Pseudo-zombies

"They're not dead. Whatever else they are, they most definitely are not dead."

- '''Thomas

Pseudo-Zombies are individuals who demonstrate behavior or physical characteristics similar to a normal zombie, but are not undead. They are living, breathing organisms who are monstrous in appearance and have lost almost all semblance of their prior humanity. Pseudo-Zombies became popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s and have been featured in various media such as the 28 Days Later films, the Resident Evil video game/film franchise and the Crossed comic book series.

Infected
These are people who have been infected with a virus developed by a British research laboratory. Although they are not zombies in the clinical sense, the Infected demonstrate behavioral traits and physical abnormalities similar to those of a traditional zombie. The infection outbreak originated in England in 2002 when a group of animal rights activists broke into a primate research center and released a monkey which had been subjected to chemical and electrical experimentation. According to one technician from the site, these lab animals were infected with "rage", the symptoms of which included wild, violent convulsions and a primal need to destroy everything within its vicinity. The "rage" virus was transmitted through blood or saliva. Once a person became infected, the virus required only twenty seconds before infection was complete.

The Crossed
The Crossed are similar to zombies in terms of appearance and behavior, but they are not undead. They are people who have been altered through mysterious circumstances into depraved lunatics, who act on primal, base instinct. The Crossed earned their name due to the cross-shaped scar that develops on their faces once they have been infected. According to a man named Randall, "they have so much evil in them... that it just has to get used up." The Crossed primarily target non-infected victims, but in lieu of such prey, are known to turn against one another; a trait that sets them apart even further from normal zombies, who almost never attack each other. Another important element of the Crossed is that they do not perceive physical pain the same way that normal humans do. To a large extent, they are sadomasochistic, deriving intense pleasure from physical injury.

Films

 * 28 Days Later
 * 28 Weeks Later
 * Cooties

Comics

 * 28 Days Later 1
 * Blackgas 1
 * Blackgas 2
 * Blackgas 3
 * Blackgas Vol 2 1
 * Blackgas Vol 2 2
 * Blackgas Vol 2 3
 * Crossed 1
 * Crossed 2
 * Crossed: Badlands 29
 * Crossed: Badlands 30
 * Crossed: Family Values 1
 * Crossed: Family Values 2
 * Crossed: Family Values 3