By Jake Sepulveda

Q: Do all Zombies smell foul? What types of odors could one expect from being in close proximity to a zombie?

A: Zombies, regardless of the type, are odoriferous things. Romero type zombies smell worse than “rage zombies,” but not by much, while voodoo tend to be the least acrid of them all.

Voodoo often only suffer from being a bit “dusty”. They don’t actually crave human flesh/brains, and due to their “living” status, they do not suffer from rot. But, with their minds mostly gone, cleanliness isn’t the at the forefront of their limited thoughts. With this type of Zombie, you’ll often get a whiff of something like a sweaty teenage boy that’s been rolling in the dirt.

Undead Zombies, like those of the Romero tradition, often carry the odors of not only their rot, but also the rot of the Human-parts they have consumed. These odors, combined with the loss of bowel control, and total lack of personal hygiene, make for a very unpleasant encounter. It’s likely that you could smell either of these Zombies from at least a few 100 yards away. Up close, the smell of these Zombies is likely to make you gag, and knock you back on your feet.

Like other Zombies, those created by a rage-type virus lack hygiene. They sweat, urinate, and defecate, but don’t stop to clean up along the way. They bite and claw into flesh and become covered in blood, dirt and grime. Even without the smell of rot, Type 2 Viral Zombies are nothing nice to get a whiff of.

To help keep the stench of Zombies at bay, try using a simple handkerchief, gas-mask, or spread a little mentholated petroleum-jelly under your nostrils.

As odd as it may seem, there is a plus side to having such odoriferous enemies. With the rank smell of Zombies in the air it might be a little easier to avoid them. Give a sniff before you run into a building, and you might save yourself the pain of being eaten alive.