What Are Zombies?

[@wymbllbymbll6594]

I like imagining zombies as a kind of role reversal for humanities place in the hunter/prey dynamic. In the beginning, humans were pursuit hunters, we weren’t faster than our prey, but we had way higher endurance. So we’d just follow slowly behind for miles until they collapse from exhaustion. Zombies flip that dynamic against us, as we may get tired, but they never will.

[@danielgriff2659]

yes, the impending, unstoppable curse worse than death...

[@danielgriff2659]

I love that you mentioned "Return of the Living Dead", that movie broke the "zombie mold" and made the undead TRULY terrifying! They were NOT slow, they could talk and THINK! Even manipulate verbally! "Send More Cops!" was hilarious, but it was also TERRIFYING.

[@esperthebard]

Brains make the pain go away ...

[@sw33n3yto00]

In movies, zombies/ghouls are a cheap and easy screen readable monster. A little pancake makeup, some bathroom and kitchen prosthetic work and boom, zombie. Actors just have to be told to shamble along and occasionally moan or snarl. For low-budget productions, they are gold.

[@esperthebard]

Night of the Living Dead was made on a tiny budget of just $114,000 (and went on to earn $18 million).

[@nate742]

I also like the general critique zombies have on the nature of society in the face of crisis or collapse. Does humanity scatter to the four winds as remote bands out for themselves, like in the Stone Age? Or do we endeavor to put ourselves back together in new unity? Do we maintain principles of democracy in a new world? Or defer to absolute authority to guide us through uncertainty?

[@AGS363]

It is interesting to note, that the original vampyr was much closer to the modern zombie, than to the brooding noble of the night. That image was created by Dracula.

[@jackofallclaws6672]

Ruthven.

[@raytheerudite5252]

I remember being a bit confused when all the virus outbreak zombie games came out. They were always bodies animated by fell necromancy in our D&D games.

[@Silvermoonlight18]

Nice work Esper. I like this style of video. Learning the historical background of monsters in DnD is very interesting.

[@MarvelX42]

You didn't even touch on the influence that, what we now consider zombies, have had on science fiction in the form of aliens races that work as de facto zombies. In fact I think that you could do an entire video on that alone.

[@zacharywood3182]

What I find fascinating about zombies is they are one of few monsters that exist primarily in plurality. It is very rare to find single zombie. I would argue zombies as a theme are more about the fear of contagion or hysteria than anything. We're afraid of being changed, overtaken, and in that way it still carries the roots of the old voodoo rituals with it still.

[@RokuroCarisu]

Rule of thumb: A zombie is being controlled by something else. A ghoul has a will of its own.

[@kevin9989]

Props for the research work, Esper. Good job!!

[@mattiasessothefireraptor5311]

Thank you for the video Esper. Your videos really help a lot. Any plans for the next campaign?

[@esperthebard]

I've got an idea that's been brewing for a while ;) and thank you too!

[@MawsParasite2]

Great vidya as always, esper! I have some commentary on undead in fiction that I would like to share: To my mind, Undeath has always been about transgression against the boundary of mortality - that these creatures are neither alive nor dead, and erase and middle the boundary between them. This is also shown in the way they draw on concepts of disease and parasitism, both examples of life themselves. The idea of the undead in fiction is kinda diminishing in a pseudo-scientific explanation of zombies. Which is a shame. Even Dracula seems to be less about being undead and more about being a magical being. Skeletons are animated magically. Liches are magical force of will. Wights and Spectres are ghosts. To me, that seems like the least interesting explanation, and I think that’s a shame because undead, to me, should be about the transgression of life and death, as much a refusal against normal death as a refusal against normal life.

[@purplehaze2358]

Crazy to think "zombie" comes from a word for a magical trinket. Moral of the story: Linguistic evolution would be a joke if it weren't too complicated to get.

[@Nyo_Fight]

What a wonderful research, great work

[@BobCain2006]

WOW! That was awesome! Thank you so much for this information download. One of best videos I have ever seen on this topic.

[@ddstuff3943]

Next video: "What are Gnomes...???" "Elemental? Fey? Or Lawn Ornament?"

[@ddstuff3943]

Although in all seriousness, I would love a video that delves more into gnomes, as I too have have little love for them, and would like a reason to appreciate them as a race and as characters.

[@chillarttalks]

incredible video! love that kind of content! well done

[@Snowie7826]

I find it much more horrifying when zombies don't groan and gnash their teeth and shuffle around everywhere. I like necromantic zombies that roboticly carry out their buisiness in total silence with as much physical capability as a regular human. I think of them almost like constructs; animated by magic, no malice or aggression. Just a dead body that silently stares as it runs after you and pummels you to death because its creator wills it.

[@Jeromy1986]

Funny connection: I was just watching a video debating whether or not to kill downed PCs in D&D, and it made me realize that the NPCs would feel the way we did playing Resident Evil never knowing if what we thought was a corpse was about to pop back up.

[@RP-Dai]

Hey Esper, what's is your favourite "zombie" movie?

[@esperthebard]

1. Night of the Living Dead (1968) 2. Day of the Dead 3. Night of the Living Dead (1990) 4. Dawn of the Dead (1978) 5. Creepshow

[@OMentertainment]

I will say that CRPGs like Baldur's Gate 3, which I was initially wary of, are getting closer to the tabletop in terms of creative options normally limited to the table.

[@martinvazquez4423]

Look forward to these videos bro! You're like Fudgmuppet but for DND

[@jacktough]

Good info, man. Thanks 👍

[@raff3486]

great video

[@danielgriff2659]

Great video. Touched on it all. Except maybe the fact that "zombies" are "perfect enemies"... that is, you can blast them all day and not feel bad for them, because their intentions of killing YOU are crystal clear. Morally, this gets handled when someone gets "infected"... are they immediate enemies or are we morally obligated to treat them as human until they "turn"?

[@Jasonwolf1495]

My preference for a zombie is a completely useless inept shambling bumbling corpse, but in numbers they will simply dog pile on and are rather difficult to kill since they feel no pain and are animated by magic not any bodily function. In my own fiction the main character demonstrates how non dangerous a zombie is literally shoving his arm in its mouth because it can't remember how to bite much less produce a force enough to break skin.

[@mattiasessothefireraptor5311]

Yes, I do agree with you on that zombies do not have the intelligence or strength it had in life. If we were to reference the modern zombie, if it were to bite you its teeth may breake or its jaw will dislocate because of its decaying form. It also wouldn't know how to speak and would only make gurgling noises and its muscles are very stif, making its speed slower than it was in life. And my opinion a zombie isn't actually animated in that it moves by itself, the caster controls the zombie's movements such as walking.

[@MarkLewis...]

In my many years of D&D, and more recently Call of Cthulhu, most DMs KMs, GMs etc. don't run Zombies, (Ghouls, Ghasts, etc) to their full potential, (goblins too, but that's a digression) and making Zombies that should very much feel like "Dawn of the Dead" and not be like "Shaun of the Dead" for the players. The idea of being eaten alive or becoming "infected" should cause dread in players, not boredom. Utilize all their abilities and tactics in locations where the PCs can't escape! Maybe a few levels of exhaustion on the party and have the players need to cure their Zombie-ism, (from some Night Hag's monkey's-pawish antidote) if they're bitten, clawed, or hit just once! Then they won't find Zombies funny or lame ever again!

[@danielgriff2659]

Zombies are a "vehicle" to tackle complex human relationships through film.

[@rachdarastrix5251]

So according to Barbra We are coming to get Us. No offense but you couldn't have picked a stupider couple of quotes. However... However... Or is it a stupid couple of quotes? No! Only to those who lack the ability to really think about it. Imagine, over half your army has been wiped out in just 8 days. For every 1 kill you have gotten on your enemy they killed 50 of your soldiers. You are losing and losing hard. But for those 8 days that half of your army has held off the enemy until they get to the most defended part of your territory. Day 9. Location: 7 miles away from the most defended part of your territory. You have decided that you want to send the enemy a message. As they are closing in they see a massive army coming. Enemy soldier 1: "Wait, didn't we already kill these guys?" "These guys" go forth, they are on the front line. Behind them everyone in your territory who has been dead on the civilian side for 1 to 80 years, dead soldiers that had nothing to do with this war, dead police. Once they have delt with them the most important of this undead army have been able to close the distance to see them face to face. And the face they see is their own soldiers who died during this war. Back, and fighting against their own.

[@HenriFaust]

WTF, around six months of your videos haven't showed up in my feed, since around the time of that OGL nonsense.

[@redfaux74]

I'm saddened by this video. Very boring. Like a history class every zombie enthusiast already mastered. I was hoping for an Esper twist. I've always been repulsed by the idea of Ghouls wanting to consume dead flesh. The undead crave the life essence. Of course a Ghoul COULD eat dead flesh in times of scarcity. But prefer it? I trow not. Why would they have the paralyze power except to eat at their leisure. And add intellect to zombies? Now THAT is terrifying. A Ghoul would could influence zombies to herd people? 🥹