Because zombies will eat our brains and we need research 

There’s an odd interest surrounding zombies, as evidenced by the number of series and movies that have filled theater and television screens throughout recent years. Maybe it’s the impending doom that’s so tightly grabbed our attention or maybe it’s having to consider what we would do in that situation.

How far would we go to save our loved ones? How far would we go to save ourselves? Would we even survive?

We may not have the answers now, but we do have some great character references to go on.

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Night of the Living Dead (1990)

After innocently visiting their mother’s grave, siblings Barbara and Johnnie come into contact with a zombie and Johnnie is killed defending his sister. Barbara flees the cemetery, seeks shelter in a farmhouse and runs into a man named Ben. The two discover other survivors and, as a group, they must decide how best to survive the increasing number of zombies.

But individual beliefs crash and all comes to an exciting climax when one of them turns into a zombie—and her parents will do anything to keep her safe.

Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

After a night of drowning his sorrows (brought on by a breakup, distance from his stepfather and disrespect from his colleagues), Shaun and his housemate Ed wake up to a London overwhelmed by a zombie apocalypse. They make their way to the Winchester bar after picking up their loved ones and must keep the place fortified of any attack.

In the commotion, Ed is bitten, Shaun’s mother dies and there are—strangely enough—laughs all around.

Dawn Of The Dead (2004)

All seems well when Ana Clark returns home from a long shift in the hospital, but her and her husband Luis woken up by their daughter Vivian. When Luis gets up from bed to check on her, Vivian bites him on the neck. Ana quickly locks her daughter out of the room and then makes her way out of the house when she discovers that Luis rises and attacks her.

Once outside, Ana realizes her entire community is in a panic. It is soon made clear that humanity is experiencing the start of its downfall, with major cities in states of war and riot. Ana and some other survivors seek refuge in an abandoned mall, where they must fight each other and the impending horde of zombies in order to survive.

World War Z (2013)

Ex-UN employee Garry Lane and his wife Karin are with their two daughters when their city is suddenly overcome by zombies. The Lanes seek refuge in an apartment in New Jersey until an old friend of Gary’s, UN Deputy Secretary-General Thierry Umutoni, demands Garry’s help to sold the origin of the zombie outbreak. In order to secure his family’s safety, he reluctantly agrees.

What follows is a story of survival, observation and human instinct. Garry must use all of his skills to safe mankind from seemingly inevitable ruin. 

Train To Busan (2016)

Workaholic Seok-woo is on a train with his daughter, Su-an. The two are on their way to Busan to visit Su-an’s mother and they share the train with Sang-hwa and his pregnant mother, Seong-kyeong. As the train is about to depart, a woman who has a bite wound on her leg boards.

Moments later, that woman becomes a zombie and attacks a train attendant, thereby spreading the infection. The unharmed passengers try to survive against all odds, including a derailed train and thousands of zombies on the attack. In the end, the story is about sacrifice, love and selflessness.

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The Walking Dead (2010)

Zombies (a.k.a walkers) have started to take over the world, eating humans and attracted by noise. Every human they bite or even scratch are turned into walkers, making them deadly. To make matters worse, it is later found out that all humans carry a particular pathogen, which turns them into walkers no matter what their cause of death.

Deputy Rick Grimes wakes up to this zombie apocalypse and puts it upon himself to lead a group of survivors from Atlanta, Georgia. But while they fight off zombies and fend for themselves, they must also be careful to ensure their safety against other groups of humans who will do anything to endure the breakout.

In the Flesh (2013)

In the fictional world of Roarton, Lancashire, it is 2010 and the world has staved off the onslaught of zombies and normalcy is making its way back into society. Nevertheless, zombies are still abound and are only kept at bay by military officers.

Then a scientific solution is found, one that brings the old consciousness of the undead back and allows them to identify with their former selves. The zombies are gathered, forcibly medicated, given cosmetic aid and are reintroduced back into society. And while the program is a hopeful one, the sufferers of “Partially Deceased Syndrome” are haunted by the atrocities they committed while undead.

Santa Clarita Diet (2017)

Once a standard suburban woman living the suburban wife/mother life, Sheila starts to vomit yellow liquid while showing a house to some clients. Concerned, husband Joel brings her to the emergency room but the two leave when the hospital is slow to give them attention. Once home, the couple figures out that Sheila is both dead and undead at the same time and needs to keep feeding on humans to stay alive.

The story explodes from there: Sheila kills a co-worker named Gary, the family needs to cover up the murder and must decide what lengths they’ll go to in order to keep her "alive."

Binge watch the first season of Santa Clarita Diet and figure out how Sheila, Joel and their two kids keep their situation on the low-down on Netflix with Globe.

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So, who do you see yourself in?