What classifies a zombie film?

[Gorgasm]

I was just reading a zombie movie countdown and was wondering what exactly qualifies a movie as a zombie movie? For instance, 28 Days Later was on the list and is commonly regarded as a zombie film. But are they the resurrected dead or is it just a rabies kind of virus?

Evil Dead was absent from the list. Indeed, many people do not regard this as a zombie film, but instead a possession film. But why? Linda clearly dies and is resurrected. What do you guys think?

[Dead Bad Things]

28 Days.....Evil Dead... great flix....Do they fall into the zombie genere? Fundamentally speakin' no. 28days seems to me as more of a contagion type flick, where as Evil Dead has more necromantic overtones....
Eats brains, eats flesh, is dead, was a person ya got it.....ZOMBIE!

[Roiffalo]

Originally Posted by Gorgasm

Evil Dead was absent from the list. Indeed, many people do not regard this as a zombie film, but instead a possession film. But why? Linda clearly dies and is resurrected. What do you guys think?

I wondered the same thing myself actually. It follows enough of the zombie film guidelines that a zombie movie fan would enjoy it, but aren't the bodies possessed by demons? I think that knocks it out of the zombie ballpark.

[SerialKiller]

I've always just called Evil Dead the demon zombie movie. Nobody's really eating brains though so.....it's not. Zombies want brainzzzzzz & flesh. That being said, I've always wanted a Hannibal Lecter dies & comes back full on zombie movie. That's just me though.

[Repo'd]

Originally Posted by SerialKiller

I've always just called Evil Dead the demon zombie movie. Nobody's really eating brains though so.....it's not. Zombies want brainzzzzzz & flesh. That being said, I've always wanted a Hannibal Lecter dies & comes back full on zombie movie. That's just me though.

Splendid idea! It would be kind of cool if he's resurrected as a vegan though! But that would be a comedy I suppose.

[Roiffalo]

Originally Posted by Repo'd

Splendid idea! It would be kind of cool if he's resurrected as a vegan though! But that would be a comedy I suppose.

OMFG YES. YES PLEASE.
I mean he's already a cannibal when he's a live, so just being a zombie and eating people would be repetitive and not much of a twist.

This needs to be a fanfic at the very least. Where's Jake?

[SerialKiller]

A vegan Hannibal Lecter I'm dying.

[TigerLogos]

The films are considered to be symbolic of "liberal awakening" out of the conservative grave (soil): "We want more."

[TheBlueWolf]

For me zombies are brain/flesh eating undead; they were human but have been turned from a zombie bite.

28 Days Later is a virus movie; they're infected and infect others. Evil Dead is more about demonic possession

[Sculpt]

Witch doctors drugging, burying, causing oxygen starved brain damaged, witch-doctor obeying traditional zombies -- are zombies.

Virus, cosmic radiation, etc, infected people who are walking or running around trying to eat or kill people, are all zombie enough for me too.

But demon possessed, that's not a zombie.