I took a poll & here are some answers, somehow it’s
not quite what I envisioned....
From: Mitchell Foy (Pineal Ventana, Routerwelm)
1) how old were you when you first found out about zombies?
I can't remember how old I was but it was sometime in the mid to late seventies. Night of the Living Dead came on TV and I was never the same. A few years later information about Dawn of the Dead started to trickle in. All I knew was that it was so gory it was rated X, so I would never get to see it. My older brother showed me some stills that were in an issue of Hustler. It was years before I ever got to see the film.
2) what did you think of zombies then & what do you think of them now?
Zombies still fascinate me. I watch zombie movies and think about how I would make them better. I would like to see a good director inject some new life in the genre (like Michele Soavi nearly did with Cemetery Man). Romero's apparently at it again, hopefully he'll do it right.
3) how long do you think you'd survive a zombie plague?
A lot of this ultimately depends on the cooperation/reaction of the powers that be. I am certain that as long as I could get my hands on some decent firepower and ammo, and surround myself with a good bunch of level-headed people, we could could last a good long time. The problem is the late stages. Once those fuckers really start to proliferate there's so little one can do because of the sheer numbers. So if the government comes up with a good plan to keep the zombie population down, me and my posse won't have to run to the hills. But there's always that chance that one's around the corner, even if you think you've killed them all. They're worse than fleas 'cuz it only takes one to reproduce!
4) have you ever had any zombie dreams you'd like to share?
Zombie dreams are some of my favorites, very strategic
and survivalist. They usually involve a setting quite like the one in Night...
I think Romero really hit upon some primal images with that one! A monster
that isn't very fast and is very dumb is an attractive concept. Gives you
time to think and plan. The danger is there but one doesn't feel helpless.
From: Jason Wallach (the Unquiet Void)
1)How old were you when you first discovered zombies?
I was around 9 or ten when I saw Night of the Living Dead & Dawn of the Dead... I've been a horror film fan since I was six years old. Then I really started getting a little too into zombies the summer of 1985 when Day of the Dead & The Return of the LivingDead (my favorite zombie film) came out.
2)What did you think of zombies then & what do you think of them now?
Well, they used to scare the shit out of me!! That's one of the things I've always & continue to like about them. I think that, if done well, zombies can really kick ass. The Return of the Living Dead zombies are by far the coolest in my opinion... Tarman rules!!
3) How long do you think you'd survive a zombie plague?
If it was Night of the Living Dead style I'd be kicking ass all over the place but if it was TROTLD style I think that the world would be a zombie smorgasbord. That is what most appeals to me about TROTLD, the zombies are an actual threat which run around & attack at great speed & which hide & wait for you. Humans wouldn't survive them.
4) Have you ever had any zombie dreams that you'd like to share?
If you've ever read the original run of the Vincent Locke
comic book
Dead World you get a pretty good idea of what my zombie
dreams were like.
From: Jon DeRosa (dead leaves rising, still.)
1) how old were you when you first found out about zombies?
Age 4 or 5, but i may have been exposed to them when i was younger than that. I remember that particular age because that's when my dad got a VCR & we'd go to the video store when I'd visit him & I'd always get either WWF wrestling videos or bad horror movies to watch on sunday morning while he slept in. I don't know why they had such appeal to me, maybe because the covers were so damn rad.
2) what did you think of zombies then & what do you think of them now?
I thought they were scary & make-believe. Then as I got older & got into the occult I thought they were scary & maybe real. At this point I think they are scary, certainly smelly, & possibly real, but you know they move kinda slow, so I'm not as worried about them as I am about vampires & werewolves.
3) how long do you think you'd survive a zombie plague?
Basing it on like Dawn of the Dead, I'd like to
think I'd be a fighter, but if I got bit by one I wouldn't want to linger
too long or go into a delirious fit like Roger did. Though that scene was
pretty cool:
"We whipped 'em didn't we? Didn't we whip 'em?"
"We sure did Rog, we whipped 'em. We whipped 'em good."
"WE WHIPPED 'EM & WE GOT IT ALL!"
4) have you ever had any zombie dreams you'd like to share?
No, but when I was little I used to have one about a talking
dog that always scared me awake.
From: Tara VanFlower (Lycia)
1) how old were you when you found out about zombies?
i was little when i found out about zombies...by watching scooby dooby doo.....
2) what do you think of zombies then & what do you think of them now?
i lived across the street from a cemetery and i used to plan my course of action in case the corpses ever rose from their graves (morbid little kid eh?!?) first i would wake my mom & dad & brother up. then i would run outside and get my dog and bunnies. then we would get in the car & drive far away where zombies weren't. i don't like zombies AT ALL. i think they are SOOOOOOOOOOOOO scary.
3) how long do you think you’d survive a zombie plague?
i know i would survive a zombie attack cuz of the angels
& stuff.....angels are way stronger.....plus i'd survive cuz i'm TARA
WARRIOR PRINCESS. the zombies would all turn good & bring me chocolate
& stuffed animals & pet dogs & cats & stuff. & then
they'd turn into cute boys & girls. & then i'd have a lot of money
& live in a big house with a swimming pool like Cher had in CLUELESS.
it'd be really cool. & thus concludes my story about zombies.
From: Ned Kirby (Stromkern)
1) how old were you when you first found out about zombies
Well I must have been about 7 or 8 I think, because I distinctly remember this one evening as a young child. It was Friday or Saturday night, meaning I didn't have to be up the next morning at any particular time, and there was a zombie movie on TV that started at 12:50 am or some equally stupid time. I had my heart set on watching it because I was obsessed with zombies, especially of the flesh-eating variety, which is what the description of this film promised. My parents allowed me to stay up, but being too young to have discovered the glories of caffeine, I finally passed out at about 11:30 pm. And missed it. I was quite distraught the next morning if I recall.
2) what did you think of them then & what do you think about zombies now?
I'm not sure what I thought of them then, other than that
I thought they were really cool. Vampires and werewolves and all that stuff
seemed a bit passé; zombies, on the other hand, were much cooler,
as they were almost impossible to make into cutesy children's book characters
or something. I mean, Sesame Street had The Count; he was a vampire, sure,
but he was the most benevolent thing you could dream of. Zombies were mean.
When I got a bit older I discovered all the Italian zombie
films, Bava and his ilk, which turned me on to zombies even more. I wouldn't
want to be a zombie per se but of all the 'traditional' monster types they're
by far the most interesting and probably the most underused as well (discounting
Romero of course).
3) how long do you think you could last in a zombie plague?
Oh my. Well, I think I'd last quite a bit longer in the
Return-style plague than in a Night-style plague, mostly
because the Night zombies were nearly unstoppable. I mean, they
were certainly stoppable, but there were so many more of 'em. They just
kept coming. No matter how good you are, you're just bound to get outnumbered
eventually. Whereas in Return you'd have a fighting chance, if you
were bright enough to keep your wits about you. I think I'm familiar enough
with the literature and background, you know, I could keep going for some
time. At least I'd like to think so.
From: Michael Anderson (Drekka, lovesliescrushing)
1) how old were you when you first found out about zombies?
I don’t remember.
2) what did you think of zombies then & what do you think of them now?
When I was a kid, I thought they were just dumb kind of
monsters. I thought they were stupid because you could just run by them
& what harm were they?! Like the maggot monsters on Doctor Who in the
third Doctor’s incarnation episode with Joe as a sidekick. She was all
scared & then the Doctor came in, all old & stupid, & picked
her up & walked away from the maggots… Pretty lame monsters….
Now, I think the reality of zombies is scarier. The ‘undead’
zombified state that is definitely scary. I am not really hands-on afraid,
but the fact that they exist, far off as they may be… that is scary.
3) how long do you think you'd survive a zombie plague?
About a day. I am not very observant & one would just be lying in the street all half cut apart & I’d trip up on him & get bit… boom, zombie!
4) have you ever had any zombie dreams you'd like to share?
No. But my favourite Swans song is "No Cruel Angel" from
the "Saved" single.
From: Sam Rosenthal (black tape for a blue girl)
1) how old were you when you first found out about zombies?
I think I was probably six. I don't really remember where or when I heard about zombies, though it was probably one of those bad movies on sunday afternoon . . .
2) what did you think of zombies then & what do you think of them now?
Then, I thought they were sorta stupid (people walking around with their arms sticking out making dumb noises & killing people). Now I sorta think they are cute.
3) how long do you think you'd survive a zombie plague (return of the living dead style or night of the living dead style, your choice)?
Not very familiar with the specific examples. I think i would last about 27 seconds.
4) have you ever had any zombie dreams you'd like to share?
do you mean fantasies?
From: Kjell Eirik Jakobsen (Greenfly zine)
1) how old were you when you first found out about zombies?
i don’t remember, though i do remember that a friend of mine in kindergarten once said that to kill one you would have to shoot them in the head.
2) what did you think of zombies then & what do you think of them now?
i used to think they were ugly, but now i must say that their looks do attract me in a funny way.
3) how long do you think you'd survive a zombie plague?
I’d never want to survive a zombie plague, I want to become a zombie... like Bub.
4) have you ever had any zombie dreams you'd like to share?
I’m afraid that this question is a bit private, so i kjt
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From: Tim Mitchell
1) how old were you when you first found out about zombies?
I was probably around 5 or 6 yrs old when I saw them on Scooby Doo.
2) what did you think of zombies then & what do you think of them now?
Then: I didn't know the story behind them. I just thought
they were monsters just like Frankenstein or Dracula. Still, I thought
they were pretty creepy.
Now: I know more about the story and it's more frightening.
I really don't want my brain to be sucked out by a member of the undead.
3) how long do you think you'd survive a zombie plague?
Not very long, I'm afraid. I'm not very fast and my car wouldn't have the power to drive through a mob of zombies.
4) have you ever had any zombie dreams you'd like to share?
The closest I've had to a zombie dream was a recurring
nightmare that I had when I was 7 or 8 years old. Talk about creepy! In
it my mother was stiffly walking towards me and calling out to me in a
droning, monotone voice--ala zombies.
From: Lisa Foley
1) how old were you when you first found out about zombies?
I learned about Zombies from a Voodoo book I read in second grade.
2) what did you think of zombies then & what do you think of them now?
The big zombies scared me then, even causing a few nightmares. They scare me now as well, for their domination of the human race is inevitable now and there is nothing that can prevent all of us from being assimilated.
3) how long do you think you'd survive a zombie plague?
I would not survive a zombie plague. They will get us all anyway, so why would I want to survive it? Zombies are vastly superior to humans in every way.
4) have you ever had any zombie dreams you'd like to share?
I had bad nightmares of Zombies after reading the book
in 2nd grade. But I realize now they were not nightmares but dreams about
what was to come on earth.