Zombie tropes

Author: R | 2025-04-24

Tropes! Tropes! Tropes! Advertised Extra: Jay Laga'aia plays one of the zombies.; Artificial Zombie: The zombies are a cross between an artificial zombie and a Plague Zombie: created when an experimental cure for cancer is accidentally combined with an experimental cure for crack addiction.The resultant drug is stolen by the janitor, and then taken by a hooker he The Zombie Apocalypse: A Trope in Need of a Brain Boost. The zombie apocalypse is another popular horror trope. It's a scenario that's been explored in countless films, books, and

Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! (Film) - TV Tropes

For little money — many low-budget horror movies have gone on to make millions at the box office. Paranormal Activity, for example, was made on a budget of $15,000. The film went on to gross over $100 million in the United States alone. For Get Out, the budget was $4.5 million and at the box office, it earned $250 million.Keep your script low-budget by thinking about ways to cut costs as you write it. If your film requires say, a monster to destroy an entire city like in Godzilla, it may be difficult to get a producer interested.Put a New Spin on an Old ConceptHorror is a genre with tropes we see again and again: The band of survivors who come together after the apocalypse, the creepy kid who may or may not be possessed or demonic, the toy that comes to life and devastates the family. It’s okay to use these tropes, but think about new ways you can tell the story. For example, The Lost Boys was a new spin on vampire mythology, with vampires who were super cool like rock stars. Warm Bodies subverted the zombie mythology by making it a romantic comedy. Use well-established tropes, but give audiences something they’ve never seen before.Use Existing Intellectual PropertyThere are plenty of well-known characters and stories in the horror universe that are public domain. For example, most of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft’s stories are in the public domain, as are stories by Edgar Allan Poe. An internet search will On the surreal, “The Beyond” is one of the nastiest and most purely enjoyable zombie films around. —WC 15. “ParaNorman” (Sam Fell and Chris Butler, 2012) Image Credit: Laika Though ostensibly a family film about ghosts, seeing as how the title character communicates with those beyond the grave who have unfinished business, the second entry in Laika’s oeuvre (after the equally impressive “Coraline”) also contains a zombie plot that is simultaneously terrifying and touching. The stop-motion walking dead, rendered beautifully by Laika’s animators, serve as a cautionary tale about the errors of mob rule and fear-based judgments — an homage, perhaps, to Romero’s utilization of zombies as stand-ins for societal ills. Bolstered by an outstanding voice cast (Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Casey Affleck, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, John Goodman) and a script imbued with humor that subverts staid zombie tropes, “ParaNorman” is not just a gorgeous exercise in stop-motion, but the rare substantive zombie movie that can be enjoyed by the whole family. —LAG 14. “The Girl with All the Gifts” (Colm McCarthy, 2016) Image Credit: Saban Films The story is set in a future where humanity is being destroyed by a disease that turns its victims into flesh-eating “hungries,” as they are called in the film. Only a small group of children seem immune to its effects, and they are therefore subject to study and experimentation to understand why, as.a vital resource in the search for a cure. Although one of them, a 10-year-old girl

Not a Zombie - TV Tropes

Take her to her mother in Busan via train from Seoul to Busan. But a meant-to-be-simple father-daughter journey turns into the ride from hell, as a virus of unknown origin rapidly spreads on the train, transforming victims into zombies in swift and hideous ways.Cinematographer Hyung-deok Lee (2010’s “The Housemaid”) crams us into chaotic train cars, with balletic choreography as Seok-woo and a pack of passengers try to survive — yet turn on each other. The film arrives at a heartbreakingly human conclusion that, despite the nasty blood bath it bookends, would make Bong Joon-ho proud. —RL 7. “Shaun of the Dead” (Edgar Wright, 2004) Image Credit: Shutterstock Give it credit for having the single best Queen needle-drop ever in a film: “Don’t Stop Me Now” accompanies a showdown between a group of feckless Londoners and a zombie hoard inside a cozy pub. And give it credit for presenting a genuine worldview: Wright presents his hero Shaun, like most of the Londoners we meet, as being so caught up in 21st century distractions, so living in their own little bubbles that he and his friends don’t even notice that the zombie apocalypse is unfolding around them. At least, not until it’s almost too late. The first half of “Shaun of the Dead” is unclassifiably brilliant: calling it a “parody” feels too glib, and it certainly isn’t a standard horror movie. By the end, it adheres to more traditional zombie tropes. But even then, it’s an exceptional example of the genre. —CB. Tropes! Tropes! Tropes! Advertised Extra: Jay Laga'aia plays one of the zombies.; Artificial Zombie: The zombies are a cross between an artificial zombie and a Plague Zombie: created when an experimental cure for cancer is accidentally combined with an experimental cure for crack addiction.The resultant drug is stolen by the janitor, and then taken by a hooker he

Zombie Apocalypse - All The Tropes

American remake “Quarantine,” this claustrophobic Spanish found-footage effort brought a fresh dose of claustrophobia and terror to the zombie genre. A TV reporter and her cameraman are conducting a routine interview at a local fire station when an emergency call comes in. Accompanying the firefighters to a nearby apartment, the news team begins recording the blood-curdling screams coming from inside an elderly woman’s unit. After authorities seal off the building to contain the threat, the news crew, firefighters and residents are stuck facing a lethal terror inside. With the camera running, survival for everyone involved seems unlikely. “REC” is quite unsettling as it moves at a restless clip, using the found footage device to inject a new kind of immediacy to the zombie concept.The plot is simple enough, and the cast is populated by stock characters, but the film overcomes the shackles of its tropes with pure energy and execution, including the absence of any music on the soundtrack until the end; it often really does feel like you’re watching a horrific document (one that continues with the same breathless momentum in the sequel). And as the unpredictability of the scares ratchets up from one act to the next, it’s impossible not to watch the movie with the lights off. —TO 4. “Rabid” (David Cronenberg, 1977) Image Credit: Cinema Enterprises/Kobal/Shutterstock To choose between “Shivers” or “Rabid” as a Cronenberg title for a Best Zombie Films list: what a difficult task. Cronenberg’s early Canadian B-movie creepers are both great – it’s Ironic lotto ticket. Worms make good fishing bait. Where's Daryl Dixon when you need him? Fat Zombie Crawl. The music is right up my alley. I wish N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton was included to mix with with this awesomely awesome alternative indie rock laced soundtrack. A gigantic teddy bear that Andy Summers will need when he starts his Hoop-Tober challenge. The picture on the mirror that's worth a lifetime of words and memories. You should… Set in a zombie apocalyptic time The Battery is more of a hangout movie, exploring the characters of our two leads than sticking to genre traits of blood, gore and senseless killings which is there because it's Hollywood, after all, 😂 but it still pretty original and refreshing.Gardner chose the less travelled road of proper character development over slaughterhouse mediocrity that is loved by most in the zombie genre and pretty much nailed it, with good humour weaved into the narrative that didn't feel forced and great performances by both our leads with only one flaw or maybe not 😂 I would have loved it even more if they've explored the arc of The Orchid, but still it was a pretty chill movie that is even better on a rewatch.And ya Gardner imo is an underrated actor, one of my favourite beardo 😂. Film #165 of Make me watch your favourite.Recommended by Carlos Alexandre.The Battery understands that making an original genre film often works best when you try to avoid tropes and approach it from

Is This A Zombie? (Literature) - TV Tropes

Named Melanie, stands out from the rest. Melanie is “special.” She excels in the classroom, and is more inquisitive, resourceful, enterprising and creative than the rest… She’s the girl with all the gifts, which makes her valuable to both those who want to ensure that she’s taken care of, and those who want to control said gifts. When her base falls to the “hungries,” Melanie escapes. Against the backdrop of a fictionalized England in ruins, she now has to discover what or who she really is. The filmmakers didn’t have to cast a Black girl for the part, but they did, which gives the film fresh layers of urgency. —TO 13. “Night of the Living Dead” (George A. Romero, 1968) Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Not the first zombie movie ever — not by a long shot — but the one that codified the idea of zombies in the popular imagination and set the template for everything else to follow. Despite establishing so many tropes that could be reformatted into any number of films or TV shows, Romero, a Pittsburgh-based filmmaker who’d spent time working on “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood,” wasn’t just interested in providing scares but using those scares to reveal deeper truths. In this case, about how fragile a society kept divided by racism and class distinctions really is. The disparate group of people all huddled together in a cabin while the undead lurk outside are every bit as much at risk of tearing themselves apart. The African-American actor

And Then John Was a Zombie - TV Tropes

With what you’re supposed to do to be “successful” as an actor and a writer, it means a lot to have my work celebrated in this particular category. I have always let creative joy and curiosity be the guiding force behind my content even when the fears of it not landing or being perceived as too cringe or too weird were at the back of my mind. I hope that the creative risks I take inspire others to make things they believe in — to act on those ideas they daydream about at stop lights, to trust their creative impulses, and to have more fun! Innovation becomes possible when we invest in creative expression, both within ourselves and each other. Where do you find inspiration? I’m inspired simply by the scenes and characters I most want to play as an actor. There have been many times when I’ve been inspired by a specific location or environment, which is really fun, because I’ll just move around the space and see what characters come out. Abandoned fountain? Small-town thriller mystery it is! The brutal heat in the summer always puts me in the mood to do something dystopian, like an apocalypse movie or a zombie series. Other times, my entry point is a single line of dialogue or a trope or genre that has always been a favorite. For example, I did a lot of coming-of-age movie tropes early on. Movies in that genre were a huge catalyst for my desire to pursue acting as a teen – the angst! The drama! The self-discovery! But, I aged out of those roles a long time ago. I didn’t realize it when I was making those early videos, but I think some part of me found it healing to play them out, knowing that. Tropes! Tropes! Tropes! Advertised Extra: Jay Laga'aia plays one of the zombies.; Artificial Zombie: The zombies are a cross between an artificial zombie and a Plague Zombie: created when an experimental cure for cancer is accidentally combined with an experimental cure for crack addiction.The resultant drug is stolen by the janitor, and then taken by a hooker he The Zombie Apocalypse: A Trope in Need of a Brain Boost. The zombie apocalypse is another popular horror trope. It's a scenario that's been explored in countless films, books, and

The Zombies (Music) - TV Tropes

Saving players a lot of money in the long run. Related 10 Red Dead Secrets Only Hardcore Fans Know From vampires to ghosts, Red Dead Redemption is a world full of secrets and mysteries. Only the most dedicated players can find them all. Unlocking the Savvy Merchant outfit requires collecting five Scraps. Obtaining these Scraps requires winning $1,000 through gambling, buying and selling an item at every Gunsmith, gathering $200 in herbs, executing 20 people, and completing the "Prohibitionist" Stranger mission that begins in Blackwater. Once all Scraps are obtained, the Savvy Merchant outfit will be unlocked. 4 Deadly Assassin Makes A Great Mechanic Even More Useable Dead-Eye regenerates faster Dead-Eye is one of the most prolific game mechanics in RDR1. Slowing down time and hitting multiple opponents at once can make any player feel like a Wild West gunslinger. However, the Dead-Eye meter drains upon use so players don't abuse it. The Deadly Assassin outfit allows Dead-Eye to regenerate twice as fast while giving Marston an eye patch like the iconic and tough Western hero Rooster Cogburn. Unlocking the Deadly Assassin outfit requires collecting five Scraps. Obtaining these Scraps requires searching Coot's Chapel, completing the Twin Rocks hideout, completing the bounty for Mo van Barr, winning a duel in Armadillo, and completing the "American Appetites" Stranger mission that begins in Armadillo. Once all that is done, the Deadly Assassin outfit will be unlocked. 3 Undead Hunter From Undead Nightmare Makes Ammo And Item Management Easier Regenerates ammunition and items At its core, Undead Nightmare is a game of survival. While it heavily parodies the zombie genre and its many tropes, Undead Nightmare still has difficult aspects. Items and ammunition are limited. With the Undead Hunter outfit, this recharges daily, ensuring that players will always have a way to fend