Night of the Living Dead: Surprising Tactics Employed By Ghouls
By Wade Wainio
They’re often called zombies, but in George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, they are called “ghouls” — and ghouls are often more tactical than given credit for.
What are some of the tactics employed by these mindless, wandering, man-eating ghouls?
1. Trying To Open A Car Door / Using Objects to Smash Things
Ghouls are by no means solitary hunters, and seem to instinctively gather in packs, herds (or clumps, as I’ve decided to call them). Is this a sign of intelligence? Yeah, sure, why not? If zombies are taken singularly, they would hardly stand a chance in the average scuffle.
Plus, it would be easier for snipers to pick them off. While they can still be taken out in herds, it is harder to accomplish on a one-by-one basis. Think of it this way: If confronted by a massive wave of re-animated corpses, even a machine gun would have to be waved around too and fro. There is definitely a tactical advantage to zombie herds.
Credit: Public Domain
Ghouls be ghoulin’.
4. Avoiding Fire
Night of the Living Dead ghouls not only avoid fire, but they seem to downright fear the stuff. While this proves advantagous to Ben and the rest, it also makes sense for the ghouls. Fire could presumably kill a ghoul by frying its brain, right? More basically, it hints at an instinctive, primordial fear of something remembered to cause harm. Plus, the brightness of flame could seem chaotic, mysterious, and like an unknown obstacle to even the stupidest zombie. While avoiding fire doesn’t require a genius, it is a sign of intelligence.
via Public Domain
Feeling hot hot hot.
5. Destroying Things That Are Annoying
Not only do ghouls try to break through boarded up windows and doors, but they seem to be annoyed by things like power and telephone lines that get in their way.
6. Eating Animals and Insects
In some poignant scenes, the ghouls eat non-human things, such as mice and bugs. Hey, don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it!
7. Eating Burnt Human Flesh
Night of the Living Dead is fairly famous for its ridiculous car explosion scene, in which Tom (Keith Wayne) and Judy (Judith Ridley) perish. However, ghouls are a frugal non-people, who never let food go to waste! So, rather than being terrified by the scene of a recent explosion, the intrepid undead wait until the flames die down, then swoop in for quite a feast — yum yum! And why not? Cooked meat is often preferable to the raw stuff. And who knows? Maybe the ghouls could eventually learn about barbecue sauce.
8. Being Drawn To Sound
Sure, being able to locate and venture toward sound doesn’t make one Einstein, but it’s a start. Also, this leads to an interesting debate: Were the Night of the Living Dead survivors smarter or stupider than the ghouls? After all, they spent so much time arguing and noisily hammering boards that it was practically like ringing the dinner bell.
Think of it this way: If you were a ghoul, wouldn’t you be drawn to all that sound? Sure, under normal circumstances you’d just yell, “What’s with all the noise?! Some people have to work in the morning, you know!” But I bet that, deep down, part of you wants to just gnaw at their flesh until the noise stops. This might sound Jeff Foxworthy-esque, but hey, you might be a ghoul!
9. Knowing When To Leave Places
As with other suggestions, this doesn’t mean a ghoul is brilliant. Still, it suggests a fair level of intelligence. If ghouls truly had no brains whatsoever, they would pretty much never get anywhere. They’d probably just walk in circles all day long, and probably never capture a desired prey item. However, the average ghoul seems considerably smarter than that. They’s probably get lost in a Shining-style garden maze, but who knows? Maybe they’d have the good sense to get out of one. The point is, don’t underestimate a ghoul’s ability to find you, and don’t overestimate your ability to leave them.
via Public Domain
Johnny wasn’t totally mindless. If he was, he would just stayed there in the grave yard. Right?
10. Having Basic Coordination
Yes, ghouls wander pretty listlessly, looking languid and semi-drunk at best. However, that they have any coordination at all is fairly impressive. After all, these are dead creatures — or only semi-living, or undead, or whatever you wish to call them. They have a basic understanding of the forward dynamics of their own movement (or something like that).
Frankly, I’ve seem living people who move worse than these pathetic ghouls — and some don’t have one third of the excuses! Sure, a ghoul can’t do complex things like texting while driving, but it’s probably smarter that they don’t. Be like a ghoul, not like a fool: Don’t text and drive!
11. Using a Tool
After Karen (Kyra Schon) dies and re-animates, she eventually kills her mother (Marilyn Eastman) with a masonry trowel. That’s right — another ghoul with a tool! Yes, it’s a tragic and seriously brutal scene, but it’s also instructive for those who denounce zombies as just being dumb. Sure, they’re not brilliant, but if you’re cornered in a basement and there are stabbing weapons around, they might seem pretty damn smart pretty damn quick. Capiche?
via Public Domain
More proof that we need ghoul control legislation.
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Fan of George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead? Jump in on this conversation by sharing your thoughts on the classic film in the comments below.