Fallacies perpetuated by 28 Days Later
28 Days Later is a good movie. It is not, however, a zombie movie. The mindless killing and eating action is all performed by live individuals. Unfortunately, the similarities between the "rage" virus and the zombie virus are enough to confuse the casual viewer. I'm going to break down the differences today:
1. Zombies do not move quickly.
This is something I have to continually redress because it is such a persistent fallacy. Due to factors such as rigormortis, decay, and lack of brain interconnectivity, it is impossible for a zombie to move quickly. The zombie threat lies in its quantity, not its speed.
2. The zombie conversion process is not instant.
In fact, it usually takes place between two and three hours after death. Reanimation takes time. Though the horrible image of the subway station described in 28 Days Later is quite dramatic, it would never happen in an actual zombie takeover.
3. Zombies cannot die from malnutrition.
The only reason the freaks in 28 Days Later die from malnutrition is because they are still, in fact, alive. Zombies do not eat for nourishment, they eat as a residual compulsion. Zombies that are only heads will still try to eat, the undigested "food" will merely pass down their throat (or what is left of it).
4. Zombies must be killed by destroying the brain.
There simply is no other way. It is common misconception that decapitation will get the job done; it won't. It will substantially reduce the threat, but the head will still be animated, and still be capable of spreading the virus.
5. The zombie virus cannot be passed to animals..
Animals will die if they come into contact with the zombie virus, but they will not become zombies themselves. It is specifically a human ailment.
So remember, 28 Days Later may be entertaining, but it is not based on fact and thereful useless when information gathering.
1. Zombies do not move quickly.
This is something I have to continually redress because it is such a persistent fallacy. Due to factors such as rigormortis, decay, and lack of brain interconnectivity, it is impossible for a zombie to move quickly. The zombie threat lies in its quantity, not its speed.
2. The zombie conversion process is not instant.
In fact, it usually takes place between two and three hours after death. Reanimation takes time. Though the horrible image of the subway station described in 28 Days Later is quite dramatic, it would never happen in an actual zombie takeover.
3. Zombies cannot die from malnutrition.
The only reason the freaks in 28 Days Later die from malnutrition is because they are still, in fact, alive. Zombies do not eat for nourishment, they eat as a residual compulsion. Zombies that are only heads will still try to eat, the undigested "food" will merely pass down their throat (or what is left of it).
4. Zombies must be killed by destroying the brain.
There simply is no other way. It is common misconception that decapitation will get the job done; it won't. It will substantially reduce the threat, but the head will still be animated, and still be capable of spreading the virus.
5. The zombie virus cannot be passed to animals..
Animals will die if they come into contact with the zombie virus, but they will not become zombies themselves. It is specifically a human ailment.
So remember, 28 Days Later may be entertaining, but it is not based on fact and thereful useless when information gathering.
posted by Melissa at 7:08 PM
1 Comments:
I wouldn't say it's 100% useless, especially not in this context. The movie addresses a lot of the same things that you are addressing in this blog.
They pretty much cover all the things that you have covered in this blog (weapons, physical condition, having to kill close loved ones at the drop of the hat).
So although this movie should not be used as a study guide of the zombies themselves, it seems like it would be an excellent resource to survival post infestation. If anything it would over prepare you, since a real zombie would be much less of a threat than the "rage zombies".
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