Zombies: A Great Way to Connect with Your Teen

Sioux Falls Zombie Walk! I’m Julia Child serving Zombie Finger Sandwiches to my Zombie son, Aaron!

Most Teenagers want nothing to do with their parents, so I was surprised in 2009 when our fifteen-year-old son, Aaron, asked us if we would go with him somewhere. “It’s in a bar so you guys have to go too.” I couldn’t wait to share the news with my husband. “He actually wants to spend time with us!” Which is how we started doing Zombie Walks as a family. I was so excited he wanted to be in public with us that the part about “it’s in a bar” was momentarily forgotten. Yes, some Zombie Walks start and end in a bar. They’re usually charity fundraisers with community sponsors providing prizes for the best zombies. It’s a good way to have family time, remind your teen to care about others, and have fun when they’re too old to Trick or Treat with you!

When we moved to Omaha, we were thrilled to discover their enormous Zombie Walk in Benson.
For more information, click here to learn about the 2018 Oct. 27th Omaha Zombie Walk in Benson. The theme is the Roaring 20’s, and the walk begins at 6:00 pm

Omaha Zombie Walk 80’s theme in Benson. Frankie Says Eat Brains! Myself, husband Chuck, and son Aaron were totally awesome Zombies!

Tips for a Great Zombie Walk Experience

  1. This is a Zombie walk complete with blood and gruesome wounds. Parental discretion is advised for kids under 12. There are a lot of kids watching and a few participating that seemed to enjoy it, so it’s up to you.
  2. Watch Zombie movies and the first season of THE WALKING DEAD TV show first to see if you’re okay with the content. Then watch with your teen, observe how the zombies look and act. Practice your walk and see your kid laugh hysterically!
  3. Most walks have makeup stations where you can get zombified for a small fee. I prefer to do ours, but it takes a long time for makeup layers and blood to dry, so start early. Tip from Aaron: “If your mom specializes in doing makeup listen to her!” On our first Zombie Walk he insisted on doing his own makeup resulting in the smeared pizza sauce look on his face. Amazing how mother does know best!
  4. Fake Blood: Buy it don’t make it. Although there are lots of recipes for homemade blood beware of corn syrup! It’s sticky and never seems to dry. Any blood can stain but commercial fake blood tends to dry faster therefore less sticky. For blood effect in the mouth try snack cups of black cherry Jell-O. It looks realistic and tastes great.
  5. Wear comfortable shoes and costumes. These walks can go over eight blocks at a very slow rate of speed so be prepared to endure dragging your feet in comfy shoes or your moans will be for real!
  6. Costumes can be created for little or no money. Torn, stained clothing is perfect for zombies! The Goodwill is full of possibilities.

a. Scrubs are an easy costume because what’s a zombie apocalypse without doctors and nurses?
b. Zombie Prom or wedding-pick up an inexpensive formal dress or suit.
c. Zombify a favorite movie or TV show!

Omaha Zombie Walk we paid tribute to YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN! Dr. Frankenstein: son Kevin, Frau Blucher: myself & the original zombie-Frankenstein, my husband Chuck.

Halloween has always been a favorite with our family. Having done theater, makeup, wigs and costumes abound at our house. Doing Zombie Walks with different themes made our creativity grow immensely. Aaron and I started watching zombie movies to get ideas. We found there are a lot of bad ones; some are so bad they’re funny! Soon we were watching every bad zombie movie to find the terrible gems we would add to our IMDb (Internet Movie Database) list, currently at 64 titles! I became a fan of his favorite Bruce Campbell movies and he liked the old classic movies from my childhood.

Seemingly overnight our sullen teenager became a friend I looked forward to spending hours laughing with while watching SHAUN OF THE DEAD, ZOMBIELAND, MY NAME IS BRUCE and planning our next Zombie Walk costumes!

If the Zombie Walk isn’t your thing, there are so many good films to get your family in the mood for Halloween. Here are some of our family’s favorites.

Rated PG13:

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)
Five sisters in 19th century England must cope with the pressures to marry while protecting themselves from a growing population of zombies.

World War Z (2013)
Brad Pitt is a former United Nations employee, traveling the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments, and threatening to destroy humanity itself.

Warm Bodies (2013)
A Zombie love story. After a highly unusual zombie saves a still-living girl from an attack, the two form a relationship that sets in motion events that might transform the entire lifeless world.

Rated R: Mostly for gore and some language

Zombieland (2009)
A shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, a gun-toting tough guy trying to find the last Twinkie, and a pair of sisters trying to get to an amusement park join forces to travel across a zombie-filled America.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
A man decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother and dealing with an entire community that’s returned from the dead.
Cockneys vs Zombies (2012)
A gang of bank robbers fight their way out of a zombie-infested London.

 

kendrakarbowski
Omaha native, Kendra Karbowski, is a comedian and cofounder of Yer Mom’s Comedy Show. Her goal is “Keeping parents sane one punchline at a time.” A degree from UNO in Community Health Education, led to coordinating a Maternal Child Health Task Force at the Douglas County Health Department. Later Kendra combined her health education experience with comedy to create “Learn to Laugh at Life”, a stress and humor workshop. Having worn many hats in the mom arena: new mom, special needs mom, divorced mom, stepmom, and now grand mom, Kendra is ready share her adventures through Omaha Moms Blog. She has a delightful blended family consisting of: husband 2.0, Chuck; sons, Aaron-24 and Kevin- 27 with grandson, Jax-5. In addition Chloe-11, Kate-3, Oliver-2 and Chelsea-1, their fur kids, complete the family! Happily married for 20 years, she's survived care-giving of both children and her parents, exes, and visitations, living with the challenges of ADD, and a puppy that ate the internet!