Hi, new poster. Just wanted to add my two cents on this topic as it's one of my favorite amongst horror genre. I noticed a lot have already said this but demonic possession zombies I do not consider to be a part of the "zombie" genre. Typically they don't hoard and mass and overrun the earth. It's usually a localized event/issue that affects a single character or set of characters.
On the other hand 28 Days Later, while skirting the "zombie" line, (rage "virus," contagion, running/fast zombies) is still more in the zombie genre because even though it isn't "the dead resurrected" in some way, it is still following the contagion/apocalyptic tones and themes that many zombie movies embody. It's just taking those elements and looking at the zombie genre in a different way.
What for me sets a zombie genre isn't necessarily the dead reanimated, it's the apocalyptic or breaking down of society themes, it's the dread, it's the idea of the entire world essentially ending and only a handful (or one) survivor making their way in a world broken and completely wrong.
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