Zombieverse: What are the zombies based on?

Though zombies are a very specific type of antagonist, there are many variants within this exciting horror arena – so, what are the zombies in Netflix’s Zombieverse based on?

The realm of zombie lore has evolved significantly over the decades, and with it, a host of types have shuffled, sprinted, and clawed their way onto screens. 

Some of the types include: the slow-moving but relentless Romero classics, as seen in Night of the Living Dead; the terrifying speed demons, à la Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later; the graphic, rotted variants presented in The Walking Dead; and the ever-controversial romantic walkers from Warm Bodies.

But what about Zombieverse? The unscripted Netflix series sees celebrity contestants thrust into an apocalyptic world filled with flesh-eating fiends, and there’s a reason why the zombies look so familiar. 

Zombieverse: What are the zombies based on?

Netflix confirmed that the undead are brought to life in Zombieverse thanks to a collaboration between the art and choreography teams behind the respective Netflix zombie shows All of Us Are Dead and Kingdom. As such, they share many of the same features as the walkers seen in these series.

For instance, the zombies in both Zombieverse and All of Us Are Dead have a heightened sense of hearing but their vision isn’t as strong as a human’s. The contestants in Zombieverse figure this out pretty early on and use it to their advantage by throwing items onto the floor to distract the walkers and carry out the tasks of their quest. 

Speaking of which, the zombies aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed, and they can easily be outwitted. Although what they lack in smarts they make up for in numbers, hence why the Zombieverse team have to keep coming up with calculated plans to overcome them. 

Another feature they share with the All of Us Are Dead antagonists is their physical appearance. Once infected, blood vessels become visible on their face and their eyes become bloodshot, with some turning completely white. 

The infection also moves pretty fast. Once a person is bitten, it can transform them into a flesh-eater in anywhere between a few seconds to a few minutes. In other words, there’s not a lot of thinking time – and it’s anyone’s guess as to whether they’ll get killed or infected. 

As for Kingdom, much like any zombie property, Zombieverse’s iterations are similarly vicious and aggressive towards those who aren’t contaminated. But it’s the expert choreography that joins these two shows together.

In an article about Kingdom, Mashable previously wrote: “I really can’t stress enough how well choreographed the action is. In some horror properties, like AMC’s The Walking Dead, bites and fights can feel a little campy or overdone at times, but Kingdom always feels both grounded in the fantasy yet impressive.”

Although Zombieverse is a completely different style to Kingdom in that it is an unscripted show (mostly), you can still see the choreography put to good use when it comes to the zombies, making the action sequences all the more convincing. 

It really is the best of both worlds, as the Zombieverse zombies – portrayed by a whole host of talented actors – exhibit terrifying features seen in All of Us Are Dead while delivering the horrifying action sequences Kingdom is known for. 

Zombieverse is available to stream on Netflix now. You can check out more of our coverage below:

• Zombieverse cast & contestants
• Do the zombies bite for real?
• Is Zombieverse scripted?
• Zombieverse rules and tactics