Poking around in io9’s site this week, after their in depth synopsis of Dr. Schlozman’s The Science of Zombies Lecture, I ran across yet another 10 Ten list which the Internet seems to thrive on these days.

This one, however, peaked my interest, as io9 put together a Top 10 list of the Greatest Space Zombies of All Time. “Fantastic” (I Thought) “I’ve always had a soft spot for the melding of classic horror and science fiction that is the space zombie”.

As you are reading this, I’m sure you are aware that Zombies are great - but like classics sometimes we need to mix it up a bit in order to keep it interesting. This was why Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was such a run-away hit. A harsh environment like space gives us fantastic new opportunities to be scared, tense and apprehensive with our traditional zombie stereotype. The space environment also adds plausibility to any extra-terrestrial origin of our Zombies, and gives the writer the opportunity to mix the Zombie with other science fiction elements (like cybernetics).

Zombies loose on a space ship, for instance, could traps all survivors in an isolated area. Because the survivors are unable to escape into the cold recesses of space, they will need to band together - either fighting or sneaking past the Zombies in order to make it to the escape pods.

And that’s just one example.

io9’s list is comprehensive, and like all good zombie resources contains a bunch of references which I have heard of, and agree with their inclusion, plus some I haven’t - giving me some leads for my own Zombie entertainment.

I was especially happy to see the inclusion of the Dead Space Necromorphs, as I believe the Necromorph was one of the best dead army re-imaginings which I have seen in a long time.

I notice some small inconsistency, however, as Firefly’s Reavers were included, which - like the really angry people in the 28 X later franchise are not Undead. I don’t have a problem with their inclusion, but it seems to me if you can include the Reavers, and the cybernetic Mass Effect Husks while excluding the Borg from your list you should probably review your selection criteria.

Also, where was the Space Zombies from the Doom Games? They are in space, they have been in a total of three video games and have made major cultural impact on multiple generations of video gamers. I’m pretty sure they should at least get some sort of honorable mention.

All in all very entertaining article, you can read it here.

Dr Schlozman is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a lecturer at the Harvard School of Education - he is also considered the world’s leading authority on the neurobiology of Zombies.

The above lecture was recorded for the Science on Screen lecture series at the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, MA. The lecture was called “The Neurobiology, Physiology and Cultural Overtones of the Zombie Film Genre”

For the lecture, Dr Schlozman studied by watching lots of Zombie films, reading Zombie books, interviewing great Zombie film directors and amassing Zombie merchandise, all tax deductible. I’m very envious.

The science fiction blog io9 has written an entertaining comprehensive synopsis of the lecture, here.

For more Dr Schlozman, you can check out an interview with Woke up Dead here.

I Love Sarah Jane is a wonderful Australian Short film written by Spencer Susser, David Michôd and directed by Spencer Susser under blue-tongue films.

It is a brief snapshot into the lives of a gang of Australian kids and teenagers who have been orphaned by an ongoing Zombie holocaust.

The film is 14 minutes long, and it uses all of that to weave a fantastic story about survival, how different people cope with extreme circumstances with a lord of the flies backdrop. I loved it!

You can watch I Love Sarah Jane in its entirety in the above embedded youTube viewer or on the blue-tongue film homepage.