Zombies have shambled through our collective imagination for centuries, evolving from Haitian folklore into a cornerstone of modern horror and popular culture. Whether exploring their origins in voodoo traditions, their reinvention by George A. Romero, or their endless variations across film, literature, and games, the zombie remains a blank canvas for our deepest anxieties about death, disease, and loss of self. Test your knowledge of the undead and discover how these relentless creatures have shaped the way we tell stories about survival and humanity.
▶ Play today's quizIn zombie fiction, what condition makes a creature a zombie?
Source: The word came from Haitian Vodou, where a 'zonbi' was a corpse reanimated by a sorcerer.
What body part do zombies famously crave in pop culture?
Source: The 'braaains' craving was invented for the 1985 comedy The Return of the Living Dead, not Romero's films.
Which classic method is most reliable for killing a fictional zombie?
Source: A headshot works because most lore makes the brain the only thing keeping the corpse moving.
Which AMC series follows survivors after a zombie apocalypse?
Source: It began as a black-and-white comic in 2003, years before becoming a record-breaking TV hit.
In Michael Jackson's 'Thriller', what do the dancers portray?
Source: The 1983 short film cost half a million dollars, an unheard-of music-video budget at the time.
Which video game series pits plants against the undead in your garden?
Source: Its creator built it after watching his real backyard get overrun by hungry critters.
A slow, shuffling movie zombie is often called what?
Source: Romero insisted his zombies stay slow, calling fast ones a betrayal of the genre.
In most fiction, how does a human typically become a zombie?
Source: The viral 'bite spreads infection' rule owes more to rabies than to any real folklore.
Which 2013 Brad Pitt film features a global zombie pandemic?
Source: Its swarming, climbing zombies were built almost entirely with CGI rather than crowds of extras.
In which country did the original zombie folklore tradition arise?
Source: The fear was less of being eaten than of being enslaved as a soulless laborer after death.
Which director's 1968 film launched the modern zombie genre?
Source: Night of the Living Dead never even used the word 'zombie'; its monsters were called 'ghouls'.
What infected agent turns people into the rage-filled in '28 Days Later'?
Source: Director Danny Boyle's 'infected' are technically alive, which is why purists debate calling them zombies.
Which mode added zombies to the 'Call of Duty' franchise in 2008?
Source: It started as a hidden bonus unlocked after finishing World at War's campaign, then became a phenomenon.
In 'The Walking Dead', what nickname do survivors use for zombies?
Source: Different groups in the show coin their own slang, a detail showing how isolated the survivors have become.
Which fungus inspired the infection in 'The Last of Us'?
Source: The real fungus genuinely hijacks insect brains, steering ants to die in spots ideal for spreading spores.
Which 2016 South Korean film traps survivors with zombies on a train?
Source: Its zombies can't see in the dark, so tunnels become tense hide-and-seek battlegrounds.
What is the chemical reputed to create 'real' zombies in Haitian Vodou?
Source: The same nerve toxin is found in pufferfish, the prized but deadly Japanese delicacy fugu.
Which Simon Pegg comedy parodies the zombie genre in a London suburb?
Source: Its title is a pun on Romero's Dawn of the Dead, which Pegg has called his favorite film.
Which ethnobotanist's book on Haitian zombies became a 1988 horror film?
Source: His book The Serpent and the Rainbow argued Vodou 'zombies' were victims poisoned into a paralyzed daze.
In Romero's 'Dawn of the Dead', where do the survivors take refuge?
Source: The mall setting was a sharp jab at consumerism, with zombies mindlessly shuffling toward stores out of habit.