Shamblers or sprinters?

irish_boy90

When you think of Zombies which of the two do you picture?
Which do you prefer?

personally as far as walking dead go I think it would have to be the slow shamblers that do it for me. Like in the original dawn of the dead, slow and stupid. Unfortunately I see more and more sprinters in films now. I was watching Day of the dead last night and well those sprinters were a bit mad, going from living to decayed in a second and sprinting and jumping better than olympic athletes. The dead sprinting faster than the living is a bit too much for me.

what does everyone thing about the 2 main(only? better cover my ass anyway) classes of human zombie?

AlmightyCushion

Shamblers ftw. These things are essentially dead, how can they be that fast.

Drunkmonkey79

Shamblers are best, simply because it makes me feel like i'd have a beter chance of evasion. the thought of Spinters scares the sh1t out of me more!

Cravez

I welcome our shambling undead overlords..... with some 00 buckshot to the face!!

Yeah i always pictured zombo's as shamblers

Logonberry

Stumbling shamblers by far, running zombies in cold fear and resident evil are so annoying

Valmont

Shambling zombies all the way. Technically speaking a running zombie is an oxymoron. If it's running it aint a zombie. That said, I still greatly enjoyed 28 days later, moreso because they didn't call the infected people zombies. Running zombies ruin everything I love about zombies- the suspense and the false sense of comfort - "I can outrun them, they're slow" Yes, but for how long?????!!!!!

MooseJam

shamblers ftb bt !

quoteunquote

Definitely shamblers.

Dear god, imagine Usain Bolt as a sprinter zombie. You'd have no chance!

DefenseSoapEire

quoteunquote wrote: »

Definitely shamblers.

Dear god, imagine Usain Bolt as a sprinter zombie. You'd have no chance!

Nobody would get away from him, but all that food would eventually be his downfall, he'd get fat and slow

Karl Hungus

Death is not an energy drink.

Slow ftw.

Evolute

Shamblers because to be honest with ya I prefer the idea of running away from something walking after me instead of running away from something that is gonna outrun and eat me.

Reku

If they were able to run we'd all be f*cked for the simple fact that being undead they probably wouldn't tire or get sore muscles so over a distance they'd just wear us down until they catch us.

Evolute

farohar wrote: »

If they were able to run we'd all be f*cked for the simple fact that being undead they probably wouldn't tire or get sore muscles so over a distance they'd just wear us down until they catch us.

That and they would probably catch us because we will all be carrying weapons added weight which will slow us down.

cyberwolf77

Shamblers definitely. I smoke a pack a day how far you think I'm gonna run.

Valmont

Karl Hungus wrote: »

Death is not an energy drink.

Slow ftw.

You summed the issue up perfectly there. It isn't a perpetual motion machine either. I have serious gripes with the new ultra-exciting super zombies portrayed in a lot of new movies (with the exception of 28days later as they were never referred to as zombies). It just seems that the classic genre of zombification is being crudely upgraded as directors couldn't be arsed putting in the work to produce a better horror film with slow zombies and instead opt for the quick fix of sprinting athletic zombies.

ScumLord

Sprinters only make sense if there infected people. I can see the virus overcoming the pain threshold of a person but it couldn't overcome the laws of physics. Eventually a sprinters muscles would seize up and it would become immobile.

Sofiztikated

Both. Imagine the terror, confusion and all round panic!

Put it this way, immediately after dying, you don't go into rigor, so why couldn't freshly turned zacks run? I don't mean speed of light, new Day of the Dead style running, but relative to their fitness/muscle tone would allow.

Then as rigor sets, they slow down to a shamble, as it leaves again, speeding up a bit.

As the muscles start to rot, shambling, falling, until they've rotted away.

Pure unadulterated, never ending, unstoppable fear.

cyberwolf77

Sofiztikated wrote: »

Both. Imagine the terror, confusion and all round panic!

Put it this way, immediately after dying, you don't go into rigor, so why couldn't freshly turned zacks run? I don't mean speed of light, new Day of the Dead style running, but relative to their fitness/muscle tone would allow.

Then as rigor sets, they slow down to a shamble, as it leaves again, speeding up a bit.

As the muscles start to rot, shambling, falling, until they've rotted away.

Pure unadulterated, never ending, unstoppable fear.

Thank you, so very much for that horrifying thought.

Redhairedguy

Wasn't overly impressed with zombies climbing along ceilings and diving out windows in the new Day o' da Dead.

I prefer my zombies vintage, slow, stupid and susceptible to a good hatchet blow to the head.

gino85

when it does arrive i hope to god they are shamblers or im totally f***ed up against a wall

rigor and coagulation better slow those f***ers down before they reanimate

Partizan

i will be eaten first, or used as a shield in the zombie apocalypse. because : i deserve it

Karl Hungus

Partizan wrote: »

Lads,

I think ye should get out more, you know meet girls and get laid.

There's plenty of time for that after the zombie apocalypse has been thwarted, when the human species needs repopulation.

Sarky

Just because you don't like the idea of sprinters doesn't mean they WON'T be at the forefront of the end times. Whay chance it? Prepare for both, and let the rest of you living in denial serve as meatshields to cover the escape of those of us who ARE prepared.

Valmont

Sarky wrote: »

Just because you don't like the idea of sprinters doesn't mean they WON'T be at the forefront of the end times. Whay chance it? Prepare for both, and let the rest of you living in denial serve as meatshields to cover the escape of those of us who ARE prepared.

I don't just dislike the idea but once you make the leap of faith that a zombifying virus exists, the idea of sprinting zombies is logically untenable. As Karl Hungus said, death is not an energy drink. And the foremost authority on zombie survival, Max Brooks, also maintains that zombies don't sprint. So you may go and prepare for the apocalypse hollywood style for all the good it'll do ya. And anyway, how could a degenerative brain virus completely avoid the complex neurological circuitry behind full blown athleticism and coordinated action?

I vote for splitting the zombie forum into one for hollywood zombie fans (sprinters) and one for the real zombie survivalists :P

Sofiztikated

What I'm talking about isn't the silly, everyone turning into super athlete type zombies, but them starting to move relative to their fitness when they turned. Like a fat obese person waddling after you, and a fairly fit person moving a bit faster than that.

I agree that death isn't "an energy drink" or some sort of steroid muscle enhancer.

Karl Hungus

To be fair though, while the overly athletic type of zombie is purely fictional, one mustn't forget that in close proximity, zombies can make quite a lunge that takes a lot of people by surprise. Keep your guard up at all times, no matter how fast they move.

Valmont

Sofiztikated wrote: »

What I'm talking about isn't the silly, everyone turning into super athlete type zombies, but them starting to move relative to their fitness when they turned. Like a fat obese person waddling after you, and a fairly fit person moving a bit faster than that.

It's hard to argue with you there, good point. It's a bit more exciting knowing that some zombies may be that much faster, just enough to snag you when you think you've escaped!

Sofiztikated

Karl Hungus wrote: »

To be fair though, while the overly athletic type of zombie is purely fictional,

As opposed to the shambling type of zombie that is quite real? Those people working in Penny's and Tesco are NOT zombies, no matter how much the moan, or try to eat your flesh.

(OFF TOPIC: I finally picked up a copy of Night of the Living Dead, after much searching, it always seemed to be sold out. Now just to find a 1968 version, and I will have my "Of the Dead" collection complete, yes yes, including the terrible new ones. That new Day of the Dead, seriously, why? Not why is it anything, but just why? Who did they think they were impressing with that? Give me cheaply made but atmospheric Zack movies over that twoddle anyday!)

Evolute

Partizan wrote: »

i will be eaten first, or used as a shield in the zombie apocalypse. because : i deserve it

Hehe sounds a bit better then your original post. I bags him as a meatshield or atleast a sizeable piece of him to throw at the zombies so I get a better chance of getting away.

Anyway what I want to say about this topic is how can you be so sure that there will be no sprinters.
How do you know that the infection wont enable them to run with no need to stop?
Yes the laws of physics and all that say that they wont.
But generally the laws say that dead people don't get up after they are dead so lads I would not be so sure of yourselves.
Being honest we don't have anything concrete about Zombies because there hasnt been a proven case of it so we just gotta wait and see what happens and pray it doesnt in our life time.

ScumLord

Sofiztikated wrote: »

What I'm talking about isn't the silly, everyone turning into super athlete type zombies, but them starting to move relative to their fitness when they turned. Like a fat obese person waddling after you, and a fairly fit person moving a bit faster than that.

I agree that death isn't "an energy drink" or some sort of steroid muscle enhancer.

The problem there is when the person becomes infected they don't die straight away. They develop a fever and their body eventually packs in. By the time their zombified their already at half their living strength and will only get worse with time.

Valmont

Evolute wrote: »

How do you know that the infection wont enable them to run with no need to stop?

You need to do some research. See Max Brook's The Zombie Survival Guide for an explanation of what the zombie virus actually is.

Evolute wrote: »

Yes the laws of physics and all that say that they wont.
But generally the laws say that dead people don't get up after they are dead

The physics in the zombified world do say that dead people reanimate, no need to confuse real world physics with zombie world physics.

Evolute

Valmont wrote: »

You need to do some research. See Max Brook's The Zombie Survival Guide for an explanation of what the zombie virus actually is.



The physics in the zombified world do say that dead people reanimate, no need to confuse real world physics with zombie world physics.

Yes I agree with you man but seriously Max Brook has absolutely no idea what the actual zombie virus will be like thats just his idea of it on the stereotypical zombie. Who is to say it will work the way he thinks i reckon you are putting all your eggs in one basket.
I'm just trying to open your mind and your horizons to understand my side of thinking.

smegmar

person gets bitten, feels sick, dies
later that day or maybe later rise from dead as zombie,
not enough decomposition has taken place so they can run a bit but
sense of balance and coordination keeps them to a fast jog at best
later with self injury and rotting they're down to a shamble.
If they do get to nom on some brains, virus gets stronger
and eventually they transformed into mutant zombie e.g licker from resident evil 2 or similar.

unreggd

Blah, this debate is useless


the point is, we should ALL prepare for an onslaught of Sprinters!

that way we're prepared, and if it ends up bein shamblers, then we're laughin!

Failing to prepare = preparing to fail kiddies!

ScumLord

Evolute wrote: »

Yes I agree with you man but seriously Max Brook has absolutely no idea what the actual zombie virus will be like thats just his idea of it on the stereotypical zombie. Who is to say it will work the way he thinks i reckon you are putting all your eggs in one basket.
I'm just trying to open your mind and your horizons to understand my side of thinking.

But the fact is zombifaction is going to interfere with the normal operation of the body. Even the body fighting the virus or whatever it is is going to damage the body. By the time the person is completely zombified they while have seriously reduced strenght. The lack of normal body functions will also reduce strenght and reaction times. I think it's fairly safe to assume that.

Zombies are possible, maybe not full blown living dead but pretty close to it. Making half dead muscles preform better than living ones ever could is impossible.

Sofiztikated

ScumLord wrote: »

Zombies are possible, maybe not full blown living dead but pretty close to it. Making half dead muscles preform better than living ones ever could is impossible.

Noone is disputing that.

We are just stating that if a physique is muscular to begin with, then it would enable a jog, even if the muscles are degraded.

Don't think many here appreciate the super zombie.

cyberwolf77

I hate the idea of super zombies. I perfer the slow-moving dim-witted zombies of yesterday over the supehumanoids that zombies have become today.

medsoner

ya gotta prepare for sprinters what if it was 28 days style thats a bit more tangible an idea with all the cloning and virus research these days... plum island type stuff! like they may not be dead just crazed or whatever!
take up kung fu and running ufc hugging would not work in z day, do some weapons training
but this is ireland guns are not readily available so learn to use some different weapons buy a sword! some butterfly knives(the big wing chun/escrima ones not flick knives) a shovel the longer the range the better!
know your routes where you plan to go,stay,hide and always have a back up plan!
if they were out to bite you like shamblers and not main you why not try a wetsuit under your clothes its light and thick enough to stop any initial damage!

cyberwolf77

I'm really liking my plan to scatter landmines all around my hideout. Run at me, get blowed up. Walk towards me, get blown up. Either way I win and keep my hide intact

Valmont

medsoner wrote: »

ya gotta prepare for sprinters what if it was 28 days style thats a bit more tangible an idea with all the cloning and virus research these days...

yes because that makes perfect sense. Read the entire thread (only 3 pages) and you'll see why shamblers are a bit more tangible.

medsoner wrote: »

take up kung fu and running ufc hugging would not work in z day, do some weapons training

You obviously don't watch much MMA do you? Good luck with your kung fu against a zombie.

I'd personally "hope" for shamblers, definitely the lesser of two evils.

If it's the sprinter variety then all bets are off for Druss's plans.

I do enjoy the sprinter variety in movies, but that's the extent of it. (Note: this does not include the ridiculous "super-dooper-agile" Zombies in the new Day of the Dead remake! )

For what it's worth though, to play Zombies Advocate, sprinters might be possible in a "28 Days Later" scenario, where it's a virus that transforms the host, not kills them. If it somehow mutated the digestive system so feeding would give sustenance, then the "Zombies" could maintain their bodies and continue their spee...

Scary stuff!