8 Scientific Theories That Totally Change Zombie Films

Zombies have been a staple of modern fiction for the past 200 years, and part of folklore since time immemorial.

There are some who think that the zombie legend arose from shamanistic practices originating in Africa and migrating to Haiti. There are others who think that it has its roots in early encounters with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

Wherever the idea came from, it's been a hit ever since. You could argue that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a kind of zombie story, and one of the earliest depictions of a zombie in film is in Victor Halperin's 1932 classic, White Zombie, in which zombies are distinctly sexier than their rotten, shambolic modern counterparts.

We've had everything from the creeping terror of Night of the Living Dead 's slow zombies, to the pant-sh*ttingly scary fast zombies of 28 Days Later, and they've even made their way onto the small screen in The Walking Dead.

It is unsurprising, then, that many a nerd to date has attempted to draw out the reality from the fiction, and scientifically assess our zombified friends.

Depending on who you listen to, the zombie apocalypse could be a distinct possibility in the future. Perhaps not quite in the ways we see on the silver screen, but it might be worth getting your strategy together anyway, just in case.