zombie

A zombie is a fictional undead creature, typically depicted as a reanimated corpse or other being with diminished autonomy and limited cognitive function. In most portrayals, they move slowly and are driven by a basic impulse—often hunger for living tissue—and are difficult to destroy. Variants may be mindless crowds, fast predators, or sapient antagonists, depending on the source.

Origins lie in Haitian Vodou and Caribbean folklore, where a bokor is said to revive a dead body and impose control. The term zombi comes from Haitian Creole, borrowed from West African languages; the precise roots are debated. Western zombie lore began to take shape in the 20th century, and was popularized in film by works such as George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968), which helped establish many modern conventions.

In media, zombies serve as vehicles for exploring contagion, loss of autonomy, social collapse, and consumerism. They appear across films, television, comics, and games, with wide variation: slow versus fast movements, brain-eaters versus disease-driven hordes, and supernatural versus scientific explanations such as viruses, fungi, radiation, or curses.

Scholars study zombie narratives to understand cultural anxieties and storytelling functions. While fiction entertains, discussions about real pathogens and parasites often address how biology can influence behavior, without producing true undead. The zombie remains a flexible cultural symbol whose meaning shifts with its medium and context.