152 insights into my soul

Just saw the midnight showing of 28 Weeks Later w/ ND. I thought it was pretty cool. Of course, its always amusing to watch really late showings of horror movies. That makes the drive home in the empty, darkened streets extra creepy. And of course, the automatic garage light doesn't come on for some reason.

Also, when did that become the horror/monster movie sequel formula to have the second one full of military action? I mean, movie one is always small scale, small group of survivors just trying to well, survive. But movie two always involves military or heavy armed police units taking on the enemies of the first. If I could describe 28 Days Later in one word? Chaos!

( 28 Weeks Later )

In any case, while I enjoyed the movie, I still think fast moving zombies are cheating. Zombies have the numbers and the hard to put down-ness. If they can move as fast as people too, then that's not fair, their win is inevitable! How're people expected to survive against that!?

Weird, flicking through the channels as I type this up, Boy Meets World is on Disney. So Topanga's sick and she allows Corey to go to some party without her, only its just him and Shawn and two hotties, played by Lindsay Mckeon, aka Katie on SBTB:TNC, aka Taylor James on OTH aka station manager Trish on VM, aka hottie who's grampa died in the bar in Its Always Sunny in Philidelphia and Elizabeth Harnois, aka the Point Pleasant Chick, aka Clean Teen Shelley on OTH. (I'm like a walking IMDb repository!) Although they're a little young here. Woah, I just looked it up (I know a bunch, but I don't have IMDb memorized!) and the ep was in 95, making Miss Clean Tean around 16, but Katie was only 13-14. Holy geez, she doesn't look anywhere close to that young! Yikes, talk about a ticket straight to jail!

But I digress. If you're quarantining a city for a zombie outbreak, you need to set up heavy fortifications around the exits to the city! And if there's too many exits, you have to destroy them- collapse tunnels and bridges, etc, and make choke points. The key features should be slowing down the monster movement, and layers of supporting fire!

Yeah, have a big wall at the end with only one gate, but in front of that, build it like they did the beaches in WWII, put up obstacles that the zombies have to get around. That way they have to move a circuitous path to get to the exit, slowing them down and giving you more time to mow them down with your weaponry. And unlike soldiers, they're dumber, and won't try to take cover! Perhaps lay down staggered walls of barbed wire topped fences/concrete slabs that one has to zig zag through. Making it just one long fence, they're more likely to just bunch up and knock it down with sheer force. But if you create a flow, they're less likely to just charge headlong and try to push down the walls, instead travelling through the paths and being like fish in a barrel for your weapons!

Weapons should be heavy and medium caliber machine guns supported by automatic grenade launchers and light explosive weapons and snipers. Its all about fields of fire! You have the heavy machine guns and auto grenade launchers doing most of the work, but in case some manage to slip through, you have another field of withering automatic fire from the medium caliber machine guns to cut down those. With a field of automatic weapons fire going out to 2000m, and another at 800-1000m, you don't lose your longer ranged field of protective fire trying to pull back and take out the guys who managed to get through. And you leave your snipers and guys with rocket launchers to pick off the really lucky ones. Their only job to watch for people who get past the two fields of fire and taking them out.

Anyways, rules for surviving zombie outbreaks:

1) Dress appropriately! Something protective, but easy to move in. Long sleeves and light padding to protect from bites and scratches. Nothing too heavy though, heavy protection that you can't run in will only give the zombies a chance to catch up and overbear you.

2) If you have guns, only engage at 100m and beyond and 25-30m only. Otherwise, run, fool! If you're in the middle outbreak, ammo is prolly scarce, and you should conserve it. Zombies are dumb, they don't take cover when fired at, so there's no such thing as suppressive fire. Watch their vectors (i.e., speed and direction!) Beyond 100m, you might want to pick off single attackers with carefully aimed rifle fire, or amongst large groups, the zombies who seem to be in the lead/moving faster than the others. Between 30 and 100m, you're better off running and getting as far away as you can. Don't fire back until they're within nominal handgun/shotgun engagement ranges to ensure you actually hit them and not waste your bullets!

3) If you shout at an unknown and they don't respond, run or shoot them. If they don't answer you the first time, they're not going to answer you the second time, so don't stand around like an idiot and get eaten!

4) When exploring a house, DO make as much noise as you can. There's no point in sneaking around a house if its already occupied by zombies. You want to attract any hiding monsters to draw them out and kill them so you can clear out the place and use it. Don't venture deep into an unknown location without having a beeline for a quick exit! Stay in rooms with lots of exits/room to manuever and draw them to you. Don't be an idiot and go into a dark cranny or alcove so you can get ambushed!

If you follow those rules, you're more likely to survive! I know, I've clearly though about this way too much.