Feeling a little stupid for asking this but...

[MissJacksonCA]

Does anyone know where the idea for flesh eating zombies comes from? I mean I understand where werewolves started out and the vampire beginnings but what about zombies?

[Debbieangel]

I dont know the answer to your question, but, think of the concept?
It's so simple so scarey thinking a human being dying, your own flesh and blood coming back then eating you? To me that is the scariest idea , and for a film that is why I am so hooked on the genre. It's just soo freaky to think of...ya know what I mean?

[coma]

Romero created it. 100%. NOTLD was a take off on last man on earth, a film about pseudo vampires. He just made them flesh eaters to turn up the hard core value and made them walking dead. They are based on ghouls (which is what they are called by the news in the film) becasue ghouls were an old creature like Vampires or werewolves that ate flesh.
There are no precedents for The GAR Zombie in any media or folklore previously, at least not that Im aware of, in the western canon of traditional monsters

[Danny]

vampires were inspired by diesease and blood based illnesses, they couldnt blame them on germs and interacting with diseased blood since they didnt know so ,of course, it had to be a demon.
i think zombies, in the romero sense, which are technically ghouls, i think that whole zombie idea arose from paranoia of the time, not knowing if someone was a member of the communist party and whatnot, being unsure of who was "the enemy" "even your neighbours" ect.
same thing with invasion of the bodysnatchers.

[coma]

vampires were inspired by diesease and blood based illnesses, they couldnt blame them on germs and interacting with diseased blood since they didnt know so ,of course, it had to be a demon.
i think zombies, in the romero sense, which are technically ghouls, i think that whole zombie idea arose from paranoia of the time, not knowing if someone was a member of the communist party and whatnot, being unsure of who was "the enemy" "even your neighbours" ect.
same thing with invasion of the bodysnatchers.
Except ghouls arent dead. Oroginally they were demons, but then meant cannibal sex criminal types like Jeff Dahmer etc.
The communist Paranoia was the 50s (Body Snatchers) and very eraly 60s. Night was made and concieved way past that era and I doubt strongly GAR has anything like that kind of thinking. He said himself it was inspired by revolution, the new engulfing the old inspired more by counterculture than any Joe McCarthy era stuff. The Flesh eating Undead Romero zombie goes directly to GAR, so his interpretation is what it is, imo.

[MissJacksonCA]

I bought a DVD called Ghouls and it looks like a real independant and low budget movie but it was so god awful I couldn't finish it. And i'm a little upset I own it.

[Danny]

only films i couldnt finish were vampires vs zombies and kill bill.

[Philly_SWAT]

Romero created it. 100%. NOTLD was a take off on last man on earth, a film about pseudo vampires. He just made them flesh eaters to turn up the hard core value and made them walking dead. They are based on ghouls (which is what they are called by the news in the film) becasue ghouls were an old creature like Vampires or werewolves that ate flesh.
There are no precedents for The GAR Zombie in any media or folklore previously, at least not that Im aware of, in the western canon of traditional monsters
Ditto, to all of that.

[MissJacksonCA]

I just fast forwaded through that whole spcheel with the animation about lucy liu

btw if anyone actually wants a copy of ghouls entirely free you just let me know ill see what i can do for you

[capncnut]

I think GAR once said that he got the idea for Night from reading about the practices of zombification in Africa. If my mind serves correctly he said that the idea of something coming back to life and walking around gave him the chills. I might be completely wrong on this but I'm pretty sure he did. I guess it's a toss between him and voodoo legend.

Wait didn't H.P. Lovecraft write "Herbert West - Reanimator" in the early twenties? :skull:

[coma]

I
Wait didn't H.P. Lovecraft write "Herbert West - Reanimator" in the early twenties? :skull:
Yes, but thats more of A Frankenstein takeoff.
Reanimator RULES:evil:

[capncnut]

"Ah, that's it MORE PASSION!" :p

I'm guessing that was the best head she ever recieved.

[CSZ]

Romero was inspired to make NOTLD by "I Am Legend" a Book...and the first zombie movie was White Zombie (1932)

[Danny]

....yeah?, thats kinda common knowledge.

[CSZ]

Romero created it. 100%. NOTLD was a take off on last man on earth, a film about pseudo vampires. He just made them flesh eaters to turn up the hard core value and made them walking dead. They are based on ghouls (which is what they are called by the news in the film) becasue ghouls were an old creature like Vampires or werewolves that ate flesh.
There are no precedents for The GAR Zombie in any media or folklore previously, at least not that Im aware of, in the western canon of traditional monsters
this is what i was responding to....

[coma]

Romero was inspired to make NOTLD by "I Am Legend" a Book...and the first zombie movie was White Zombie (1932)
Je refers to the Book and last man on earth. But NOTLD has many things that look identical to LMOE like the Zombies/Vampires banging on the doors, scared of fire and slow moving. The LMOE is differnt from I Am Legend, the book.
More obviousness, but GAR Zombies are not Haitian Zombies, so the sub genre that White Zombie is in is not the same

[Bertors]

Everywhere on earth and through the ages, man has been afraid of the dead. So in almost every culture there were rituals to "make the dead happy", in reality: Keep them under the sod. Many Scientists say that the custom of putting heavy stones on the graves is due to the fear that the dead might come out and avenge on the living. The flesh eating Zombie as in cinema is in existance all due to the great George A. Romero. And why did he manage to scare us? See above ;)

[CSZ]

Ever think about the link to Jesus and Zombies?....I throw this out ther in fun...don't want to offended anyone...but what about the new testament? Jesus raising from the dead having his disciples eat bread and drink wine as if it was his flesh and his blood....I like what Bertors said.....and coma you make a valid point