This question arose in an after-dinner conversation last night. A quick Google search on nearby phones uncovered little to clear up the subject, so I figured it was my duty to post something about it.

I admit I’m not up on the state of the art in zombie movies. Most of my knowledge was acquired from cheesy horror comics in my youth. Of course, everything we know about zombies comes from media depictions: written stories, TV, and movies. So the question of zombie odor doesn’t really apply to audiences. “Smellivision” was never a popular concept.

So, what do zombies smell like?

I’d expect an odor that the CSI types call decomp short for “decomposing (i.e. rotting) human bodies.”

This would make it amazingly difficult for zombies to sneak up on anyone, or stay hidden to prepare an ambush.

Though, perhaps, if there are lots of inactive zombies about (the dead undead) then it’s hard to distinguish their decomp smell from that of active zombies (the living dead).

Boy, what a stupid topic to write about.