The zombie plague

We're all familiar with zombies (and if your not then bully for you, I don't fancy your chances when the apocalypse comes), but something has puzzled me for some time.

After a bit of research I discovered that the zombie idea was born from voodoo, which goes some way to explain things. Why do they eat living people if they have no stomachs, or have had their throats ripped out for example? If it all comes down to voodoo then they must be forced to feed so that they may inflict their torment onto others, or atleast teach them a lesson. It stands to reason since their bodily chemistry has already stopped and there is no way to deliver any sustenance throughout the body.

The other theory is that the good old zombie works off the principle that they are merely adhering to the pre-programmed behavioural patterns we already posses. Examples of these are feeding, forming social groups and moaning. It's possible that they form these groups in order to feed more productively, 'cos lets face it, if your getting chased by one zombie then you've got to be a paraplegic in order to not survive. In groups they are at their peak of proficiency. This is assuming that don't take the modern running zombie into consideration. We aren't going to either because they make a mockery of the whole culture. Okay, since you brought the subject up, lets consider it shall we?

The running zombie is a curious beast. They have the same characteristics as their slower cousins, but they seem to show more rage and agility. From a filmmaking point of view it doesn't make a lot of sense. Your stripping away your main suspense device (the slowly gathering masses and impending doom), and replacing them with a quick paced, quick thrill. Your giving people a chase, a device I'm sure people would put down to the so called 'MTV generation' who demand high paced thrills and spills and suffer from short attention spans. In a more realistic light these neo-zombies don't make much sense either. Part of the allure of a zombie is that it's a rotting corpse come to life. The fact that it's sprinting towards you kinda shatters that image and replaces it with an adrenaline surge. Answer me this. If a corpse is chasing you and he's been dead a week, how is the body supposed to keep itself together long enough to catch you? Surely the strain will tear it apart! The neo-zombie has no place in the culture from which it is derived.

Back to the second theory. If zombies are simply adhering to said behaviours, why do they never attack animals, devour the dead, or indeed each other? I guess that's one extra point for the voodoo theory.

Anyway, back to the question I mentioned at the very start. If a healthy person drinks a zombies blood, will they become a zombie? I believe this all depends on which theory you go for. The voodoo theory would say no, since the main method of becoming a zombie is via the torment you suffer. The behavioural theory has more leeway on this issue. As there is a physiological reason for their behaviour, then there must be one for the transformation also. If the zombification begins through the transmission of infected blood, then the answer is yes. If it's a saliva thing then we're on dodgy ground, although it is possible.

Maybe this is why every zombie film portrays an element of mystery regarding it's origins. The "of the dead films" (Night, Dawn, Day and Land), if I remember correctly, all have different explanations for what has happened. This is done primarily through clever little plot devices like radio announcements and televisions playing in the background. The first "of the dead" film even had about two or three different explanations in the same film. Besides being an ingenious way to intrigue people, it's a great way to force peoples minds into thinking about the here and now, much the same as the (living) characters are.

By the way, I made that picture up there :)