The Zombies, or, The Infected are groups of undead humanoid Monsters kept in the Facility. They are listed on the Whiteboard, and the Chemical department bets on their release. They are spotted several times during the System Purge.
Physical Descriptions and Attributes[]
The Zombies, as their name implies, are undead or infected individuals who are afflicted with a mind-controlling, flesh-eating virus that corrupts the brain and controls them to attack, kill and in most cases, eat other alive or uninfected humans. In other less popular cases, zombies are reanimated corpses who have been brought back from death by some sort of magic. This particular category of Zombies in the Facility resembles the type of humans that have been infected with a virus, as they are all seen dressed in fairly kept, modern/casual clothing. Since the Zombies are summoned in groups, it is easy for them to overwhelm and kill their victims.
A photo from the film's visual companion showing the Zombies overwhelming a member of the Demolition Department.
It is important to note, that, this group of Zombies differs from other undead/reanimated/infected beings also kept in the Facility, such as the Buckner Family (listed on the Whiteboard as the 'Zombie Redneck Torture Family'), the Deadites, the Reanimated and the Special Infected cameo zombies (Boomer, Charger, Hunter, Smoker, Tank and Witch) from Left 4 Dead. All of these groups of Monsters have different origins, behaviors, and characteristics. The only real thing that connects them is the fact they are either infected with a virus or are undead corpses and they attack the living. This can be further explained in the film itself, after the betting pool party, one of the Chemical Department members complains about not winning, saying that she bet on "zombies" while the winner was the Buckner Family. Sitterson points out to her that the difference between them is like "the difference between an elephant and an elephant seal" mainly considering the Buckners have special qualities than the average zombies in that they still have remember their past lives and carry the same sadistic characteristics.
The Zombies' appearances varies by each of them. They are both male or female and as mentioned earlier, where modern and casual clothing such as business attire, sweaters, T-shirts, jeans, etc. It is unknown where this group of Zombies came from or what kind of virus they are suffering from, or if they were test subjects that went wrong. Some of the Zombies even are seen in hospital gowns and lab
coats, meaning some of the Facility workers themselves have been turned into Zombies, but this is not confirmed.
It is unknown what item summons the Zombies from the Cabin. However it could be biohazard materials.
Appearances[]
The Zombies make their first appearance in the first wave of the Purge. They are seen coming out slowly of their elevator and instantly overwhelming a member of the Security Force, eating and tearing him to shreds. When the second group of security guards show up to the Elevator Lobby, they are horrified to find that, one, the previous wave of guards has been destroyed, and two, that three of the many Zombies released are still there, eating dismembered parts of a guard's corpse and insides. Throughout the Purge, in the Control Room, the Zombies can be spotted on several monitors, attacking horrified Facility workers or eating them.
Another time we see the Zombies is later on, when Dana and Marty flee from the Elevator Lobby's control room to escape the Dragonbat. There is an explosion behind them, and then a small bunch of Zombies walks around the corner, and Dana and Marty flee again.
The Zombies can also be seen in behind the scenes footage and in the visual companion for the film.
Inspiration[]
Zombies are said to have originated in Haitian and Caribbean folklore as reanimated corpses made subservient by Voodoo. While being inspired or adapted from literature and myth as it were, the contemporary reinvention of zombies are monsters that have their origin in film.
Zombies are considered one of the most common monsters in horror film making history. As a major staple of the genre, they're prominently featured in media with notable examples being Zack Snyder's 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake, 28 Days Later, Zombieland, the film adaptation of World War Z and AMC's acclaimed TV adaptation of The Walking Dead. Then there's of course venerable zombie video game franchises such as Resident Evil and Left 4 Dead.
One of the most celebrated icons of the modern zombie is George A. Romero's Dead series which began with his iconic 1968 independent horror film, Night of the Living Dead, taking loose inspiration from Voodoo beliefs. The specific summoning item may be a reference to The Return of the Living Dead, an unofficial sequel/homage to The Night of the Living Dead, where the plot of the movie is kicked off by the opening of a chemical drum containing a preserved zombie.
Trivia[]
- The Zombies are first seen briefly in their cubes during the elevator scene. If looked carefully, it appears that numerous cubes contain zombies, indicating that if they were summoned, they would be spawned throughout the cabin area in different places.
Gallery[]
