Zombies legends started in the country of Haiti. Zombies were thought to be bodies that had been brought back to life and were controlled by evil masters. However, the modern version of a zombie is much different. In most zombie movies, a zombie is a creature that has been infected by a virus. Modern zombies travel in large groups, looking to convert humans by bitting them, and thus spread the infection. They are often shown as slow-moving creatures with pale skin whose most desire is eating humans' brains.
Zombies in the Caribbean.
The clearest connection we have to the modern zombie comes from the Caribbean, from a cult called Vodou (voodoo), a religion that includes belief in spirits, witchcraft and sorcery.
The word
zombie is thought to have originated possibly from different sources. The Haitian word
zonbi refers to a person's soul. while the word
nzambi, of African origins, means "god" or "soul".
In vodou, bokar are priests who use black magic to create a zombi to use a as servant. The bokar would sneak the person a powder that would make them appear as dead. Once the person is reanimated, they don't remember anything from their previous life, and would act in a nearly-deathlike way. It's believed that salt will bring a zombi back to their senses.
Modern Zombies
When zombies first appeared in movies in the 1920's, they were shown as typical vodou zombies with the movies taking place in Haiti. Then, in 1968, the filmmaker George Romero made
"The Night of the Living Dead", the first movie to introduce the idea that zombies must eat the living. The film terrified the audience of that time and help turn horror movies into a very popular genre. Romero's version of the zombie is what most modern zombies are based on.
Now it seems as though there's a new zombie movie every summer! Even the word zombie is used to describe people who go through life in a boring and monotonous way, doing the same tasks over and over again with no excitement at all.
What to do if you see a Zombie.
Move fast: Zombies walk slowly and are pretty easy to outrun.
Stay quiet: Don't draw attention to yourself. Once a zombie notices you, you are lost.
Aim for the head: Zombies eat basically human brains. Hit a zombie in the head to "turn off" his brain.
Use your brain: The advantage you have towards zombies is "logic and reasoning". Zombies have brains but can't think for themselves
