History Literature / TheCorpseOfCharlieRull

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: Charlie is resurrected by irradiated chemical contaminants in the swamp water he falls into, and isn't interested in eating his victims, only mindlessly killing them, like a Rage virus victim in ''Film/TwentyEightDaysLater'' (minus the TechnicallyLivingZombie part; it isn't called "''The '''Corpse''' of Charlie Rull''" for nothing). He is constantly in pain from the radioactive energy coursing through him, and commits violent acts as a means of expending that energy. He is also driven for an intense hatred of all life that isn't in the same kind of pain as him.

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: Charlie is resurrected by irradiated chemical contaminants in the swamp water he falls into, and isn't interested in eating his victims, only mindlessly killing them, like a Rage virus victim in ''Film/TwentyEightDaysLater'' (minus the TechnicallyLivingZombie part; it isn't called "''The '''Corpse''' of Charlie Rull''" for nothing).

* KillHimAlready: The police captain at the end, screaming hysterically after his men briefly freeze up.
-->'''Captain''': Keep firing, you fools! Keep firing! Did I tell you to stop?! Finish it! Finish it!

-->'''Captain''': Keep firing, you fools! Keep firing! Did I tell you to stop?! Finish it! Finish it!

->'''Captain''': Keep firing, you fools! Keep firing! Did I tell you to stop?! Finish it! Finish it!

* AntagonistTitle: Charlie Rull's reanimated corpse being what's threatening Newbridge and all.

* TheGhost: Zack. He comes up a couple of times in discussion among the local homeless in Newbridge (he's apparently known as something of a mooch), and as Charlie is approaching three of his fellow tramps cooking dinner, they mistake him for Zack initially. Zack himself never actually appears. [[spoiler:Considering what Charlie ''does'' to one of his three friends, he's probably glad he missed supper.]]

* NoNameGiven: Most of the characters are identified solely by their roles/jobs; the salesman, hitchhiker, the three tramps, the captain and his sergeant all don't get names. In fact, the only named characters in the story besides Charlie are Cynthia Mellet and her mother, Mrs. Mellet, as well as "[[TheGhost Zack]]."

* WouldHurtAChild: Because the resurrected Charlie hates ''all'' life, he has no qualms about chasing after a little girl named Cynthia and attempting to kill her. [[spoiler:Fortunately, he fails.]]

''The Corpse of Charlie Rull'' is a 1959 short horror story written by Creator/JosephPayneBrennan, originally published in ''The Dark Returners''. It tells the short, horrific tale of [[DisposableVagrant homeless]] [[HollywoodHeartAttack heart attack]] victim [[AntagonistTitle Charlie Rull]] who falls into a swampy pool saturated with radioactive chemicals [[FreakLabAccident unintentionally leaked]] from a laboratory near the dump where he lived. The radiation resurrects Charlie as an [[SuperStrength inhumanly strong]] [[NuclearNasty zombie]]. Remembering nothing of his former life, Charlie feels only the pain of the radiation burning through his undead body. Filled with a vicious hatred for all other life, he proceeds to go on a murderous rampage through the nearby town of Newbridge.

As with ''[[Literature/Slime1953 Slime]]'', it was published in ''Literature/TheShapesOfMidnight'' and a great audio version read by Edward E. French can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr_gi4KcqS4 here]].

''The Corpse of Charlie Rull'' is a 1959 short horror story written by Creator/JosephPayneBrennan. It tells the short, horrific tale of [[DisposableVagrant homeless]] [[HollywoodHeartAttack heart attack]] victim [[AntagonistTitle Charlie Rull]] who falls into a swampy pool saturated with radioactive chemicals [[FreakLabAccident unintentionally leaked]] from a laboratory near the dump where he lived. The radiation resurrects Charlie as an [[SuperStrength inhumanly strong]] [[NuclearNasty zombie]]. Remembering nothing of his former life, Charlie feels only the pain of the radiation burning through his undead body. Filled with a vicious hatred for all other life, he proceeds to go on a murderous rampage through the nearby town of Newbridge.

As with ''[[Literature/Slime1953 Slime]]'', a great audio version read by Edward E. French can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr_gi4KcqS4 here]].

* CameBackBrock: Hoooo boy...

''The Corpse of Charlie Rull'' is a 1959 short horror story written by Creator/JosephPayneBrennan. It tells the short, horrific tale of a [[DisposableVagrant homeless]] [[HollywoodHeartAttack heart attack]] victim who falls into a swampy pool saturated with radioactive chemicals [[FreakLabAccident unintentionally leaked]] from a laboratory near the dump where he lived. The radiation resurrects Charlie as an [[SuperStrength inhumanly strong]] [[NuclearNasty zombie]]. Remembering nothing of his former life, Charlie feels only the pain of the radiation burning through his undead body. Filled with a vicious hatred for all other life, he proceeds to go on a murderous rampage through the nearby town of Newbridge.

* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: [[spoiler:Charlie gets completely torn in half by the police sergeant's machine gun. Both halves continue living and crawling around, until further fire shoots Charlie into so many pieces he ceases being a threat.]]

* AssholeVictim: Charlie's first and second victims. The first is a salesman who hits him with his car and initially decides to keep going after he mistakenly believes he's killed the undead tramp. Charlie overturns his car and rips him to bits. His second victim is a hitchhiker [[spoiler:who turns out to be a SerialKiller planning to murder whoever picks him up.]]

* NoNameGiven: Most of the characters are identified solely by their roles/jobs; the salesman, hitchhiker, the three tramps, the captain and his sergeant all don't get names. In fact, the only named characters in the story besides Charlie are Cynthia Mellet and her mother, Mrs. Mellet, as well as "[[TheGhost Zack]]."

* DaChief: The captain commanding the police strike force.

As with ''[[Literature/Slime1953 Slime]]'', a great audio version read by Edward E. French can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr_gi4KcqS4

''The Corpse of Charlie Rull'' is a 1959 short horror story written by Creator/JosephPayneBrennan. It tells the short, horrific tale of a [[DisposableVagrant homeless]] [[HollywoodHeartAttack heart attack]] victim who falls into a swampy pool saturated with radioactive chemicals unintentionally leaked from a laboratory near the dump where he lived. The radiation resurrects Charlie as an inhumanly strong zombie. Remembering nothing of his former life, Charlie feels only the pain of the radiation burning through his undead body. Filled with a vicious hatred for all other life, he proceeds to go on a murderous rampage through the nearby town of Newbridge.