#ambulothanatophobia
A friend[1] remarked:
does anyone else find it strange (or even cares for that matter) that there is no bonafide phobia name for an irrational fear of zombies. there is one for vampires, werewolves, and i think even mummies. but no zombies?! i demand action!
So I proposed: ambulothanatophobia
The irrational fear of the walking dead.
A “zombie phobia” word at long last? I guess the only issue that I take with this is that the “ambulo” part is Latin while “thanato” and “phobia” are both Greek parts. Of course, the litany of phobias is mostly a patois anyway. So ambulothanatophobia could work just fine.
So, gentle readers: what say you?
- No link for him, I’m afraid. [↩]
once again, i vote BRRAAAAIIIIIIINNNNNSSSSS…
¶ June 7th, 2006 at 8:01 ami’m all for it!
run, don’t walk!
¶ June 7th, 2006 at 3:50 pm> once again, i vote BRRAAAAIIIIIIINNNNNSSSSS…
That would be a sub-category of ambulothanatophobia named rotld-ambulothanatophobia
-m
¶ June 8th, 2006 at 12:04 pmambulothanatophobia: Irrational fear of zombies
rotld-ambulothanatophobia: Irrational fear of comical brain-eating zombies
notld-ambulothanatophobia: Irrational fear of slow-moving flesh-eating zombies
ambulothanatophobia-28: Irrational fear of pseudo-zombies which are actually human rage-driven killing machines
Rama-Rama-ambulothanatophobia: Irrational fear of Hare Krishna zombies
fugu-ambulothanatophobia: Irrational fear of being transformed into a zombie via puffer fish poison
-m
¶ June 8th, 2006 at 12:12 pmnecrothanatophobia maybe?
¶ July 14th, 2006 at 9:58 amI think that either ambulothanatophobia or necrothanatophobia would be great. Cuz the latter would be about the same… irrational fear of walking corpses… you should try to get one of them officially accepted. There needs to be one for the fear of zombies, because whatever the name is, I have it. I even have a detailed plan as to how to survive should zombies ever walk the earth. Zombies scare the crap outta me… I know I have the phobia of it, cuz I worry about them all the time. Before I open the front door of my house, I check for zombies.
¶ October 28th, 2006 at 1:51 amWOW! I thought I was the only one or something. No really there should be a name for it. I’m doing a paper for my pysch class on phobias and what better to talk about something I know?
¶ November 27th, 2006 at 10:00 pmwow, I can’t believe there are more people like me!! i don’t care what we call it, but i need help! it takes over my life 100% of my day is all about zombie fear and strategy… god it’s hilarious isn’t it! plus my electricity bill..just think if i wasn’t scared i could turn some lights off!
¶ December 5th, 2006 at 8:24 amso anyone know how to build a web site? we should dedicate one to the phobia.. of decided name!
HOLY. GOD. I cannot believe that there are actualyl people who are just as freaked out by zombies as me. It keeps me from seeing b-horror flicks. I can’t even watch the thriller video by michael jackson (I think that started it, I blame my dad, the MJ fan pre-crazy phase). It keeps me up at night! Thats a perfect name, we need to be recognized!
¶ February 12th, 2007 at 6:29 pmI too have a detailed Zombie plan… but i digress i’m writeing a play, for a class about zombies, act II starts out with the joke
Ben- NecroPhillia?
Emanuel- No necrophillia is how Heden almost got his ear bitten off…
Ben- so whats the fear of Zombies?
And i did have a word for it.. so i hope you don’t mind… i’d like to use yours or else i was gonna have to look up greek and latin words and come up with my own…(probally would have come up with the same stuff- doubt i could do better)
¶ March 4th, 2007 at 10:25 pmFear of zombies/ambulothanatophobia is a symptom of our Neo-Capitalist age which can be seen in all sorts of other supply-side mental phenomena not the least of which is the current epidemic of clinical depression as described by Nesse and Williams in their book Evolution And Healing; the New Science Of Darwinian Medicine. Ten years ago hearing voices was an indicator for schizofrenia whereas now there are actually support-groups that adress the problem which is now considered to be… stress-related. So what this is all about is another consenus-reality forming right before our very eyes, one that will make it socially acceptable to discuss one’s fear of the walking undead.
¶ March 7th, 2007 at 12:28 pmRead “The Zombie Survival Guide” by Max Books c.2003
¶ March 30th, 2007 at 5:10 pmCount me in on the “fear-of-the-undead” club.
I’m terrified to go out for a cigarette by myself at night, and if anyone says “the zede word” (either the actual word, or just the phrase “the zede word”) when I’m outside, I get really paranoid and freaked out.
I know my fear has something to do with fear of forced conformity and a deadening of my soul, but still…it’s intense. I actually found this page because I had a dream last night where I had to chop off my arm due to my hand having been bitten by a zombie.
:(
I love the word, ambulothanatophobia.I think we can even call it ATP for short. We need to get this word recognised.
¶ July 16th, 2007 at 9:15 pmOmg. I’m not alone.
¶ September 9th, 2007 at 2:20 pmI’ve had a phobia of zombies for two years now and it’ still taking over my life. I’m a 16 year old girl who loves anything horror-y and when i watched the RESIDENT EVIL movie the first few times I was fine. Then, a year after the last time I saw it, I watched an uncut version of it. And I’ve had this irrational phobia thats taken over my life since. And i can’t understand why or how I got this phobia. And i don’t know how I can get rid of this. Help! P.s. If anyone wants to talk about this phobia it would be helpful =]
x
I too am glad to not be alone in my phobia. I actually live in an old farmhouse alot like the one in Romero’s NoTLD…and at night it gets foggy and I start to freak out. We should get organized! Form a support group.
¶ September 29th, 2007 at 3:14 pmever since i saw resident evil i’ve been think about zombies i thought i was the only one.
¶ October 5th, 2007 at 12:46 pmI can’t study for my midterms because of what I refer to as my “paranoia” and it’s killing my grades. I’m a fricken High School Senior and I neeeeed this grade. My mom thinks I’m crazy, but she keeps trying to help by giving me suggestions. Amusingly, I tried one and almost had a panic attack.
ATP Anonymous sound good to anybody else?
Sucky-est part? I LOVE RESIDENT EVIL!
*sobs*
¶ January 15th, 2008 at 7:37 pmHoly Snap!
I’ve been like this ever since i read World War Z…
Everywhere i go i think of SOME scenario involving damn zombies and how i’ll get out with my family intact.
I’ve already put the word ambulothanatophobia to use :3
¶ August 20th, 2008 at 11:17 am>.> I like to think I’m not scared of anything. I helped my husband get over a fear of his that he’d had since childhood. The truth is, however, zombies scare the ever-living-shit out of me. My sister made me watch the first two Resident Evil movies, and I used to play the House of the Dead games. Then, I realized just how effing scary that crap is. I can still play the games or movies sometimes, in well lit rooms, but alot of the time I can’t handle it. >.> I refused to watch Dawn of the Dead (probably wise, I was pregnant at the time) as well as Resident Evil 3. My hubby downloaded the demo of Siren 3: Blood Curse, and after the opening scene, I stopped playing. >.> I manage to go about day to day life, but I wont lie, I’m always watching for that ‘not quite right’ person in the crowd. The second someone starts biting other people hard enough that they’re having arterial bleeding, my families going AWOL.
¶ September 10th, 2008 at 6:18 pmI personally prefer the word ambulonecrophobia for fear of the un-dead as necro is that wich is dead whereas thanato is dying or being dead and it is more a fear of something that is already dead attacking I should think. Though it can lead to the fear that if you are attacked you will become a zombie hrmm…so maybe Ambulonecrophobia as a fear of zombies in general and Ambulothanatophobia for a fear of being attacked and becoming a zombie yourself?
¶ September 17th, 2008 at 3:55 pmSo what’s the news on getting this word officially added? Have you guys started a website yet? Support group? Because there are a lot of people out there it looks like who need to deal with this fear.
¶ December 17th, 2008 at 8:02 am…They’re just so scary…
Kinemortophobia is ta actual name for it…..
¶ April 9th, 2009 at 2:52 am@Bud– Sorry, the most authoritative reference I can kind for “kinemortophobia” is UrbanDictionary.com which (though I’m sure it gets more traffic than I) is hardly a trusted source on this sort of thing. Besides, the entry for kinemortophobia is dated December 26, 2007 — more than a year after ambulothanatophobia was published here.
¶ April 9th, 2009 at 7:02 amOmg…
¶ April 13th, 2009 at 9:37 pmFor years I’ve had reoccurring dreams about zombies taking over and I’ve actually found a way to wake myself up whenever I become powerless against them…
My friends and family laughed at me when I said the only thing I’m REALLY scared of are zombies…
But to me Resident Evil was totally science fiction, which means it really could happen!!
Count me in on those support groups cause I’m definitely one of you who have ambulothanatophobia!!
BTW…
When and if they do come along….
What’s the plan??
i’m glad they finaly have a name for it!!! i have an intense fear of zombies that has been true ever since childhood! zombie movies are the only ones i hate watching!!
¶ May 6th, 2009 at 12:19 pmOMGGGG I can’t believe so many others have the same phobia as me!! My friends can’t understand how i can be sooo scared of them. I hate driving when its dark as i always think one of them is on the back seat and i can totally relate to every one of you that has commented on here. I thought maybe if i watched a Directors Cut and realised they weren’t actually real it might help my phobia-but i can’t actually bring myself to even rent the dvd!!
¶ June 28th, 2009 at 2:34 pmCool… more and more people with ‘deadpeoplechasingme/us-phobia’. Is there a website yet?
¶ July 13th, 2009 at 3:03 pmWow this is great! Im very glad 2 know there r others that have the same fear. My dad passed away 8 months ago and Ive had the fear that he will come back 2 get me altho I really know he wud never hurt anyone. I have 2 have a light on when I go 2 bed or feel like a zombie is under my bed. This started when I found out I was pregnant a few months ago.
¶ July 22nd, 2009 at 4:25 amI fear this on a daily basis especially at night or in the early morning even making plans what to do if it does happen
¶ September 22nd, 2009 at 11:28 amGUYS, I’m definitely included in the zombie phobia group. Out of everything that could possibly harm me I’m always afraid is will be a freaking zombie. When I’m in the shower I don’t have thoughts about a possible robber sneaking into my house or anything like that…. I worry a zombie will sneak up on me when I’m vulnerable! I don’t know what thought is worse: getting bit by a zombie or turning into one. I do know that a terrible part would be the fact that the entire world would become flesh eating freaks. 28 days later started my fear of zombies– bad movie to see at age 10 i suppose….
¶ October 13th, 2009 at 2:58 pmI was told about “night of the living dead” when it came out the first time way back when. I had nightmares. “Zombie servival guide” was the best 40th birthday prezzie I received! I had no idea that there were so many of us!
¶ October 14th, 2009 at 10:40 amSo explain to me why I love the Anita Blake books so much???
I SAW NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD WHEN I WAS 5.MY FATHER WAS IN THE MILITARY & OUT TO SEA..MY MOTHER MUST HAVE FORGOT HOW OLD I WAS.NEEDLESS TO SAY I HAVE BEEN TRAUMATICALLY SCARRED FOR LIFE.I HAVE REACCURING IN COLOR ZOMBIE NITEMARES(SINCE 5 YRS.], AND A ZOMBIE PHOBIA FROM HELL….I KEEP HEARING THE THAT WIERD,RAVENOUS SCREETCH SOUND THEY MAKE IN MY HEAD THROUGH OUT THE DAY….IAM AFRAID ALL THE TIME. IT STRESSFULLY SUCKS.
¶ October 25th, 2009 at 5:54 pmZombies scare the hell out of me. I’m glad someone made a word for my phobia.
¶ November 5th, 2009 at 11:13 pmI’ve been dealing with Ambulothanatophobia for as long as i can remember, and the worst part? I can’t get enough of zombie movies. Love to watch them, but i’ve had recurring dreams about the zombie apocalypse. Even taking my dog outside at night i shudder at the thought of zombies. I’ve spent hours just thinking about the possibility. I don’t believe so much in zombies that rise from the ground from radiation, but more from bio terrorism. Not the slow walking pulseless ones, but the ones that are driven (from a virus) to run, bite, and infect as many people as possible. I have played escape plans over and over again in my head but none seem to work. I really need some help with this. Oh, by the way, im 13 years old. What do i do. Day to day life is horrid, and the lack of sleep is worse. Any website yet? I need to see a doctor…
¶ November 10th, 2009 at 11:05 pmI don’t really mind what word is used, zombies (even things that look/ act like them) freak me out. My older brother has taught my three year old sister that walking around the house with her arms out saying “BRAAAAIIIIINNNNSSSS” is funny (he’s not cruel, he just forgot… or so he says). I’m 21 and my 3 year old sister scares me, am I a coward?
¶ December 11th, 2009 at 6:39 pmI’m not as bad as some of you, I don’t have a zombie plan anymore (must be getting better). I cant watch zombie movies without pausing it every 3 seconds and looking around (and that’s during the day). “Shaun of the Dead” scares me and that a comedy, “I Am Legend” really annoys me because the trailer for it didn’t mention anything about zombie type things… sat in the cinema scared out of my mind.
I actually have nightmares about them, no idea why, but yes, I definitely have an irrational fear of zombies.
As a licensed funeral director I have more of an irrational fear of zombies disrupting the flow of business. Imagine the havoc caused at calling hours disrupted by an outbreak of undead and the ensuing ambulothanatophobia alone would be such a crushing burden for the psychiatric community to deal with!
¶ December 29th, 2009 at 6:34 pmI don’t know how many dark & stormy nights I got called out at 2 A.M. to a remote farmhouse for a ‘house removal’ with every crash of lightning making me imagine something in the distance lurking in a field or rambling out of a deseted old barn…madness I tell you…MADNESS!!
OMG I thought it was just me, i feel better now.
¶ January 4th, 2010 at 11:24 ami have a ridiculous fear of zombies, and Quarantine made it so much worse. :/
i’m so paranoid, it’s retarded.
so is it ambulothanatophobia or Kinemortophobia?
just call it zombophobia
¶ February 10th, 2010 at 11:26 ami have a friend who has these very realistic zombie nightmares that scare the shit out of him… he resorted to buying a dream book and trying to interpret his dreams. lol so i figured I should put a name to his phobia… u call it ambulothanatophobia, I’m just gonna simplify it in my mind and call it zombophobia. But any advice for my buddy seriously? -Thanks, From the guy who knows a guy who shits his pants over zombie nightmares.
¶ February 10th, 2010 at 11:33 amI cant belive there are others out there that have this irrational fear of zombies,although i dont obsess over my fear i often wonder what i would do if my zombie nightmares came true. il be thinking ‘i wonder if my roller shutters would stop zombies from getting in’ [retarded i know].Most of my fear comes from what i refer to as ‘rational zombies’ basically large numbers of humans that can stil function on basic intelligence levels but are hunting killing machines.Well ta for some relife and a lable for my crazy irrational fear.
¶ March 15th, 2010 at 7:36 amI would just like to say how happy I am that it’s not just me who has this kind of fear. Mine isn’t so much dead rising from the grave (although that terrifies me as well) but more of a 28 Days Later zombie where some sort of disease infects people and all they want to do is attack other people. I can’t tell you how many nights I have kept myself awake trying to come up with escape plans. I have watched every movie I can get my hands on just so I can analyze what people in them are doing wrong and I have read World War Z as well as The Zombie Survival Guide. Most of my friends think I am insane but I believe that it’s better to be a paranoid about something like this than to be completely unprepared. If there is some kind of website (like a support group or something) I would really like to know what it is. You guys are not alone.
¶ March 17th, 2010 at 3:25 amwell for this name to be accurate, zombies need to be classified as ‘dead’. sure the a cliched name for them is ‘the undead’ but in the zombie survival guide it says that zombies are actually caused by a virus known as solanum. id much prefer to believe his deffinition because that means that i have a MUCH better chance of living through the innevitable zombie appocalypse. personally i think this name needs to be revised, well depending on your deffinition of zombie i suppose you would have a different phobia. eh, just a thought X|
¶ March 27th, 2010 at 11:47 pmHoly shit.
¶ April 8th, 2010 at 11:13 pmI thought I was alone, and I was the only one who seriously, honestly feared a zombie attack. Whenever I get in my car, I check the entire thing for a zombie. If my car breaks down, like a few days ago, I freak out, and my first thought is ‘Zombies’. All my nightmares center around zombies, or decay. My friends laugh at me and say its irratonal, but is it really? Is it reall so irration to fear something that is basically a disease? Or so i would view it. I think if zombies truly did exist it would be do to a bioterrorist disease that sped up the decaying process in humans, and make them irrationally angry and aggressive. I’m not sure. But I find myself constantly thinking up a survival plan, stocking up on food, and making sure I have weapons near me all the time. Its awful. My nightmares wake me up constantly and leave me in fear for days. Its awful.
omg , im so ambulothanatophobia .
¶ May 15th, 2010 at 4:09 pmthats a long word .
i feel the same to ! omg my friends think im the craziest about zombies . i freak out when something bad happens , like if our car breaks down i look around and see if its the end of the world . i fear that its gona happen soon later in life . i even read books how to survive zombie invasions , i noe wierd . buh they freak me out ! many of my friends think ima freak that believe in zombies and is scared of them , buh im ready . ima be smashin’ lol . i usually dont always dream buh i always dream about zombies attacking and scares the shit out of me and makes me sweaty , hot and terrified . thats not a good thing . – GC
¶ May 15th, 2010 at 4:16 pmIts good to see a community helping one another deal with these problems. I myself feel the same and am glad people are trying to get a name recognised for the phobia.
I will say my fear is definatley not as bad as some people on here but yes I too have thought out elaborate plans to get myself and family to safety in the case of zombie outbreak.
Luckily my nightmares on this topic is sparse as i generally dont dream but they are still unsettling.
Remember keep fit, keep a gun, and canned food.
¶ June 4th, 2010 at 1:07 amTwo alternatives to this:-
If you want a full greek version, Kinethanatophobia works.
For a full Latin version, ambulomortophobia works.
alternatively, for another mix Kinemortophobia can be used. Just pick your favourite.
¶ June 11th, 2010 at 7:31 pmOMG im so freakin scared of zombies it aint even funny, i dream about them and like the next few days im terrified. everyone thinks im crazy, but i know that crap could happen one day! like with all the genetics n stuff.
¶ July 12th, 2010 at 9:29 pmomg! im terrifyied of zombies! terrifyied i cant leave my house when it starts getting dark. everywhere i look i see a possible zombie break out. i am terrifyed! i have a hard time watching even chezzy zombie movies! and yes i have a plan and blades dont need reloading but yes i want a gun. everyone thinks im nuts.this one kid dressed up as a zombie in my class for halloween and i couldny even stay in the same room!!! im glad to see im not the only one…
¶ July 13th, 2010 at 10:19 pmok does having an unnaturL Hate for the bastards cout as having the phobia
¶ August 23rd, 2010 at 11:02 pm