Whether you call them zombies, infected, the risen, or walkers, reanimated humans driven by an unnatural urge to eat the living continue to be a popular fixture across entertainment media. On June 19, one of the most revered zombie outings returned with its third installment.
28 Years Later landed with strong audience and critical reviews, like this one from BBC, telling the tale of how a handful of people continue to try to survive 28 years after the initial outbreak showcased so masterfully in 28 Days Later back in 2002. A huge selling point that really emphasizes the films as true horror films is the zombies.
They defy much of what we’ve come to understand about zombies or what’s been normalized by much of pop culture. So, not only is 28 Years Later shaping up to be a worthy return to a classic series, but it could also inspire other creatives to lean into this much scarier depiction of zombies and the infected.
The Many Forms of Zombies in Entertainment
Zombies have occurred across mainstream entertainment for decades, but a few renditions stand out for their popularity and the distinctness of the reanimated foes. The Walking Dead certainly can’t be overlooked here. Known as Walkers, they can be tackled one-on-one with melee weapons, but they tend to form herds and wreak havoc.
Getting swarmed by Walkers is a huge problem throughout the show and its spin-offs. However, they do allow characters to show their traits and grow, either through daring moves, smart tricks, or with a complete sacrifice.
Zombies being around to emphasize the likeability of the heroes is an angle also used in Zombie Destroyers. The action slot game found at the NJ real money online casino can combine to get the player wins, but the story of the game is very much one that centers on the cool characters chopping down and blowing up the zombies. While they are numerous and presumably dangerous, they’re there to elevate our heroes.
In both instances, the zombies are slow. What makes the zombies in a game like Dying Light so intriguing is that they do have slow zombies in the day, but at night, the threat level increases drastically. This is because of the Volatile ones, which are rapid and actively hunt players who aren’t guarded by UV lights.
All-in on the Rapid Zombies
Having been infected by the aptly named Rage Virus, the infected across the film series created by Alex Garland are horrifyingly fast. Of course, they are essentially baseline humans who’re driven to homicidal rage, but the virus gives them that little extra oomph and, seemingly, a tremendous amount of stamina.
It’s a very simple change to the commonplace depiction of zombies as being cumbersome, decaying enemies. Still, it caught on extremely well with horror fans, and certainly helped the 28 Years Later trailer to become the second-most watched horror trailer ever, per the WoR report here.
Releasing at a time when two vapid live-action remakes are running riot at the box office, 28 Years Later offers a unique experience at the cinema – even if it follows the tiresome trend of late sequels, remakes, reboots, and the like. If it lands well at the worldwide box office, you can bet that it’s because people want to feel the fear incited by a rush of infected.
