, come from these movies. All three have been remade. ''Night'', thanks to its public domain status, has had several remakes over the years, but the 1990 version starring Creator/TonyTodd and directed by Creator/TomSavini is generally held up as the best of them, to the point where Romero himself has given it his stamp of approval (he produced and wrote the film). The [[Film/DawnOfTheDead2004 2004 remake]] of ''Dawn'' by ZackSnyder is also considered a good movie in its own right, albeit one with a very different, far more action-packed tone than the original. Romero's later ''Dead'' films (''Film/{{Land|OfTheDead}}'', ''Film/{{Diary|OfTheDead}}'' and ''Film/{{Survival|OfTheDead}}'') are generally considered a mixed bag, but all three have their fans.

John Russo's ''ReturnOfTheLivingDead'' series is also worth checking out. They invented the trope of zombies [[BrainFood eating people's brains]], and are among the first well-known zombie-comedies.

Possibly the largest challenge is dealing with the fact that a traditional Romero-style zombie is not much of a threat to a healthy human. They're slow and dumb. Since the key to any horror movie is peril, you need to find some way to either advantage the zombies or disadvantage the humans. You can: [[Film/DawnOfTheDead2004 make the zombies faster]], [[Franchise/ResidentEvil have the zombies mutate into more dangerous forms]], [[Film/LandOfTheDead have the zombies learn]], [[TheHorde add a lot more zombies]], [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil trap the zombies and humans together in tight quarters]], [[GameBreakingInjury injure one or more of the protagonists so they can't simply escape]], [[TheLoad introduce a character that the protagonists must defend]], [[NotAZombie establish that the characters don't understand the rules (initially)]], or introduce dissent in the ranks of the survivors, either by introducing [[DayOfTheDead a power struggle among them]] or [[DeadRising plain old psychological breakdowns.]] There are any number of ways to increase the danger. However, the biggest and most common pitfall of the genre is to balance the scales by [[IdiotPlot making the survivors dumb]]. Since part of the appeal of the genre is the "What if this happened to you?" effect, making the characters act foolishly breaks the immersion of the audience.

For reading, check out ''TheZombieSurvivalGuide'' and ''Literature/WorldWarZ'' by Max Brooks for great examples of zombie literature. The former presents a fairly effective set of "rules" for zombies, based largely on Romero's ([[OurZombiesAreDifferent with some modifications]]), that many zombie fans, books and movies have since taken as the "standard" for the genre, while the latter gives a uniquely international take on the ZombieApocalypse.

Other classic zombie films that are worth a watch include ''{{Zombi 2}}'', ''Film/{{Braindead}}'' (known in America as ''DeadAlive''), and the ''Franchise/EvilDead'' trilogy, though the latter are not strictly zombie films.

''BlackHawkDown'', a war movie {{based on|ATrueStory}} America's involvement in the Somali Civil War, has a lot in common with the zombie genre, and is often thought of as an honorary zombie film. The film revolves around a small group of soldiers surrounded by an enraged, riotous mob ready to fight tooth and nail. Literally thousands of Somali attackers are killed, and they just keep coming. Try watching it after playing ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5''.

''TheWalkingDead'' by Robert Kirkman is probably one of the best adaptations of a zombie apocalypse into serialized form. Starting out as [[ComicBook/TheWalkingDead a comic book series]], it was later turned into [[Series/TheWalkingDead a hit television series]] on Creator/{{AMC}}, which now uses it as one of their chief tentpole programs. Both feature [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters a rich cast of characters]], some memorable scumbags and villains (The Governor... ''brrrr''), and loads of zombie mayhem, and are definitely worth a read or watch.

Watch George Romero's original ''Dead'' trilogy -- ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead'', ''Film/DawnOfTheDead'', and ''Film/DayOfTheDead''. Most of the classic zombie tropes that people now take for granted, as well as the genre's association with social commentary, come from these movies. All three have been remade. ''Night'', thanks to its public domain status, has had several remakes over the years, but the 1990 version starring Creator/TonyTodd and directed by Tom Savini is generally held up as the best of them, to the point where Romero himself has given it his stamp of approval (he produced and wrote the film). The [[Film/DawnOfTheDead2004 2004 remake]] of ''Dawn'' by ZackSnyder is also considered a good movie in its own right, albeit one with a very different, far more action-packed tone than the original. Romero's later ''Dead'' films (''Film/{{Land|OfTheDead}}'', ''Film/{{Diary|OfTheDead}}'' and ''Film/{{Survival|OfTheDead}}'') are generally considered a mixed bag, but all three have their fans.

Watch George Romero's original ''Dead'' trilogy -- ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead'', ''Film/DawnOfTheDead'', and ''Film/DayOfTheDead''. Most of the classic zombie tropes that people now take for granted, as well as the genre's association with social commentary, come from these movies. All three have been remade. ''Night'', thanks to its public domain status, has had several remakes over the years, but the 1990 version starring TonyTodd and directed by Tom Savini is generally held up as the best of them, to the point where Romero himself has given it his stamp of approval (he produced and wrote the film). The [[Film/DawnOfTheDead2004 2004 remake]] of ''Dawn'' by ZackSnyder is also considered a good movie in its own right, albeit one with a very different, far more action-packed tone than the original. Romero's later ''Dead'' films (''Film/{{Land|OfTheDead}}'', ''Film/{{Diary|OfTheDead}}'' and ''Film/{{Survival|OfTheDead}}'') are generally considered a mixed bag, but all three have their fans.

Sadly, a fair chunk of zombie movies made since 1968 fall here. Don't ask about ''Plan9FromOuterSpace''.

Other classic zombie films that are worth a watch include ''{{Zombi 2}}'', ''Film/{{Braindead}}'' (known in America as ''DeadAlive''), and the ''Film/EvilDead'' trilogy, though the latter are not strictly zombie films.

''TheWalkingDead'' by Robert Kirkman is probably one of the best adaptations of a zombie apocalypse into serialized form. Starting out as [[ComicBook/TheWalkingDead a comic book series]], it was later turned into [[Series/TheWalkingDead a hit television series]] on {{AMC}}, which now uses it as one of their chief tentpole programs. Both feature [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters a rich cast of characters]], some memorable scumbags and villains (The Governor... ''brrrr''), and loads of zombie mayhem, and are definitely worth a read or watch.

Zombies tend to be dressed in everyday clothing that has been made very ragged. For further [[{{Irony}} ironic value]], some kind of uniform -- police, medical, military -- can be useful in showing what happened to the people who were supposed to deal with this kind of thing. Don't forget to throw in an IncongruouslyDressedZombie or two: films like this usually need a visual gag or two to modulate the tension.

Zombies tend to be dressed in everyday clothing that has been made very ragged. For further [[{{Irony}} ironic value]], some kind of uniform -- police, medical, military -- can be useful in showing what happened to the people who were supposed to deal with this kind of thing. The clothes of the living tend to look little better, as they've been spending days, weeks or months running for their lives or locking themselves inside a building.

As long as we're on the subject of video games, ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' (especially the earlier games) is also a must-play for anybody interested in zombies. Not only is it the TropeCodifier for the SurvivalHorror genre, it is also largely responsible for the resurgence of interest in zombie media in the late '90s and 2000s, as well as popularizing the idea of zombies being created by TheVirus. Every game in the series (other than ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil0'', the ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilGunSurvivor Gun Survivor]]'' games and the ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilOutbreak Outbreak]]'' games) is available on PS3, be it on a disk or through the PlayStationNetwork, so if you own a PS3 you have no excuse not to play them. A word of caution: starting with ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 RE4]]'', the series started downplaying both the zombie and horror elements in favor of an action-shooter direction, with the "traditional" zombie enemies replaced with a cross between ''InvasionOfTheBodySnatchers'' and the "sprinters" of modern-day zombie fiction -- a shift that wound up creating a BrokenBase in the ''RE'' fandom. There also exists [[Film/ResidentEvil a live-action film series]] based on the games, but be warned: it is a classic case of LoveItOrHateIt.