What do you love about zombie films?

[October Black]

Hey everyone,

I'm working on a script for a feature length zombie film and I want to know - What do you love about zombie films?

Also, what is your most hated cliche that pops up in current zombie films?

Thanks in advance for any feedback you throw my way.

[MyLittleHellhound]

Put in survivor conflict emotionally and such also because zombie killing will get monotonous after a while.

[Grovyle]

One thing in all zombie movies I've seen:

Zombie surprise attacks main male character's wife/girlfriend and he screams 'NOOOOOOOO!!!' Then shoots all of his pistol ammo into the zombie's body. It dies, he goes over to the girl and holds her up with one arm. She says something, then dies/turns into zombie.

[Faust]

Zombie flicks are always one of the other:

1) Man, I am a BA MF!

2) I am a weakling virgin and don't like killing zombies.

What people never tend to hit is the sweet spot of pure fear. You are human, so you are going to be afraid, but we also dont want some 14-year-old girl screaming her head off. You need to generate a fear that would feel in the bit of your stomach, like you swallowed a block of ice. Not the "dude got his head cut off" fear. The, "walks down the stairs to get a drink, fridge is open and light is on. You shut the door and find yourself in the darkness of your **** please report this topic, post **** wondering exactly what opened the door in the first place" fear!

Also make the reaction of your characters believe-able. We dont need the cowboy, the sassy young girl, the geek, the normal family man... Just forget all those. Those suck. I want someone who has just as much as an inner identity as an out appearance. Half of what we know about a character should be figured out, not told. Dont tell us his parents died at Yonkers. Show him space out when the others talk about it, the when they ask if he is alright, give it the old "Y--... Yeah, I'll be fine. Uh... Fine."

The entire mood should be felt out of that space below your stomach deep in your rips, that "Oh shit" feeling.

[Daveyjone]

Don't do the obvious characterisation, you know:

"I'm the main character who has emotional demons which are surfaced and delt with while the story progresses..."

"I'm the rival to the main character who goes against every choice untill the end where I make up with him and we befriend eachother..."

"I'm the main character's best friend who dies just before the end, usually sacrificing myself to save him..."

"I'm the dude in the background who dies first when he goes to check somewhere in the dark on his own..."

And focus more on shock value, resident evil and 28 days later has created a fast running-infected-virus created-this could happen style feel to zombies, go back to the original fear factor, like NDU, dark, moans, slow shamble. Things that make you jump!

And the most important rule! Don't make it obvious! Tension building music and scenes should be anti climatic... then the shock happens when you least expect it, midway through a conversation a zombie attacks!

P.S. If cloverfield has taught us anything, ot's that you don't need the monster/zombie present to have a scary film, it only turns up in about 5 scenes, the rest of them are in my view the most scary!