MovieChat Forums > Dawn of the Dead Discussion > How does one get infected?

How does one get infected?

posted 9 years ago by movie_nazi
9 replies | jump to latest

Been watching this movie for years and it always bugged me that they never really explain how one becomes a zed. Sure we know a bite will cause it, but you see in the film many, many zeds with no wounds on them whatsoever. If we were to say the explanation that simply being dead at the time of the start of the phenomenon or dying as we see in the first film where they were coming out of fresh graves this still doesn't account for the fact that you see many zeds in what looks like their everyday work clothes. Even if the explanation is like The Walking Dead where the entire planet is already infected and once you die no matter what the cause you will become one how would explain so many people dead by natural causes(no visible wounds)? Yes, yes I know it's a zombie movie and I am not looking for a scientific explanation as to why the dead walk. Just a little logic will suffice.

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[–] leightoncollins 9 years ago

Romero zombies are anyone who dies comes back.
The bite does lead to death and then zombification but not like high stakes game of tag, more likely going to die of blood poisoning through all the *beep* a dead mouth would have in it.

Yep some zombies don't have clear injuries, probably more down to low budget for the film, but could be heart attack, disease, suicide etc.

I guess artistically, GR wants the zombies to look like us, so the less Gore and injury the better to make his point.

[–] tbickle84 9 years ago

If you die, whether it be by old age, heart attack, cancer, hit by a car, etc.....u will return as a zombie. That's how the epidemic starts in the first place. The dead simply begin returning to life. There are no bites.

Now, if a zombie does happen to bite you, the infection from the bite kills you, thus inevitably turning you into a zombie anyway.

It seems a lot of people are confused by this. I noticed the confusion most by watching the NOTLD '90 remake. When Ben (Tony Todd) comes out of the cellar at the end as a zombie, I've heard numerous people say "hey, he didn't get bit. Why is he a zombie?"

Meanwhile, they're right. Obviously he didn't get bit. He bled to death from his gunshot wounds while down there.

[–] movie_nazi 9 years ago

If you die, whether it be by old age, heart attack, cancer, hit by a car, etc.....u will return as a zombie. That's how the epidemic starts in the first place. The dead simply begin returning to life. There are no bites.

Still how can it be explained that you see so many people in their everyday clothes walking around as zombies. Are you saying all of these people died from heart attacks? Doesn't seem feasible. Like the Hare Krishna guy for example. Dude looked pretty young. You saying he had a heart attack? Committed suicide? Then you had the guy in the softball uniform. A nurse. No visible wounds. The list goes on and on. Just hard to believe ALL of these were natural causes or suicide by poisoning.

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[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

They could've been trampled in a mob, drowned, fallen and hit their head, allergic reaction to something.

There are many, many ways for people to die with no visible marks.

Let's be bad guys.

[–] movie_nazi 9 years ago

They could've been trampled in a mob, drowned, fallen and hit their head, allergic reaction to something.

There are many, many ways for people to die with no visible marks.

True, but there are SO MANY zeds with no wounds. I find it hard to believe that 90% of the world died. And they all died from suicide, heart attacks, disease, etc.

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[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

That's how they die now. Why'd the zombie apocalypse change that?

[–] movie_nazi 9 years ago

They could've been trampled in a mob, drowned, fallen and hit their head, allergic reaction to something.

There are many, many ways for people to die with no visible marks.

True, but there are SO MANY zeds with no wounds. I find it hard to believe that 90% of the world died and they all died from suicide, heart attacks, disease, etc. I mean that figures sounds about right huh? Seems like 90% of the "humans" you see out there are zeds.

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[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

True, but there are SO MANY zeds with no wounds.

No visible wounds. As I said, drowning, trampled, and head injuries wouldn't necessarily leave any wounds you can see.

Let's be bad guys.

[–] wolfmanvsfrankenstein 9 years ago

Seriously? The explanation is the most famous line of the movie. It's the tag line on the posters. When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth. Johnny says something similar in day of the dead - "we are being punishe by the creator. He has visitors a curse on us". And then gives reasons he feels for why.