How To Look Like a Zombie

Going out like a member of the living dead can be a lot of fun. Whether during Halloween, for a "zombie crawl" through the city, at the workplace, or just to stroll around town, looking like you've just risen from the dead and have been feasting on human flesh can be a thrilling experience. This is a basic overview of an average zombie. For more gore, fake wounds and in-depth makeup/blood mixes, look elsewhere.

Step 1  

Get some makeup in the colors you want for your zombie. Usually white/grey or green tint works well (see "Things You'll Need").  

• Apply the base over your entire face and down your neck to get that unhealthy pallor.
• Get directly under a light source and start using eyeshadow to accent sunken areas of your face. Find shadows and darken those a lot.
• Black out your eyes completely, but keep it under control. Make it look like your eye sockets have shrunken in about an inch. Get darker towards the middle and inside corners of the eyes, making sure to accent natural shadows. (you can even try a darker gray shade; this sometimes works better for the real effect that black)
• If you've got dark hair, lighten it up with baby powder.

Step 2  

Make fake blood. (see "Things You'll Need"). For one fluid cup (probably more than you'll ever use), do this:  

• 1 cup of corn syrup or pancake syrup
• 1-2 tbsp of red food coloring (Not a cheap brand either; they don't give the right "red")
• Some chocolate syrup, like the kind you put on ice cream (not a "shell" type)
• A couple small drops of blue or green food coloring, for color preference
• Mix well and add small amounts of water until desired consistency/smearing factor is achieved.
• An alternative mix uses honey for thickness and stickiness instead of corn syrup, washing-up liquid (dish soap) (e.g. Fairy Liquid) and red and blue food coloring. The washing-up liquid helps the blood wash out of your clothes later. Play around with the ratio of honey to washing-up liquid to get the right consistency - different brands vary. Be warned, though - pine-scented dish soap isn't very tasty (voice of experience here), so if you're putting this mix in your mouth, use a minimal amount!

Step 3  

Apply fake blood. Here's the fun part, unless you get sick easily. Go nuts.  

• Give yourself some wounds of some kind. Dribble blood into your hairline and let it run down your face. Tilt your head and pour some in your ear, then allow it to flow out (repeat for effect). Arms, legs, hands, if you want bullet holes on you get a really black marker and draw holes on your shirt then dribble down some blood around it.
• Next, the "I just got done munching on the neighbor" look. Pour a fair amount of blood into your hand, and then "eat" it, to get a nice mouth smear. Then, put some more in your mouth (this mix is non-toxic, unlike some others) and then let it dribble out of your mouth and down your chin and throat.

Step 4  

Get your costume looking right. Here's the basic steps for getting your clothes properly trashed.

Step 5 Go outside and roll around in dirt

Try and find some mud and roll in it.  

• While applying fake blood, make sure you're messy, and get it on your clothes. This stuff runs and seeps in quite well and looks extremely convincing.
• Use a knife or other pointed implement (carefully!) and rip holes into your costume. Go outside and roll in the dirt. Just get your clothes all messed up.

Step 6  

Learn to act properly. Zombies are slow, stiff, dim-witted, can't talk well, if at all, and crave human flesh.  

• Make moaning and gasping sounds when you breathe through your mouth. It adds great effect. Your jaw should hang slack at most times. If you must make other noises, talk in gibberish or moan louder/higher. Moaning always works.
• Shamble, don't walk. Lean forward and almost fall with every step. Adding a limp or dragging one leg works great as well. Swing your arms limply, like you don't ever use them.
• When passing people, growl or groan at them and wave your arms. Some higher-level zombies tend to moan for "BRAINS!!!" as well.
• Be stupid. The average zombie has an IQ barely above freezing temperature. They will run into walls, trip, fall, and can't work with their hands.

Step 7 Cleanup. Oh, yes, the lame part when you're finished

• First of all, take a shower. Make sure you put your clothes somewhere that they won't get something else ruined. This blood mixture will usually come off pretty quickly with hot water, but make sure you scrub down and wash your hair several times. If you have light hair, it might get stained.
• If you're not throwing your clothes away, put them in the washer by themselves. Usually the blood will wash out.
• Make sure to clean out the tub, wipe up the sink, and double-check to make sure your mom won't think you've slit your wrists.

Tips

• Play around with different techniques before hand and find what you like the best! (You can browse Youtube.com and other sites to find many good techniques.)
• Be fun, most of all. This isn't worthwhile unless you intend to have a blast doing it.
• Get permission from your boss if you do this at work. Unless your office is really straight-laced, it shouldn't be too much of an issue.
• If you're worried about legal stuff, talk to the cops first if you're organizing a zombie crawl through town. They'll usually just send a couple of guys out to make sure nothing gets out of hand.
• Stand in the tub/shower during makeup application. A little morbid, perhaps, but it's better than getting goop all over the bathroom, and cleanup is a breeze.
• Wear your full costume during blood application to keep a consistent look.
• If you have time, allow some blood to dry a little (about 10 minutes) and then re-apply another layer differently, to get a nice effect.
• Try a thematic approach - Mechanic Zombie, Ballerina Zombie, etc.. Specificity will make you stand out in the drooling, grunting crowd.
• Never leave a fellow zombie behind, it's never fun to be the only undead one when your fellow corpses have all left.
• Have someone carry your cell phone and wallet for you. A texting zombie is unconvincing.
• Cock your head to the side and if you move your head around, make sure you jolt it around. All body parts should move stiffly. If you're playing (un)dead, remember that dead bodies get stiff.

Warnings

• Don't touch anyone! People will usually take this in the wrong way and scream for help.
• Avoid little kids if possible. They don't know it's fake and you'll get their parents mad.
• If the cops stop you, your boss tells you to clock out early, or you are generally confronted by anyone who has a problem, be friendly and understanding, and let them win any arguments. You're the one breaking social convention here.
• Do not do anything illegal. Dressing up in a costume is not an excuse to break windows, loot shops, or flip cars.
• Be careful pouring fake blood INTO your ear—don't let it get in your inner ear canal, as it may cause infection. Better to just smear it around or use a cotton swab to give the dribble-effect.
• The fake blood mixture can be VERY sticky, so be careful if you have to get in a car or another place you don't want to make a mess of.

Things You'll Need

• A mirror (hand or wall-mounted)
• Golden or white corn syrup
• Red food coloring
• Chocolate syrup
• Blue or Green food coloring in small amounts
• Light base makeup, two shades lighter than skin
• Medium grey eyeshadow
• Dark grey/Black eyeshadow
• black marker
• Clothes you can stain, rip, get filthy, and otherwise generally ruin.
• A basic desire to have fun and make normal people think you're insane