Zombie Cliche Lookout: Deadly Bite
In zombie stories, getting bitten by a zombie is generally a sure sign of bad news. In many stories, the zombie “disease” – for lack of a better term – is spread by bites. In other stories, the bite is simply extremely deadly, and anyone that dies reanimates. Either way, you really want to avoid getting bitten if you don’t want to turn into a zombie. And honestly, who wants to turn into a zombie?
In the early days of the zombie apocalypse, people usually aren’t too hip to this. The audience, however, tends to know the score. This is usually milked for some cheap and easy tension as the audience waits to see what happens with the bitten character, possibly even taking bets on when they’ll reanimate and screw things up for everyone else.
About this Episode:
After spending quite a bit of time with Murphy and Inez, I figured it was time to check in with Sam and his group of rescuers and/or kidnappers. I’ve been wanting to finish up Sam’s flashback for a while now anyway. Back story is fun.
Other News:
The Historical Zombie Challenge is now over. Lookout for the winner announcement by the end of the week. There were some really awesome entries, so it’s going to be tough to pick, but that’s just the burden I have to live with.
Discussion Question: What Does the Bite Do?
As mentioned above, in some stories zombie bites spread the outbreak, while in others everyone who dies reanimates. Which approach do you like, and why? Or do you like something completely different? If you go with Option C, don’t be shy with the details.
Personally, I like both approaches. While I obviously went for the “everyone reanimates” route in Bricks of the Dead, I don’t have anything against the other approach.
Typo alert: Zombie cliche lookout second paragraph third sentence, “reanimated” should either have “be” or “get” before it, or it should lose the ‘d’ on the end of it! 😀
Ah, got it.
The title…
Death Sentance… Should be Death Sentence shouldn’t it? I’m questioning myself because Brickvoid hasn’t picked it up 🙂 hehe
Well spotted, I want to leave people something to spot! 😀
Oh yeah, I’m a dumbass. Fixed.
Regarding the reanimation question, it seems that bitten people don’t reanimate under certain circumstances in BotD, for instance if a large enough number of zombies start chewing on someone at once! 😀
This has always been a minor gripe with me in zombie stories. Zombies don’t eat zombies, yet their source of food will inevitably turn into a zombie. Which leads me to my issue(s)!
What is the exact point a zombie stops eating you?
If you are shot in the head as a human, and therefore never turned into a zombie, would a zombie eat your remains?
If a zombie pulls your leg off while you were alive, then you die and turn into a zombie, is your leg still edible?
If you are decapitated, and your head returns as a zombie, would you be able to eat your own body as it never got into a zombified state?
And FINALLY – if a zombies stomach is ripped open – can it keep eating the same human remains that are falling out of its own stomach?!
Just a few things that keep me awake at night! Hahaha!
Nice questions. My friends and I were just having this discussion over the weekend. Who? What? Why? When? and Where?
What makes a zombie stop eating? and Why? Then what does it do for its down time? How do they stay hydrated? Will the flies and Maggots feast on their dead flesh do they become zombie insects? or infectious themselves? Mosquitos?
When I was younger there wasn’t as many options. It was either slow dead or brain eaters, simple. Now everything is under the microscope perhaps even literally. Can anyone tell me if both Virus and Disease need to have a living host? If so in my opinion that should resolve a lot. If it’s a disease or virus and it does need living host then if you died of “natural” (Not bite, scratch or , etc. ) causes you would stay dead. Because the “infection” would then have to keep you alive or posses you right before you die. Now of course you have the WD issue with every one becoming a walker as long as their head is intact.
Personally my dead are supernatural End Days type of walkers. You can become infected by any of the dead’s fluids, saliva, blood etc. And I like Warm Bodies Brain thing but not to that extent. They should better tasting and provide a danger aspect to those that seek out brains.
I’ve always figured that zombies will keep eating you until you start to reanimate, then all bets are off. So if you don’t die right away, they can do more damage. The more zombies, the more damage they can do before they have to stop eating. So if someone gets taken down by a horde, they’re probably getting devoured.
Yeah, if someone gets completely eaten, there’s really nothing left to reanimate.
On your question Dave, I don’t mind either option – but I am a fan of certain people being immune.
Oh, that’s one thing I didn’t consider. Should there be any immunity? I don’t like it, personally.
Interesting point.
Depends how it is spread in the particular story as to whether immunity works in my head. And even if you are immune, it doesn’t mean you are safe by any means, you can still get eaten by zombies, or taken down by something else.
World War Z movie did it an interesting way, you were immune from zombie virus if you were dying of an existing condition anyway, so kind of double edged, Yay! I’m immune to zombies, but wait, I’m going to die in possibly a very horrible way anyhow because no one and no equipment is left to assist me.
I do like the immunity option, but only in a “if you’re bitten you turn” world. Mainly because its a bit useless in a “you die you turn” world!
Imagine being the guy who can get bitten and still stay human – you’d have some cool scars thats for sure!
If it would fuel the zombie uprisings better I’d tend to think of zombie bites/infections as something that turns cyclic like on the phases of the moons. A horde of unstoppable zombies is bad enough but what happens if you have zombies that come back to life at certain times and go back to being zombies at other times? In other words, it’s not just unstoppable, your friend could be a zombie one night, and a human snack the next. 😀
Oh man, that would certainly make things more challenging.
A werewolf-like zombie? Ooh, the psychological implications of something like that alone would make for an interesting story!
I would imagine the “everybody reanimates” approach maintains the zombie population better and keeps the jeopardy going. People can die for many different reasons, especially when society is turned upside down, so you can never be completely free of the zombie threat.
However, if you have to be bitten to become a zombie – physical contagion – then once the inital outbreak has passed and people figure it out, then it’s much easier to separate yourselves and the numbers of zombies would eventually drop. Just like any contagious disease.
FINALLY! SAM’S BACK!!!THANKS DAVE
YAY! we got back to sam! was wondering what happened to this guy.
I like the World War Z approach (both book and movie) where the infected are attempting to spread the infection and ‘eating’ is simply remnant instinctive action. It seems to make more sense (at least as much sense as a zobie apocalypes can make).
Whoops, should be ‘zombie’.
Finally this story-line again, I was waiting for the continuance of Sam’s back-story! 🙂