Shoot them in the head

[Andrew]

Watching "Day of the Dead" the other day, I suddenly realized something that often troubles me.  Half of the time zombies must be killed by destroying a large section of the brain.  However, often the idiot humans either ignore this completely, or else they freak out and start spraying bullets into the advancing dead crowd.

An example is when the zombies are invited into the bunker by the recent amputee soldier.  The big jerk is running from the zombies and starts firing his M16A1 on full automatic.  Most of the zombies are hit in the torso, not the head.  Putting the weapon on single shot and taking quick shots to the head would work fine.

This also pops up in "Nightmare City" (aka, "City of the Walking Dead").  The soldiers know to shoot the zombies in the head, but keep firing indiscriminately.  Also, we will not even get into the idea of a force possessing no artillery or tanks overwhelming the army available to the city's defenders.

I seem to remember this being an issue in "Night of the Zombies" (aka, "Hell of the Living Dead") also.

One last thing, about "Day of the Dead."  Yes, the zombies have to eat (despite the one with its stomach removed).  They move, so they are using energy.  They have to replace that somehow.

[jmc]

I guess I would chalk it up to panic--and those guys in DAY OF THE DEAD were so sloppy otherwise that I can imagine them losing their cool pretty fast in a rough situation.

[Dunners]

yeah I can see that, though I havent seen the film I do know what goes on in it. still as iffy as some folk have said it is it will still tower over the...'remake'.

[Flangepart]

Zombies.
Always had a problim with the concept.
In order to function, some kind of biological process must be happening.
Unless its a puppet being held up by some gravimetric force, it has to have an "On board power source", as Andrew said. Flesh = Food = energy.
But....
accepting all Non-"Return of the living dead" zombies as standard, how the heck can they avoid eventual rot?
And, what percentage of still-extant flesh does one of these things need, to be able to function?

I can't believe i'm bothering to argue this topic....
Anyhoo...

The effectivness of the head shot, indicates some residue of the central nervious system need to be extant. While its weird,sick and disgusting, the bio system of a zombie has to mimic some of the normal processes....
In short...a zombie is not realy dead,,,just seriously  fornicated verticaly.

Face it...the dead don't move, speak..or, grunt in this case...chase nubile chicks down dark corridors, or generaly menace the liveing.
Now, the seriously Fornicated Verticaly living, thats another b-movie!
The S.F.V.L. is another biological creature. There for, it functions, and can , within its obviously damaged state, menace the normal living monster fodder.

Mind you...i still have trouble accepting the idea that dead, rotten flesh can do much more then twitch...thats why i don't take any zombie movie seriously.
But then...as the song says..."If you wonder how he eats and breaths, and other science facts (La la-la), just repeat to your self, its just a show, i should realy just relax..."
My...what a pile of pontificating poo-poo that was!
I need a beer....

[jmc]

Most of the short stories I've read involving the Romeroesque zombies had them in various stages of rot....I think one story had them all rotting away eventually.

Another had zombies exploding due to pent-up gases!

[mr. henry]

don't forget ZOMBIE. sometimes they'd shoot them in the head and sometimes they wouldn't. it's like they were stupid and couldn't figure it out.

[The Burgomaster]

The same thing happens in many vampire movies. Everyone knows you need to pound a stake through the vampires' hearts. But some people try to shoot them, hit them with shovels, etc.

[raj]

I've finally gotten around to reading Dracula and the guy at the start of the book, Jack H. (damn, forgot his name at the moment) does dent Dracula's head, causing a flesh wound.

And the Van Helsig character in Dracula and his Vampire Brides threatens Drac with silver bullets, with Drac showing fear of that.

Q for Andrew:  I thought the M16A1 was limited to three round bursts, instead of full auto, or is that the original model M16?

[Fearless Freep]

I've finally gotten around to reading Dracula and the guy at the start of the book, Jack H. (damn, forgot his name at the moment) does dent Dracula's head, causing a flesh wound.

I'm reading it now.  The thing that i notice is that Dracula seems much more...ominous, simply in his presence, then you get from most movies.

[JohnL]

>Jack H. (damn, forgot his name at the moment)

Harker?

>And the Van Helsig character in Dracula and his Vampire Brides threatens Drac
>with silver bullets, with Drac showing fear of that.

I've heard that in other versions of the vampire myth. I also seem to recall one movie where the head vampire was killed with a silver-tipped spear.

[raj]

Yes, Harker.  I'm at work and my book is at home.  I've just gotten to the point of Dracula landing in Britian.

[kriegerg69]

I liked the one episode when Uncle Fester....brandishing his musket.....keeps shouting "I'll shoot him in the back!!" :-)

[Mr_Vindictive]

Ack!

Andrew said it!

City Of The Walking Dead!!!!

My ears a bleeding just hearing it!


~rolling on the floor in pain~

[Conrad]

Ah, Andrew, I have pondered about this.  O how I have pondered!

  If I recall accurately, the garrison in Day of the Dead spend most of their time smoking exotic Caribbean herbs, which allegedly affect the users ability to hit a barn with a mini-gun while standing inside it.  

 Why not use a flamethrower against zombies?  They'd cook pretty nicely, I suspect, with all that nice dry flesh.  Even better, use another zombie against them: take Hapless Zombie and chop off it's arms; chop off it's brain apart from the cerebrum (centre of automatic & learnt behaviour); strap/rivet/weld a chainsaw to Hapless Zombie's upper torso, so that horizontal blade is at neck level; attach radio control to Hapless Zombie's cerebrum; deploy into middle of crowd of Hungry Bloodthristy Zombies, turn on chainsaw and hey presto!  Instant dismemberment!

Well, just a thought.

[Flangepart]

Sure, if ya wanna play "Monster garage" for real.....
I like the simple methods,,,they is the best.
One round through the head, problim solved. And at about 22 cents for a round of reload .223.......