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| − | '''Zombies''' are the reanimated [[corpse]]s of dead persons. The phrase originates with the [[Voodoo]] religion of the [[Caribbean]], where it is alleged, due to the historically high mortalities among living [[slavery|slave]] labourers, zombies were procured to work on plantations. In fact these zombies may actually have been living [[abduction|abductees]]; an extract of toxins from the [[puffer fish]] is believed to have been used in their preparation, rendering them tractable, speechless and impervious to sensations such as pain and fatigue. | + | The fictional creatures known as '''Zombies''' are the reanimated [[corpse]]s of dead persons. |
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| − | Zombies commonly feature in a popular sub-genre of [[horror film]]s, such as ''[[Night of the Living Dead]]''. Cinematic zombies are frequently portrayed as mindless, lurching, animated cadavers animated only by an unquenchable lust for blood and human [[brain]]s, and are typically only despatched by [[decapitation]] or a [[gun]]shot to the head.
| + | =History= |
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| − | Zombies are also common antagonists in [[fantasy]] [[role-playing game]]s, often being reanimated by [[necromancy|necromantic]] [[magic]]ians. | + | The phrase originates with the [[Voodoo]] religion of the [[Caribbean]], where it is alleged, due to the historically high mortalities among living [[slavery|slave]] labourers, zombies were procured to work on plantations. In fact these zombies may actually have been living [[abduction|abductees]]; an extract of toxins from the [[puffer fish]] is believed to have been used in their preparation, rendering them tractable, speechless and impervious to sensations such as pain and fatigue. |
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| | + | =In Popular Culture= |
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| | + | Zombies commonly feature in a popular sub-genre of [[horror film]]s, such as ''[[Night of the Living Dead]]''. Cinematic zombies are frequently portrayed as mindless, lurching, animated cadavers animated only by an unquenchable lust for blood and human [[brain]]s, and can typically be put down permanently only by means of [[decapitation]] or a [[gun]]shot to the head. Moreover, they are usually able to spread their condition by a mere bite, causing anyone so injured to turn into a zombie in a matter of hours. These so-called "rules" were established by the highly successfull "Dead" series by George A. Romero. |
| | + | Zombies are also common antagonists in [[fantasy]] [[role-playing game]]s, often being reanimated by [[necromancy|necromantic]] [[magic]]ians, where they are also usually classified as [[undead]] beings, and thus certain people, such as clerics, are able to utterly annihilate them with pure faith alone. |
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| | + | *Famous movies involving zombies:<br /> |
| | + | Night of the Living Dead<br /> |
| | + | Dawn of the Dead<br /> |
| | + | Day of the Dead<br /> |
| | + | Land of the Dead<br /> |
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| | + | *Famous videogames involving Zombies:<br /> |
| | + | Resident Evil series (various platforms)<br /> |
| | + | Dead Rising (Xbox360)<br /> |
| | + | House of the Dead (Arcade)<br /> |
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| | + | =Other uses= |
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| | In computer terminology, a '''Zombie''' is a computer which has been infected by malware, usually without the owner suspecting anything, and made to perform as a server for spam or other malicious content, thus isolating the original bad actor from a trace by law enforcement. A large percentage of junk email and [[phishing]] attempts are transmitted by zombie networks. | | In computer terminology, a '''Zombie''' is a computer which has been infected by malware, usually without the owner suspecting anything, and made to perform as a server for spam or other malicious content, thus isolating the original bad actor from a trace by law enforcement. A large percentage of junk email and [[phishing]] attempts are transmitted by zombie networks. |