Decapitation kills?

[SRP76]

You have to smash the head after cutting it off. Otherwise, the head can still use the stump of neck that's still attached to it to roll itself after you, and chew on your ankles.

[dracenstein]

In Len Barnhart's Reign of the Dead, a character beheads a zombie and is later bitten by that zombie. A decapitated, and still functional, zombie head is probably more dangerous than an upright zombie. You are just not looking for it. Going kinda off-topic, to living people being decapitated, there was a statistic somewhere (which I have forgotten), where one head in six or seven was still 'alive' after the decapitation. Nobody really knows how long a decap head can live for (somewhere between two and five minutes is the 'educated' guess) until the brain dies of oxygen starvation. That's bad, knowing you are dead and you are still aware! Years ago, I saw a short film on this subject, a woman apparently survives a car crash, and it's basically a monologue of her thoughts as she lies apparently paralysed, until the end when a passing motorist stops and puts his jacket over her head. Wish I could remember the name of it. It was a good film.

[Neil]

A note from a U.S. Army veteran who had been stationed in Korea. In June 1989 the taxi he and a friend were riding in collided with a truck. He was pinned in the wreckage and his friend was decapitated. Here's what happened:- My friend's head came to rest face up, and (from my angle) upside-down. As I watched, his mouth opened and closed no less than two times. The facial expressions he displayed were first of shock or confusion, followed by terror or grief. I cannot exaggerate and say that he was looking all around, but he did display ocular movement in that his eyes moved from me, to his body, and back to me. He had direct eye contact with me when his eyes took on a hazy, absent expression . . . and he was dead.

[Redman6565]

Yea, you have to take out the brain. In Day they learned the only thing still working was some aspect of the brain all other orgins ceased to function which makes me ask this question. Why is it when you shoot a zombie in the head blood splatters all over the place?

[jim102016]

No, it was alive. Remember, Sarah tried to shoot it but Billy stopped her. Johnson's head couldn't have been "alive" in the lab.....he wasn't bitten while he was still living. He died a quick death thanks to Miller's rifle while they were rounding up some bodies at the corral. Those wires running into his head must have been manipulating his mouth and eyes. I guess Sarah was just upset to see his head in the lab instead of their makeshift morgue or graveyard A note from a U.S. Army veteran who had been stationed in Korea. In June 1989 the taxi he and a friend were riding in collided with a truck. He was pinned in the wreckage and his friend was decapitated. Here's what happened:- I've always heard it's a trip to be stationed in Korea

[Redman6565]

Johnson's head couldn't have been "alive" in the lab.....he wasn't bitten while he was still living. He died a quick death thanks to Miller's rifle while they were rounding up some bodies at the corral. Those wires running into his head must have been manipulating his mouth and eyes. I guess Sarah was just upset to see his head in the lab instead of their makeshift morgue or graveyard I've always heard it's a trip to be stationed in Korea I thought he was doing some motor skills stuff with the wires. I have to watch that again tonight. I don't care what anybody says Day is a really good movie. For me this one was just as good as Dawn. I wish GAR could have done his original script. 'You gotta love the ol doc'. I think he is GAR's best character.

[clanglee]

I can't resist. . . . . . "Git that damn Screwdriver out Of mah Head!!!"

[AnxietyDilemma]

Yea, you have to take out the brain. In Day they learned the only thing still working was some aspect of the brain all other orgins ceased to function which makes me ask this question. Why is it when you shoot a zombie in the head blood splatters all over the place? And why is it that Bub drools and blinks? Ok I know the latter, it was a live actor not thinking about that aspect, but the drooling was in the script. You mean to tell me a re-animated corpse has the ability to produce saliva? But seriously, could you imagine the damage a dry eyelid would do to an already damaged eye when a corpse blinks?

[Yojimbo]

Johnson's head couldn't have been "alive" in the lab.....he wasn't bitten while he was still living. He died a quick death thanks to Miller's rifle while they were rounding up some bodies at the corral. Those wires running into his head must have been manipulating his mouth and eyes. I guess Sarah was just upset to see his head in the lab instead of their makeshift morgue or graveyard Jim, according to Romero's rules, anyone who dies becomes one of them. They will reanimate regardless of being bitten or not. So Miller's head could have been legitmately "living dead" even if he died by gunshot wound as opposed to a bite. Why is it when you shoot a zombie in the head blood splatters all over the place? When you shoot a human body which contains fluid blood, blood will splatter. Even more so if there is an exit wound. Whether it will splatter to the degree that is shown in the movies is something entirely different, but there will be some splatter to some degree. Even if there is no exit wound, fluid dyanamics are such that blood will splatter outward in the direction that the shot came from. I would guess that if you took a shot at an embalmed corpse that there would be a similar splatter of formaldahyde mixed with residual blood.

[EvilNed]

Johnson's head couldn't have been "alive" in the lab.....he wasn't bitten while he was still living. So? You do know that anyone who dies becomes a zombie, right? Getting bit will only turn you into a zombie that much sooner. Johnny in Night of the Living Dead is the first example of this. He was never bitten, but he turned into a zombie. The suicide guy in Land? Turned into a zombie, never bitten. Johnson? Shot to death. Turned into zombie.

[Redman6565]

Jim, according to Romero's rules, anyone who dies becomes one of them. They will reanimate regardless of being bitten or not. So Miller's head could have been legitmately "living dead" even if he died by gunshot wound as opposed to a bite. When you shoot a human body which contains fluid blood, blood will splatter. Even more so if there is an exit wound. Whether it will splatter to the degree that is shown in the movies is something entirely different, but there will be some splatter to some degree. Even if there is no exit wound, fluid dyanamics are such that blood will splatter outward in the direction that the shot came from. I would guess that if you took a shot at an embalmed corpse that there would be a similar splatter of formaldahyde mixed with residual blood. Here is why I asked that question. Based on everything you learn in the GAR movies all the orgins in a zombie no longer function. They would have no fluids in there heads it would all be in their lower legs and feet. If the heart no longer is pumping blood then gravity would take over and pull it downward. There would be no blood to splatter from their heads when you shoot them.

[Yojimbo]

Here is why I asked that question. Based on everything you learn in the GAR movies all the orgins in a zombie no longer function. They would have no fluids in there heads it would all be in their lower legs and feet. If the heart no longer is pumping blood then gravity would take over and pull it downward. There would be no blood to splatter from their heads when you shoot them. It is true that some of the blood will sink to the lower extremeties causing the bruise-like marks of lividity, however without some sort of pumping action or force, there are areas of the circulatory system that would still have blood trapped within. When they embalm a body, for example, they have to pump fluid into the body to remove the blood, which trickles out of the body through an incision. Even in cases of exsanguination, there still remains blood and fluid. I do, however see your point and agree that, while there would still be some residual blood, there would not be all that much left to spurt forth. What we see on the films, I believe is likely just done to make it look more gory and dramatic than something that represents reality.

[clanglee]

It is true that some of the blood will sink to the lower extremeties causing the bruise-like marks of lividity, however without some sort of pumping action or force, there are areas of the circulatory system that would still have blood trapped within. When they embalm a body, for example, they have to pump fluid into the body to remove the blood, which trickles out of the body through an incision. Even in cases of exsanguination, there still remains blood and fluid. I do, however see your point and agree that, while there would still be some residual blood, there would not be all that much left to spurt forth. What we see on the films, I believe is likely just done to make it look more gory and dramatic than something that represents reality. You have a creepy job Jimbo.

[Redman6565]

It is true that some of the blood will sink to the lower extremeties causing the bruise-like marks of lividity, however without some sort of pumping action or force, there are areas of the circulatory system that would still have blood trapped within. When they embalm a body, for example, they have to pump fluid into the body to remove the blood, which trickles out of the body through an incision. Even in cases of exsanguination, there still remains blood and fluid. I do, however see your point and agree that, while there would still be some residual blood, there would not be all that much left to spurt forth. What we see on the films, I believe is likely just done to make it look more gory and dramatic than something that represents reality. It can't spurt forth when the heart isn't pumping. I get what you are saying about liquid being left in the head but we are talking about dead folks walking around. Which would make all the liquid slid down into theirlower legs and feet. Last year I was inside of 24 hrs of being dead myself. My red blood count was 2.5. Stupid me thougt I was fighting the flu bug for around 7 weeks. Any way I started getting swelling. Then all heck broke lose. I had just under 40 lbs of liquid in my feet and legs. Lucky for me I'm better but they still don't know what caused of my problem. I get blood work done every 4 months now, beats every month. I was a real life zombie. They have no idea how I wasn't in a coma. But gravity really works when you're up and walking around and you body stops doing what it does. Everything goes right to your feet.

[jim102016]

So? You do know that anyone who dies becomes a zombie, right? Getting bit will only turn you into a zombie that much sooner. Johnny in Night of the Living Dead is the first example of this. He was never bitten, but he turned into a zombie. The suicide guy in Land? Turned into a zombie, never bitten. Johnson? Shot to death. Turned into zombie. Good point, I think I last watched one of those Resident Evil movies. Different universe altogether. Another good example is that dumb bastard who hung himself in Land'. But, I have something in mind that forbids me from applying that idea completely. Just thought about this, but what about Major Cooper? We see that guy almost naked on the table, no visible marks or indication of how he died. Dr. Logan cut his face off, so we see that the major's brains are also in tact. Makes me wonder if he didn't just die of some natural cause and not come back? If he came back and his men shot him in the head to put him down for good, the inside of Cooper's skull would have looked like vegetable soup. Cooper would have been useless to Logan's experiment, wouldn't he?