George Andrew Romero ; February 4, 1940 – July 16, 2017) was an American filmmaker, writer and editor. He is best known for his series of gruesome and satirical horror films about an imagined zombie apocalypse, beginning with Night of the Living Dead (1968). This film is often considered a progenitor of the fictional zombie of modern culture. Other films in the series include Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Day of the Dead (1985). Aside from this series, his works include The Crazies (1973), Martin (1978), Creepshow (1982), Monkey Shines (1988), The Dark Half (1993) and Bruiser (2000). He also created and executive-produced the 1983–88 television series Tales from the Darkside. Romero was married three times. He married his first wife, Nancy, in 1971. They divorced in 1978. They had one child together, Cameron. Romero met his second wife, actress Christine Forrest, on the set of Season of the Witch (1973), and they married in 1980. She had bit parts in most of his films. They had two children together, Andrew and Tina Romero.

"One thing about a film production is that it must run efficiently; there is no room for dead wood. So somebody that hangs around by the coffee wagon won't get hired again, but somebody who is dedicated and works hard and really puts out will get noticed by the people that matter around there and will get asked to come back again."
― George A. Romero

A zombie, according to pop culture and folklore, is usually either a reawakened corpse with a ravenous appetite or someone bitten by another zombie infected with a “zombie virus.” Zombies are usually portrayed as strong but robotic beings with rotting flesh. Their only mission is to feed. They typically don’t have conversations (although some may grunt a little). Though it’s rare, there are several credible reports in medical journals of people using these compounds to induce paralysis in people, then revive them from the grave. A 1997 article in the British medical journal The Lancet described three verifiable accounts of zombies. In one case, a Haitian woman who appeared to be dead was buried in a family tomb, only to reappear three years later. An investigation revealed that her tomb was filled with stones, and her parents agreed to admit her to a local hospital.

“This was a normal town once, and we were normal people. Most of us worked at the plastics factory on the outskirts of town. Then one day there was an accident... something escaped from the factory, a yellow gas. It floated over the town so fast that we didn't see it, didn't realize... and then it was too late, and Dark Falls wasn't a normal town anymore.” ― R.L. Stine, Welcome to Dead House

The head of ZRS and author of Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Zombies. He was a cast member on AMC’s Talking Dead, the live after-show of The Walking Dead , and has appeared as a zombie expert on numerous television networks including NAT GEO, The History Channel, and SPIKE. Matt Mogk is one of the few Americans ever to have joined the French Foreign Legion, which is the mercenary, special forces wing of the French military. Matt Mogk is the leading global authority on all things zombie. As Founder and Head of the Zombie Research Society (ZRS) he has been directly involved in most major advances in zombie scholarship over the past decade. Earning a Masters degree from New York University Film School where he specialized in horror in cinema, Matt was awarded a Sloan Foundation National Fellowship for science in screenwriting. He then received advanced combat and survival training in the French Foreign Legion, the mercenary wing of the French Military.

“In neighboring Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Governor Kathleen Blanco advised residents to “write their Social Security numbers on their arms in indelible ink” so that the medical examiner could identify their dead bodies after they were found drowned by floodwaters in their homes or bludgeoned to death by debris sailing on deadly winds. But then she and other officials seemed completely unprepared for the mass panic that ensued.”
― Matt Mogk, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Zombies

Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy novels. His books have sold more than 350 million copies, many of which have been adapted into feature films, miniseries, television series, and comic books. King has published 58 novels (including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman) and six non-fiction books. He has written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in book collections. King has received Bram Stoker Awards, World Fantasy Awards, and British Fantasy Society Awards. In 2003, the National Book Foundation awarded him the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He has also received awards for his contribution to literature for his entire oeuvre, such as the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement (2004), and the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America (2007). He has been described as the "King of Horror".

“When his life was ruined, his family killed, his farm destroyed, Job knelt down on the ground and yelled up to the heavens, "Why god? Why me?" and the thundering voice of God answered, There's just something about you that pisses me off.” ― Stephen King, Storm of the Century

Rick Grimes is a fictional character and the main protagonist in the comic book series The Walking Dead, and in the television series of the same name, portrayed by Andrew Lincoln. Created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, the character made his debut in The Walking Dead #1 in 2003. Rick Grimes is a small town sheriff's deputy who has a son, Carl, with wife Lori. He awakens from a coma after a life-threatening gunshot wound to find the world overrun by zombies, or "walkers" as they are referred to within the story. In the comic book series, Rick had the most appearances until he was killed off in Issue 192 in 2019.In both mediums, Rick awakens from a coma into the apocalypse and searches for Lori and Carl, and finds them in the Atlanta camp with his best friend, Shane Walsh, and becomes the group's leader. Although Rick quickly adapts to the notion of killing walkers, he retains his morality towards the living, which puts him at odds with Shane. Rick's morality is constantly tested to protect his family and friends.

"When I was a kid I asked my grandpa once if he ever killed any Germans in the war. He wouldn't answer. He said that was grown-up stuff, so so I asked if the Germans ever tried to kill him. But he got real quiet. He said he was dead the minute he stepped into enemy territory. Every day he woke up and told himself, 'Rest in peace. Now get up and go to war.' And then after a few years of pretending he was dead he made it out alive." ― Rick Grimes

Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings; January 12, 1965) is an American musician and filmmaker. He is a founding member of the heavy metal band White Zombie, releasing four studio albums with the band. He is the older brother of Spider One, lead vocalist for American rock band Powerman 5000. Zombie's first solo effort was a 1996 song titled "Hands of Death (Burn Baby Burn)", written and performed with Alice Cooper, which went on to receive a nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards. In 1997, he began working on his debut solo studio album, Hellbilly Deluxe, which was released in August 1998. A month later, Zombie officially disbanded White Zombie. Hellbilly Deluxe went on to sell over three million copies worldwide and spawned three singles. Zombie directed the horror film House of 1000 Corpses in 2000, though the controversial project was not released until 2003.

"Without really analyzing it, I grew up in Massachusetts, so the Salem witch trials were always something that I was around. The average kindergartner probably doesn't know about it, except that in Massachusetts, you do, because they'll take you on field trips to see reenactments and stuff." ― Rob Zombie