Tagged: infections

Why are Zombies so Scary?

Since I do not feel like writing a book review today, I want to try some therapy write an article about why zombies are so scary.  They’re just walking hunks of dead meat, right?  Wrong.  Zombies, particularly in YA fiction, represent so much of what we as humans fear and I hope I can explore why they scare me us so much.  Warning: these pictures are not for the faint of heart.

1.  They are basically designed to kill/infect us.

In most new zombie tales, zombies are able to sense and track us humans.  Whether they are slow or fast, they pursue us with a single-minded determination that’s unmatched anywhere and because they lack any coherent thoughts, the only thing on their minds is food.  And guess what: we are their only (or sometimes main) source of food.  Therefore, they will do anything to get at us.  Their predatory instinct is, in my opinion, what makes them so terrifying.  Unlike most human villains in fiction, they lack redeeming qualities like mercy, so there is no chance of escaping from them once they have you cornered. Continue reading