Summary
- Zombie movies have long followed the “headshots only” rule, established by Night of the Living Dead over 50 years ago.
- From Zombieland to World War Z, nearly every zombie story adheres to the brain destruction method of killing zombies.
- The “headshot” rule logically makes sense in the context of zombie narratives, where brain activity is crucial for reanimation.
A 56-year-old horror movie’s zombie rule is still prevalent in nearly every story focusing on the undead. Since the zombie subgenre has been around for ages, it accommodates its own set of rules, tropes, and conventions. Some of these conventions have been reused and reinforced over time, while others have been broken and reimagined by revolutionary zombie horror movies that dared to be different.
For instance, instead of featuring the same slow zombies portrayed in every other movie and show, 28 Days Later changed the genre and its creatures by giving them speed, effectively making them more erratic and menacing. However, even though filmmakers like Danny Boyle have attempted to redefine many zombie tropes, some conventions are so deeply ingrained in the subgenre’s DNA that they cannot be changed. One such zombie rule was introduced over five decades ago but has still somehow endured the test of time.
Related
10 Zombie Movies That Broke The Biggest Zombie Movie Rules
The zombie movie genre has several rules, but many examples go against these guidelines, and the results range from disastrous to inspired.
Night Of The Living Dead Started The “Headshots Only” Rule Zombie Stories Still Follow
Zombie Portrayals May Change But The Method Of Killing Them Remains Constant
Night of the Living Dead introduces the idea of killing zombies with “headshots only” through a series of radio and television reports. The reports reveal that a bunch of cannibalistic, mass-murdering corpses are lurking on the East Coast of the United States and can only be killed by heavy blows/gunshots to their heads or by being burnt. By introducing these rules for killing the creatures, Night of the Living Dead paved the way for the zombie sub-genre’s most popular trope, which is now religiously followed by nearly every zombie thriller.
From Zombieland to The Last of Us, almost every zombie movie, show, or game conforms to the headshot rule. Interestingly, in the original World War Z novel, there is no clear explanation for the inception of the central zombie plague. Some of its story elements even suggest it has supernatural connotations. However, despite this, the book stays loyal to the headshot or behead-the-zombies rule, highlighting how Night of the Living Dead established a standard in the zombie genre that transcends different interpretations and takes on the creatures.
The Science Behind The Zombie Headshot Rule Explained
There Is Some Logic For Why Only Headshots Kill Zombies
In many ways, the zombie headshot rule also makes a lot of logical sense. The dead come back to life in most zombie-centric narratives either because a virus or parasite infects them or because a supernatural force seems to take over their bodies. Regardless of how a zombie apocalypse originates, a human’s ability to move is directly linked with their brain function. One’s muscles can only contract or move when the brain sends signals to them through the nervous system.
Without the brain’s ability to send signals to the muscles to move, a
zombie shuts down and returns to being dead again.
Therefore, if a dead person has somehow been reanimated by a virus, parasite, fungi, or supernatural force, there has to be some activity in their brain for them to be able to move. When the brain gets destroyed, the neural signals keeping the zombie animated also die. As a result, without the brain’s ability to send signals to the muscles to move, a zombie shuts down and returns to being dead again.
Night of the Living Dead
George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead did more than just invent the modern zombie, it revolutionized the horror genre. Following a small group of humans who hide in a secluded farmhouse when the dead begin to rise and crave human flesh, Night of the Living Dead examines the relationship between humanity and paranoia in times of crisis.
- Director
- George A. Romero
- Release Date
- October 4, 1968
- Distributor(s)
- Walter Reade
- Writers
- George A. Romero , John A. Russo
- Cast
- Judith O’Dea , Kyra Schon , Duane Jones , Marilyn Eastman , Karl Hardman
- Runtime
- 96 minutes
- Franchise(s)
- Living Dead
- Budget
- $114 thousand
