These characters thought it was just another morning, until they realized the undead had taken over
Maybe you’re a casual horror fan who occasionally enjoys a zombie movie or TV show. Yet apart from the meat munching undead, you can’t shake the feeling of familiarity. From the opening scene, there’s just something about it, but you can’t put your finger on it. Well, you’re not hallucinating. Ever since George A. Romero introduced us to lumbering, flesh-nipping undead, we’ve gotten countless tales of horror. However, over time, it isn’t just the tone that’s become familiar, the stories themselves seem to repeat, creating the feeling that you’re watching the same scenes over and over again. Here are four movies and a TV show that pretty much have the same scene—with someone waking up to a zombie apocalypse.
The walking dead, Rick Grimes, wakes up from a coma.
In the opening scene of Season 1, Episode 1 of The Walking Dead: Days Gone By, Rick Grimes, a sheriff’s deputy, wakes up from a coma in a deserted hospital. He tries to call out for assistance but receives only silence. Stumbling out of his hospital room, Rick is confronted with signs of chaos, violence, bloodstains and bullet holes in the walls.
He finds the power is out. The building is quiet except for the occasional distant sound that hints at something ominous. As he continues to explore, he stumbles upon the hospital cafeteria, which is barricaded, with the warning “Don’t Open, Dead Inside” written across the door. Inside, he hears the sounds of growling and shuffling. Suddenly, emaciated hands reached out through the gaps in the door, grasping for him. Frightened and confused, Rick leaves the hospital only to find the outside world in ruins. This introduction sets the stage for the post-apocalyptic world that Rick must now face.
28 Days Later, Jim wakes up to a bleak and desolate London, only to find the city is now home to undead citizens.
In the opening scene of “28 Days Later,” Jim wakes up in a deserted hospital. We’re not sure what put him there, but similar to the walking dead, he finds himself completely alone and disoriented. The hospital is silent and chaotic, with signs of a hasty evacuation and abandonment. Jim wanders through the empty, disarrayed hospital corridors and rooms, slowly realizing something terrible has happened.
He exits the hospital on to the desolate streets of London. Iconic landmarks like Westminster Bridge and Piccadilly Circus are completely empty. The silence of the city is broken only by the rustling of scattered newspapers and debris. As Jim continues to explore, he discovers that a devastating virus has spread, turning the infected people into aggressive, zombie-like creatures. 28 Days Later introduced us to the speedy zombie, adding another level of terror to the genre.
Dawn of the Dead (2004). Instead of a hospital, Ana wakes up in her bed to the end of the world.
Nurse Ana finishes a long shift at the hospital and returns to her quiet suburban home. She spends an ordinary evening with her husband. However, their ubiquitous routine was suddenly shattered the next morning. Ana and her husband are awakened by their neighbor, a young girl, who has entered their home. The zombified girl attacks and kills Luis, who quickly turns into a zombie and attacks Ana. Ana barely escapes from her house. As she hurries to her car, she witnesses her neighborhood descend into mayhem. This opening scene is jarring and works on several levels, doing routine things before the unexpected apocalypse.
As she drives away, the camera pans out to show the wider chaos of a sudden and overwhelming zombie apocalypse consuming the city. Dawn of the Dead (2004) was the first feature film directed by Zack Snyder. It’s a remake of George A. Romero’s 1978 horror classic of the same name.
Resident Evil: Apocalypse. Alice wakes up in an abandoned and messed up Raccoon City hospital.
In the opening scene of the second movie in the “Resident Evil” series, Alice regains consciousness on an operating table, in nothing more than a flimsy hospital gown. She’s alone and disoriented, with no memory of how she ended up there. Similar to 28 Days Later, the hospital is quiet and shows signs of a rapid evacuation. She stumbles through the messy corridors of the hospital, littered with discarded medical equipment and personal belongings. She leaves the hospital only to face a devastated Racoon City, where she has the presence of mind to grab a shotgun from an abandoned cop car. This opening sets the tone of the movie, as Alice begins to uncover the chaos that the T-virus has unleashed on the city.
Resident Evil: Retribution. Alice and her family are going about their morning routine when they are attacked by the undead.
This first scene has a Dawn of the Dead feel to it. It is, however, revealed that it’s an elaborate simulation by the umbrella corporation used to demonstrate the T-virus to potential buyers. It resembles nothing like the game, although several of the game’s characters eventually ended up in the film. Resident Evil: Retribution is the fifth installment in the “Resident Evil” series, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson.
So, while it might feel like you’ve seen one zombie apocalypse, you’ve seen them all, the devil, or, should I say, the undead, is in the details. From silent hospital corridors to a suburban wife waking to her very own zombie alarm, these stories veered into very different plotlines, showing that there’s more than one way to stir up the zombie pot.
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