Ever since George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” back in 1968, zombies have been an icon of our culture. Since then movies, games, books and television shows have been released with the theme of a world filled with the undead and how the characters survive.

In the last few years, things have escalated. What had once been just a genre became a full-blown phenomenon, with people becoming seriously concerned about a zombie apocalypse. Fans have gone from enjoying the films to coming up with strategies if the dead actually rose.

“People always come up with zombie survival tactics,” junior Jessica Stelzer said. “They think the world is going to end, and they are paranoid about it.”

The old theory goes that a horde of mindless cannibals would destroy civilization as we know it. Although this usually represents a deeper fear or concern, people have gone as far to find real world theories on how an actual apocalypse could occur. The fascination with the idea of mind-altering parasites and hysteria-inducing drugs almost blurs the line between game and legitimate fear of an undead attack.

“The gore, the weird stuff; it’s unnatural,” freshman Alyssa Savage said. “It’s not normal to see people with blood all over their face.”

The general consensus is often that the people would panic. However, fans of the genre often come up with plans on how to survive. Acquiring a form of self-defense and fortifying a well supplied area such as a mall or supermarket is one of the most common tactics. However, many writers of modern zombie fiction have other theories and scenarios of how to deal with different situations.

According to Jonathan Maberry, writer of the “Rot and Ruin” series, people staying informed and staying together would keep people safe and prevent the spread of the disease, ultimately letting humanity win against the zombie uprising.

“They need to keep a line of communication,” Maberry said. “There will always be hope and promise that help was coming.”