Vampires vs. Zombies: Why Brain-Eating is Better than Blood-Sucking
With the recent arrival of Left 4 Dead to consoles and Twilight to theaters, I began to ponder an age-old question. No, it’s not why text message shortcuts for words have worked their way into zombie-themed game titles, or even why audiences are able to stomach another “youth vampire” film after The Lost Boys: The Tribe’s straight-to-video release earlier this year, but rather, “Who’s scarier: zombies or vampires?” Allow me to explain why zombies are the more frightening, and ultimately superior, of the two.
Sometimes, I think a good sense of humor is a necessity for horror directors. If they can’t laugh about severed heads strewn across the screen, then their films will have no personality. Xbox Live’s new Independent Video Channel further supports my theory with its recent launch of “Horror Meets Comedy”: a series of downloadable comedy shorts, which allows horror directors to make audiences chuckle instead of scream for once.
I’m a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to movies and video games. I’ll admit, I cover my eyes or look away during the suspenseful parts of a movie, and I’ve even turned off the console after getting surprised by an enemy in Resident Evil. With all the Halloween hubbub going around, there’s been a lot of talk of horror and video games.
Ghosts, demons, and zombies have been part of gaming since the beginning. Though they take on different forms in the hands of different developers, they all have one thing in common: they can no longer be counted among the living. Here is a ranking of some outstanding members. Drag your dead bodies off the floor and be recognized.