Pathfinder -- Zombies in Popular Culture

by Sasha Westgate

Introduction
The popular culture zombie world is mainly about media (movies, video games, comic
books, and literature) and surviving the impending Zombie Apocalypse. There is a very
large blur between fact and fiction and there are many resources that blend reality and
science fiction. While entertaining to read and informative in social research, it is important
to note that many individuals truly see a Zombie Apocalypse as plausible and some even
write fictional stories based on their real lives as if zombies have already taken over the
world (see Blogs). On the other hand, however, many still find zombies to be purely
entertaining and humorous. Frequent discussions in the following resources include slow
moving versus fast moving zombies, best zombie movies, favorite zombie video games, and
gory, graphic fiction.
Websites
All Things Zombie - http://allthingszombie.com/
All Things Zombie is a site that encompasses nearly every facet of zombie popular culture.
It includes information on movies, books, comics, games, and collectibles, and also provides
a very large community message board, original fiction, contests, and various other links.
The site also has a Google-based search engine that allows users to search the internal
pages on the site along with the World Wide Web
5 Scientific Reasons a Zombie Apocalypse Could Actually Happen http://www.cracked.com/
article_15643_5-scientific-reasons-zombie-apocalypse-could-actually-happen.html
Obsessed with the oncoming Apocalypse, zombie popular culture has moved from fiction to
possible fact. This article offers 5 plausible scenarios where zombies may actually begin
taking over the world. Cracked.com is a renowned humor site and should not be considered
a true scientific research website.
The Zombie Survival & Defense Wiki- http://www.zombiesurvivalwiki.com/
This website consists of wiki-based pages that allow registered users to add and modify
content. However, unlike Wikipedia where there is one specific page in article-format, the
pages on this site are designed more like a comment board with one topic or question and
users added their input to the page. Each page has a thread for additional comments and
discussion and there is an additional forum for even more discussion. The site is very well
maintained and frequently updated. It also includes helpful search tools for the entire site
and also for the forum. Adding to a feeling of community, the site offers a photo gallery,
member spotlights, community feedback (To Dos), and frequent competitions. Though
the focus of this site is on survival and defense, the site itself includes a myriad of
information from local events and original fiction.
Zombie Games- http://www.zombiegames.us/
For those zombie fans needing a break from the preparing and surviving, this website offers
a collection of basic computer games to pass the time, zombie-style.
Blogs
http://www.zombiesurvivalwiki.com/page/Zombie+Blogs+&+Bloggers?t=anon
This page on the Zombie Survival & Defense Wiki site offers several different blogs that are
zombie related and short introductions to each. If interested in further blog reading and
research, this site is a great place for resources.

http://www.zombieworldnews.com/frontpage.htm
This site is a fictional (though it pretends to be factual) news blog that includes various
stories, articles, and reports of zombie incidents. It is frequently updated and entertaining
to read.
http://www.awilltoact.com/
This blog focuses on upcoming media releases, such as video games, movies, and
literature. It is a great resource for those looking for summaries and reviews.
http://www.zombiephiles.com/
This blog by the Zombiephile includes information regarding all things zombie-related. In
particular, he focuses on upcoming media, such as movie rumors, reviews, and
information. However, he is in the process of revamping the entire site and hopes to
include even more information, such as polls and various how-to guides.
http://www.lastdaysjournal.com/
This interesting blog is a collaborative fiction project that can be added to by any member.
It assumes the zombie apocalypse has happened and offers a singular social networking site
of survivors to blog and account for their whereabouts.
Print Resources
Brooks,Max. The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection From The Living Dead. 1 ed.
New York: Three Rivers Press, 2003.
Max Brooks writes an extremely descriptive technical book that includes information from
general preparedness to emergency first aid.
Russell,Jamie. Book of the dead : the complete history of zombie cinema. 1 ed. Godalming,
England: FAB, 2005.
This exhaustive resource details hundreds of zombie movies ranging from big-budget
Hollywood to foreign B-movies.
Brooks,Max. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. 1 ed. New York: Three Rivers
Press, 2006.
In his second book, Max Brooks writes this fictional piece in a unique documentary style. It
contains a collection of personal stories from individuals who experiences the Zombie War
and chronicles the battles from the beginning.
McIntosh, Shawn. Zombie Culture: Autopsies of the Living Dead. Edited by Marc Leverette.
Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2008.
Shawn McIntosh brings cinema experts, sociology scholars, and video game specialists and
examines the Zombie movement and place in popular culture.
Kirkman, Robert. The Walking Dead: Days Gone By. Volume 1. California: Image Comics,
2004.
A groundbreaking monthly comic began in 2003 and shows the life and deaths of several
characters trying to survive in a Zombie infested world. Several comic books are combined
into volumes. Volume 1, as cited above, contains issues 1-6. As of March 2009, the latest
issue is #58.
Dictionaries
Zombie- http://www.onelook.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/bware/dofind.cgi?word=zombie
This site lists over 35 dictionaries that define zombie.

Encyclopedias
Zombies in Popular Culture- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombies_in_popular_culture
While most encyclopedias focus on the religious and mythological aspects of zombies (such
as the Voodoo zombie), these articles show a different aspect. The first Wikipedia article
offers a brief overview of the Voodoo zombie, the folklore zombie, the pop culture zombie,
and the philosophical zombie. The second Wikipedia article gives a more in depth look at
the zombie in popular culture, particularly in film. Due to the difficult nature of researching
popular culture, these articles are the only encyclopedic articles that I was able to find that
related to the pop culture zombie.
Databases
The Zombie Movie Database- http://www.zmdb.org/
Derived from the famous Internet Movie Database (IMDB), the Zombie Movie Database
(ZMDB) is just as entertaining. Included in this database are over 4,000 records that are all
zombie-related movies. Each record includes vital information such as title, director,
writer(s), date, and keywords. Additionally, there are summaries, user comments, forum
discussions, and the zomb-o-meter, which indicates the amount of zombie content within
the film. This site offers the user the ability to search the entire site for a film, giving exact
matches, fuzzy matches, and similar matches. Additionally, there is a forum that offers
discussions on zombie movies and news, general movies, and free discussion. This is a
great place to begin any research on a particular film or multiple zombie movies.
Zombie Reporting Center- http://www.zombiereportingcenter.com/zombie-comic-database/
Though not as interactive as the ZMBD, the comic database offers a fairly large list of
comics and graphic novels that focus on zombies and the zombie apocalypse. Over 100 are
listed and, though they do not include additional details or summaries, they do indicate the
title, the publisher, and the date. Overall, it is a great place to go if one wants to browse
zombie comic books or to quickly obtain publisher information.
Zombie Fiction Database- http://baseportal.com/cgi-bin/baseportal.pl?htx=/slushgod/
zombie
Including major publications and minor independent works, this zombie fiction database
project is a key tool in finding various novels, novellas, short stories, and comics. Though
some information is sparse and has some missing information, many list the title, author,
date of publication, publisher, length of work, and special notes and comments by the
database moderator and recommenders. This site should not be considered the absolute
answer in information seeking, but a tool to be used for browsing various works. There is
not a search engine if you are looking for additi
onal information about a specific publication.
Associations
Zombie Squad- http://zombiehunters.org
A large part of zombie enthusiasm is the survival factor. Many individuals who have
immersed themselves in zombie pop culture have been offered countless survivalist tips,
tricks, and information. The popular question, What would you do if zombies took over the
world? has long been a conversation starter with these individuals and in 2003, Zombie
Squad was founded to unite all of those with the answer. Zombie Squad is now an
international group that incorporates survivalist knowledge and preparedness and, while
never straying too far from preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse, uses their expertise to
help those suffering from natural disasters, raise awareness for disaster preparation, and
volunteer their time and efforts towards emergency response agencies. They helped raise
funds, food, and blood donation for numerous charities and non profit organization.

Currently, there are three physical chapters in the United States and one physical chapter in
Canada, and several hundred members all over the world, including the UK, the
Netherlands, Philippines, and Serbia.
Sasha Westgate (c) 2008