What Makes Zombies Scary?

Zombies, more than anything else fall clearly into the uncanny valley, at its deepest point. That which was human, but is human no longer, but shows so much similarity to humans, creates deep internal turmoil. One of the most terrifying tropes surrounding zombies, is that they are often formerly friends or loved ones, and so those who face zombies are forced to destroy those who they once trusted, or be destroyed. Zombification, due to the conflict produced by the uncanny, has hints of betrayal for surviving family members. Also, there is some hope in the back of the mind of those who encounter zombies as to how much of the person they used to be intact in there. In "23 Snapshots of San Francisco", photographs catalog the transition into the zombie apocalypse. The world that once was is shattered, as well those that were considered family are in conflict. In "Danger Word" these same themes are repeated, but with an increase in the uncanny. Mike, as well as as Joe's daughter display added humanity, despite their zombification, in fact this makes them even more terrifying, because their humanity is intact, though they are not in control of themself, as the virus that is afflicting them overwhelms them.