By Jonathan Williams

For the AJC

 When most people hear the word zombie, they think of the lumbering flesh eaters from George Romero films. But zombies existed in many cultures long before Romero brought them out of their graves and to the big screen.

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Jessica McGowan, AJC Dave Cook of Suwanee carries a severed head as he walks in the 2008 Zombie Walk in Atlanta.

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Just a week after DragonCon and shortly before Halloween, the Atlanta Zombie Symposium explores all things zombie, from its origins in African religions such as Voodoo (the basis for what is considered the first zombie movie, 1932’s “White Zombie”) to its contemporary pop culture relevance.

The brainchild of local artist Stan Woodard, the idea came about after he bought a set of low-budget zombie DVDs last year.

“I found each of these films charming in certain ways, but what was most interesting to me was the variety of types of zombies,” he said. “When I mentioned the idea [to screen the films] to a friend, he got very excited, and in the course of our conversation the basis for the Atlanta Zombie Symposium was formed — a multivenue, multievent, in-depth look at the zombie phenomenon in contemporary media.”

Here’s a look at the results of what’s been eating at Woodard’s brain all this time, which will all arise Sept. 12:

The Zombie Perceived: Religion, Media, and Society 

This panel discussion unearths the origins of zombie mythology, its presence in modern-day film and literature and its invasion into information technology, economics and other everyday concerns. Presentations by Dianne Steward, associate professor of religion and African-American studies at Emory University; Andrea Wood, Marion L. Brittain postdoctoral fellow in Georgia Tech’s School of Literature, Communication and Culture; and Laszlo Xalieri, a Georgia Tech alum and independent researcher. The program will be accompanied by a Q&A with the audience.

1-3:45 p.m. Free (early arrival is recommended due to limited seating). Clary Theater, Bill Moore Student Success Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, 225 North Ave. N.E., Atlanta. www.ssc.gatech.edu.

“Night of the Living Dead” and “Return of the Living Dead”

Romero’s classic 1968 zombie film arguably started the whole zombie phenomenon and has become the cultural standard for zombies. Though not that threatening alone, Romero’s zombies become a menace as they attack in hordes. Dan O’Bannon’s 1985 sequel is a much more comedic take on the zombie genre. The films screen back to back in the only remaining theater in Atlanta likely to have screened them the first time around.

5-9 p.m. $9 for one film; $12 for both. Plaza Theatre, 1049 Ponce De Leon Ave., Atlanta. www.plazaatlanta.com.

Dance of the Undead

Presented in cooperation with Gorehound Productions, the guys behind Atlanta Horrorfest and the Plaza’s Splatter Cinema, this late-night party features live music, DJs and the Zombie Transformation Chamber, where one can walk in living and emerge as a living dead (thanks to theatrical makeup and costumes found inside the chamber). After all that intellectual zombie talk and film discussion from earlier in the day, this will be the perfect way to mindlessly indulge in the modern zombie stereotype.

10 p.m.-2 a.m. $2. Graveyard Tavern, 1245 Glenwood Ave., Atlanta. www.graveyardtavern.com. 404-734-4353, www.stanwoodard.com/zombie.