Hollywood zombies, unless the mass of them are all actors and stuntmen all trained the same way by the same instructor to move and wail like a zombie, would easily be denounced. Many zombie movie producers often say that it’s actually really hard to get people to move like classic, shambling zombies, and all act similar. People generally tend to overdo it, looking like hyperactive spazzes instead.
Now I’d have to assume that paid actors would, indeed, be well trained before the surprise shooting. We also have to remember though, that what you see on TV can be modified through camera work and editing, that of which this cannot be done in real life. A different sort of training may be needed…
I wouldn’t have a problem noticing how some of these ’‘zombies’’ all move differently than one another. I observe people a lot, and I know a thing or two about body language, myself having been extremely shy, and sometimes still am, some few years ago. Usually, no matter how exotic or bizarre it is, body language can hardly step beyond its boundaries, unless the person moves or acts involuntarily. Dystonia, seizures, twitching…all those things step far away from the willing movement. One might say that blushing and such things are unintentional, and this is correct. To add more on this seemingly off topic argument though, it’s a familiar human thing we all know about. A zombie however, is not conscious of its existence, and goes by motor instinct only. One would notice such a thing. Some of these people, as well, are bound to sneeze, scratch themselves or perhaps trip and attempt to save their fall; a zombie would just fall on its ass.
Some may argue the theory that zombies are basically machines, since Bub from Day of the Dead was able to recall a few bits and fragments of everyday things from his human life, and even form a basic, primitive bond with his human captor. However, even if a zombie may partially be awaken, the theory still has ground, because zombies, otherwise, are much too easily defined by what they are and do. Their awakening cannot, might I add, occur without human intervention. Emotion is the basic link, and that is as primal to men as ever. Picking up a rock to smash a window or learning to open a door on the zombie’s own does not qualify as any sort of awakening, because it is brought forth through the necessity which binds them, rather than some other motivational factor, which, anyways, could never be met without rewarding the zombie with its source of nourishment in the end. They’re kinda like pets.
Now all that to say that this leads me into my main point…what I look for in a zombie when it comes to physical demeanor are three things;
The Search Phase
This is when a zombie is seeking nourishment. It shuffles around, using its senses, (Controlled by an unknown superior factor linked to the zombie’s brain. Was gonna go into a whole other subject about zombie brain theories but…) or what is left of them, depending on the state of decomposition, to locate live humans. It will be curious on its quest as well, handling things, sniffing and tasting them, abandoning them quickly when they realize it isn’t food.
The Alarm Phase
When a zombie locates a human, he becomes extremely aggressive, his speed increases disturbingly, and he goes into attack mode, rushing at the human, and through whatever obstacle may stand in his way. And if he fails to maneuver or defeat the obstacle, he’ll keep at it until his senses tell him that the human is gone, or if another happens to come into easier reach of the zombie than the previous human.
The Relief Phase
This is when the zombie has fed, and becomes ’‘dormant’’, so to speak. He continues on his way, but very slowly, even more so than usual. Sometimes they just stand there, or even sit or lie down. This is the rarest activity you’ll see a zombie do. In this case, its senses die down, but not for long. That is, they cease to tell it that it needs food. However, if the zombie perceives a human in the vicinity, the zombie’s senses kick in right away and it will go in Alarm Mode once more, even if it has just fed.
Considering all of this, a zombie is very easy to spot, and I highly doubt that I would be fooled by humans pretending to be zombies. There will evidently be some discord in the behaviours of the actors, and if they are very well trained, I have other senses besides my eyes.
A mass of zombies is bound to smell terrible. Live humans will not emit such an odor, unless this goes as far as to have them smell bad on purpose, and even then, the smell may not be anything close to actual carrion. Now, in your scenario, these are all pretty fresh zombies, I admit I could be perhaps fooled by my nose if I wasn’t expecting the odor of decay. (Assuming I figured that they were all fresh.) Through the carnage that would most likely issue from the origin of your scenario, I might expect the smell of sweat, blood and perhaps fire or chemical substances. In this case, this might be easier to emulate than the smell of decay.
And last but not least, I would inspect their actions once they arrive at my door. If they’re actors, then they would avoid hitting the windows too hard as to not injure themselves, or look down for a second at unfamiliar porch steps, or again, as all humans do, survey their surroundings. Where do I go, what part of the wall do I start clawing at…zombies don’t do any of this. I would see them up close at this point. I’m pretty sure there isn’t much makeup jobs that can replicate with one hundred percent accuracy the look of an actual dead body, injuries or infections. Not in real life anyways.
Apparently, we’re scared of zombies because of how unfamiliar they seem in look and movement. Our brain attempts to register a logical answer, and when it can’t, the terror begins. (This was posted on this site somewhere.) But it doesn’t work the other way around. The brain has absolutely no reason to attribute obscurity to normalcy, and these actors WILL mess up at one point or another. This is how I will know they’re not real. Even a drunken homeless guy stumbling down the street has many recognizable behaviours that the zombie will never conjure.
Truth be told though, whether they’re humans or zombies, I’d prolly just be scared as shit and go hide on the roof.
And…holy shit…’‘reads post’’
I have no life.
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