Zombies are one of the main staples of popular culture, next to vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and demons. Many people are fascinated by the concept of the undead roaming the streets and forcing the living to fight for survival. Have you ever wondered how long you would survive if a zombie apocalypse ever happened? You don’t have to wonder anymore. Our quiz will help you answer this question in no time!
The term “zombie apocalypse” refers to a genre of fiction in which human society crumbles when the swarms of zombies take over. Usually, only small groups of survivors are left, and they have to fight for their lives and protect themselves from the zombies.
In some stories, the cause of the zombie outbreak is unknown. Other times, the outbreak is the result of some kind of virus, bacterial infection, parasite, or something else. Sometimes all dead turn into zombies, regardless of the cause of their death. In other stories, a person must be exposed to the vector of infection to turn into an undead creature.
What is a zombie? The definition of a zombie depends on certain factors. The roots of the term could be traced back to Haitian folklore, where a zombie is a dead body reanimated through various methods, but most often through magic like voodoo.
The ancient Greeks were the first human civilization to likely experience the fear of the undead. The archeologists discovered many ancient graves with skeletons pinned down by rocks or similar heavy objects. This manner of burial could have been intended to keep the bodies in place and prevent them from reanimating.
The modern version of zombies was largely inspired by the works of the American filmmaker George A. Romero. In the case of contemporary zombies’ depictions, magic usually isn’t involved, instead replaced by science-fiction methods such as carriers, vectors, pathogens, radiation, scientific accidents, etc.
Most portrayals of zombies share a few characteristics, such as a lack of free will and being subordinate either to an outside force (like a sorcerer) or to an overwhelming desire (like hunger for human flesh). A zombie is an animated corpse of a single being, usually a human. Their bodies are often depicted as rotting and falling apart, though in some instances they can be preserved (for example, through magic). In some stories, zombies can have supernatural abilities, such as increased speed and strength.
Zombie folklore has existed in Haiti for centuries, possibly dating back to the 17th century when West African slaves were brought in to work on the sugar cane plantations. The slaves, forced to live and work in brutal conditions, yearned for freedom. Per some findings, a zombie’s life – or rather, afterlife – represented the horrifying plight of slavery.
Voodoo (also spelled vodou or vodun) is a West African religion that is practiced in Haiti and the Caribbean, Brazil, the American South, and other places with an African heritage.
Many people who practice voodoo today believe zombies are myths, but others believe zombies are people who have been resurrected by a voodoo practitioner called bokor.
Bokors have a tradition of concocting concoctions from herbs, shells, fish, animal parts, bones, and other objects, such as “zombie powders”. They contain tetrodotoxin, a lethal neurotoxin that is found in pufferfish and other marine species.
The tetrodotoxin combination, when used carefully at smaller doses, may cause zombie-like symptoms such as difficulty walking, mental confusion, and respiratory problems. Tetrodotoxin overdose can result in paralysis and coma. That could cause someone to appear dead, be buried alive, and then be revived.
According to Linda Troost’s The Undead Eighteenth Century, zombies first appeared in literature in 1697 and were characterized as spirits or ghosts rather than cannibalistic beasts. In 1954’s novel “I Am Legend” by Richard Matheson, the protagonist is a lone survivor fighting against other humans which were turned into vampires. This book is considered an early inspiration for the zombie genre.
The zombies didn’t acquire a cult following of their own until the release of “Night of the Living Dead”, directed by George A. Romero. The movie solidified the concept of the zombie we know today and inspired many creators for years to come. Ironically enough, the word “zombie” is never used in Night of the Living Dead, and the undead are called “ghouls” or “flesh-eaters”.
Romero’s movies opened the door for countless depictions of zombies in the years that followed. Many movies, TV shows, comics, books, and video games were created, using the undead creatures as the main plot point. You can like zombies or dislike them, but as a pop culture phenomenon, they aren’t going anywhere.
Take the quiz we have for you and find out how long you will survive during a zombie apocalypse! How many days do you have left? Answer the questions and discover your fate!