Though, as mentioned elsewhere in this book, this theme is not original and doesn’t even supplant Romero (because he thought of it first in 1973 for his film The Crazies), it does bring the concept to a new generation where the idea benefits from higher production values and better special effects.
The nonzombie virus is, to many, more frightening than the undead ghoul idea mainly because it’s so much more scientifically plausible. Viruses are real. Out of control rage states are possible, as we learned from forensic toxicologist Dr. Raymond Singer in Chapter 2.
The rage infection in the 28 series is not specifically spread through a bite, though it can be passed along that way just as it can through serum transfer, meaning any transfer of body fluids. Primarily rage is transmitted when one of the infected vomits blood at its victim. The diseased blood is absorbed through mucous membranes and open wounds. It is not, it appears, transmitted through skin absorption.
* * *
Codename: Trixie
In his follow-up to Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero went deeper into speculative fiction with The Crazies, in which a weaponized virus, called Trixie, is accidentally released following a the crash of a military plane. The virus gets into the water supply of a small Pennsylvania town and anyone who drinks it either dies or becomes a homicidal maniac.
The soldiers sent in to clean up the mess are almost always seen as faceless killers in white Hazmat suits; and the threat of these dehumanized, white-faced killers echoes similar themes from Night.
Though well-made and a cult favorite, The Crazies never quite found the audience it deserved, and Romero eventually returned to flesh-eating ghouls to serve as the voice of his social commentary.
* * *
Though terrifying in concept, the rate of transmission of the rage virus isn’t logical. Like the zombie virus in the Zack Snyder remake of Dawn of the Dead, the rage virus in the 28 movies spreads too fast. Not too fast within the population, but too quickly within the human body. Our expert witnesses have all confirmed this. The stories, as told, just don’t provide enough time for the entire blood supply and all of the mucous membranes, including the mouth, to become totally infected and therefore capable of transmitting the disease.
The speed with which these hyperactive plagues spread through the host-victims is crucial to the believability of the stories, and because they are in some ways less possible than a mutation of the central nervous system resulting in the slower Romero zombies, the threat becomes one of purely fictional supposition. The logic of this has created a significant division between the view of how we would react and respond to a plague that created the slow, shuffling zombies and one that created very fast human infected. If a disease could spread that fast through the host so that it is immediately transmissible, and if the infected host could move like a marathon sprinter, then it would be game over unless natural barriers such as wide rivers or, indeed, oceans, separated the lands of the infected from those of the uninfected.
* * *
Mad Monkey Kung-Fu
In Shaun of the Dead, made two years after 28 Days Later, a quickie gag involves a newscaster commenting on the zombie plague in London and denying reports that it was caused by rage-infected monkeys.
* * *
JUST THE FACTS
Forensic Psychology
Forensic psychology has gotten a lot of play on TV and in movies. Often the Hollywood view of what one of these professionals does is wildly inaccurate or clinically incorrect.
Zombies are not known to be “thinking creatures,” but perhaps there are some elements of psychology that can help us predict how they’ll act, which could aid in finding them, understanding how to oppose them, or even (gasp) understanding them.
Expert Witness
To understand the nature of this branch of science, I spoke with Katherine Ramsland, Ph.D., who teaches forensic psychology at DeSales University in Pennsylvania, and is the author of 31 books, including Beating the Devil’s Game: A History of Forensic Science and Criminal Investigation (Berkley, 2007), The Human Predator: A Historical Chronicle of Serial Murder and Forensic Investigation (Berkley, 2006), and The Science of Vampires (Berkley, 2002). She writes features about forensics for Court TV’s crime library and has also cowritten books and articles with former FBI profilers.
* * *
Zombie Novels
Bookstore owner and genre expert Greg Schauer shares his picks for the must-have zombie novels:
Among Madmen by Jim Starlin and Daina Graziunas (Roc, 1990)
Berserk by Tim Lebbon (Leisure, 2006)
Dead City by Joe McKinney (Pinnacle Books, 2006)
Dead in the West by Joe R. Lansdale and Colleen Doran (Night Shade Books, 2005)
Deadlands by Scott A. Johnson (Harbor House, 2005)
Deathbringer by Bryan Smith (Leisure, 2006)
Dying 2 Live by Kim Paffenroth (Permuted Press, 2007)
Plague of the Dead (The Morningstar Strain) by Z. A. Recht (Permuted Press, 2006)
Roses of Blood on Barbwire Vines by D. L. Snell (Permuted Press, 2007)
The Dead by Mark E. Rogers (Infinity Publishing 2001)
The Night Boat by Robert R. McCammon (Avon, 1980)
Twilight of the Dead by Travis Adkins (Permuted Press, 2006)
Xombies by Walter Greatshell (Berkley, 2004)
Zombie Jam by David J. Schow; illustrated by Bernie Wrightson (Subterranean Press, 2005)
* * *
She gave me the basics of how forensic psychology works: “Wherever the legal system and psychology intersect, you have forensic psychology. While most practitioners (psychologists, psychiatrists, licensed social workers) are clinicians with a specialization in forensic issues, this applied discipline actually involves a range of specialties in the civil and criminal arena. These include consulting on criminal investigations, assessing threats of violence in schools or workplaces, determining the fitness of a parent for guardianship, developing specialized knowledge of crimes and motives, evaluating the effects of sexual harassment, and conducting forensic research. Whether police will request a consultation depends on what type of situation they’re dealing. For the court, forensic psychologists are often asked to evaluate a person’s present psychological state for competency to participate in the legal process. They may also evaluate a defendant’s mental state at the time he or she committed an offense. In addition, psychologists appraise behaviors such as malingering, confessing, or acting suicidal.”
* * *
Art of the Dead—Harold M. Vincent
Flesh-Eating Ghouls
“I believe zombies are so popular because of the mystique surrounding them. People love to be scared and disgusted. I would also venture to say that people, as a whole, are inherently violent and would like to kill others without feeling guilty or suffering any consequences. Zombies, in their simple and primitive nature, also represent the essence of survival in a brutal, unforgiving world where they are the victims striving to live. In that respect many people can sympathize with their tragic existence.”
* * *
When mounting an investigation, police often require some kind of psychological sketch to help them find out what kind of person they’re looking for. I asked Dr. Ramsland how that works.
“Only occasionally does a psychologist do profiling,” says Ramsland, “since the FBI offers this service, but some do develop a relationship with specific police departments to assist. Still, most are not experts in any type of serial crime. Profiling is basically assessing the facts one has from a specific crime scene or series of related scenes. There’s no formula; it’s specific to the type of crime and to what occurred. The popular but erroneous assumption that forensic psychologists track down serial killers derives from fiction, not real life. Although psychologists may interview serial killers as research or preparation for a court case, they are not detectives, and most are not profilers. Nevertheless, the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) does provide training in criminal
psychology to agents who will act as crime scene consultants. A good profile is an educated attempt to provide investigative agencies with clear parameters about the type of person who committed a certain crime or series of crimes, based on the idea that people are slaves to their unique psychology and will inevitably leave clues. From a crime scene, a profiler can assess whether the person is an organized predator as opposed to having committed an impulsive crime of opportunity (disorganized).
“A police chief usually decides whether or not to involve the FBI or engage a consultant, and then offers everything they have to that person to assist in the evaluation. That person then will speak to the task force involved to let them know the results. Whether they follow it or not generally depends on their attitude. A profile is just a tool in the arsenal; it does not solve crimes, it only helps to narrow down the pool of suspects with behavioral parameters, based on what’s known about the behavior of a perpetrator from the crime scene. It is not a generic blueprint against which to measure anyone. it is not a science. It is an educated estimate based in probability.”
When asked how a profile is constructed, Dr. Ramsland said, “To devise a multi-dimensional profile, psychological investigators examine such aspects of the crime and crime scene (usually murder but other types of crime as well) as the weapon used, the type of killing site (and dump site, if different), details about the victim, method of transportation, time of day the crime was committed, and the relative position of items at the scene. The basic idea is to acquire a body of information that shows common patterns for a general description of an UNSUB (unknown subject) in terms of habit, possible employment, martial status, mental state, and personality traits. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not necessary that the offender be a serial criminal. Profiling can be done from a single crime scene, and since 70–75% of murders are situational, developing a way to profile without reference to repeated patterns is useful. Profiles have also been devised in product tampering, serial bombing, serial rape, kidnapping, and arson.”
How does information and evidence gathered at the crime scene aid the forensic psychologist? Ramsland says, “Probing for an experiential assessment of a criminal from a crime scene (or series of crime scenes) involves, first and foremost, a detailed victimology. In other words, the profiler must learn significant facts about the victim’s life, especially in the days and hours leading up to his or her death. A timeline is drawn up to map their movements, and investigators study all of their personal communications for signals to where they may have crossed paths with a viable suspect. It’s important to know their state of mind and their mental health assessment and history, as well as their risk level (with a prostitute’s risk being much higher, obviously, than a woman in her own home).
“Once the victim’s details are known, the crime scene and offender’s methodology are evaluated for how best to categorize him (or her). Profilers will look at whether a weapon was brought in or taken out, the state of the crime scene(s), the type of wounds inflicted, the risks an offender took, his or her method of committing the crime and controlling the victim, and evidence that the incident may be staged to look like something else. In addition, there may be indications that the offender did not act alone.”
I asked if profiles worked in all (or even most) cases. Ramsland says no, but adds, “Profiles work best when the offender displays obvious psychopathology, such as sadistic torture, postmortem mutilation, or pedophilia. Some killers leave a ‘signature’—a behavioral manifestation of an individualizing personality quirk, such as positioning the corpse for humiliating exposure, postmortem biting, or tying ligatures with a complicated knot. This helps to link crime scenes and may point toward other types of behaviors to look for. What a profile can offer that’s helpful are the offender’s general age range, racial identity, ideas about the modus operandi, estimates about living situation and education level, travel patterns, the possibility of a criminal or psychiatric record, and probable psychological traits. A profile may also describe a fantasy scenario that drives the person or even pinpoint an area where he or she probably resides. This is all based on deductions about the specific crime from what is already known about offenders and deviancy.”
* * *
Zombies…Fast or Slow? Part 5
“That all depends on my own situation: If I were being pursued by them, then I would say slow. However, if I were among the undead legions, I’d want to move fast enough to put on the feedbag without having some grizzled, wisecracking hero shotgun me down first.”—Mike Segretto, author of Bride of Trash
“Cinematically zombies are more interesting fast. Practically I prefer them slow, making them easier to kill.”—Nicole Blessing, actress, Doomed to Consume
“Slow! You just got up out of your grave…you’re disoriented, covered in dirt, trying to sort things out, and have a strange new compulsion to devour human brains. Suddenly you’ve become a track star?”—Monica O’Rourke, Suffer the Flesh
* * *
The Zombie Factor
I asked Dr. Ramsland to give us a rough idea of how profiling might apply to the zombie attack scenario we’re using in this book.
“Naturally I’d need a victimology to do it right, but some of the behavioral clues indicate the following: It’s likely there’s mental illness involved, with the possibility of a delusion that the person is a mythical monster, such as a werewolf, vampire, or zombie. He could also be high on drugs, such as crack, which can trigger unprovoked aggression, and the attack does occur in the parking lot of a drug manufacturer. His obliviousness also supports a drugged state or substance abuse, as does his appearance, which indicates unhealthy eating habits. He probably lives in the area, within walking distance of the parking lot, since he walked away rather than getting into a vehicle, and he wore no shoes. His attack seems unplanned and he leaves obvious evidence that can be linked to him (bite mark, saliva), so he’s probably more disorganized than organized. In that case, we would expect his residence to be somewhat chaotic and possibly not very clean. He might be responding to external stimuli, such as the moon or weather conditions. He could have a record in a local psychiatric institute, or have escaped from a prison, so these institutions should be checked. Police should also look at records of similar attacks, especially the same night, to try to pinpoint a zone of comfort for this offender.”
Based on that, what questions will the police need to have answered to help them find this guy?
“Does the guard know the attacker? That would matter in a profile. What was the guard doing when attacked? What area of the parking lot? What season? What was the weather? Was the attacker larger than the guard? How long did the attack last? What time did it occur? There are many questions that need to be answered to give a more detailed analysis. I’d recommend having a dog handler track him, since the scent is fresh and he was barefoot.”
I asked Dr. Ramsland to speculate on what kind of advice might a psychologist give to police/military if a case turned out to involve zombies.
“Nothing generic,” she says. A lot of it would depend on what kind of zombies are involved. “How many, what happened, what’s their behavior, what kind of analysis is wanted, and for what purpose? The advice will depend on the situation and on what’s specifically requested. There’s obviously no codebook for zombie psychology. If they came to someone like me, with a pretty good background in the occult, I would suggest a strategy of containment in order to see how they act. Find out what’s predictable about them, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. That will provide some answers in terms of how dangerous they are, how imminent the danger is, and what kinds of things might work to protect society. Again, their actual behavior is the key for what to do, not a generic idea.”
* * *
Zombie Series
Genre bookstore owner and pop-culture guru Greg Schauer of Between Books shares his picks for the best zombies series of books:
Max Brooks
–Zombie Survival Guide (Three R
ivers Press, 2003)
–World War Z (Crown, 2006)
Brian Keene
–The Rising (Leisure, 2004)
–City of the Dead (2005)
–Dead Sea (2007)
David Wellington
–Monster Island (Thunder Mouth, 2006)
–Monster Nation (2006)
–Monster Planet (2007)