BANGOR, Maine — The dead rose from their graves and strolled around Bangor on Saturday afternoon.
Gaping wounds swaddled their throats. Splotches of blood dotted their tattered clothing. A spike or two protruded from a few foreheads. Nearly all their faces were the color of ash except for the ones covered in fresh, red blood.
The 200 or so people decked out as zombies gathered for the fifth year as the temperature in Bangor dipped into the mid-40s. The Bangor Zombie Walk, scheduled for 5 p.m., started early at 4 p.m. due to the cold weather, organizer Jessie Jackson said.
“A zombie is the walking dead,” he said. “We’ve had all kinds of the dead here today — dead clowns to dead doctors to a walking dead Snow White. The point is to have fun.”
Shawnna Farley of Ellsworth dressed up as Snow White Zombie. She attended the event with her friend Jill Sanner of Northeast Harbor, who was also dressed as a princess. Both have become “undead” for the past five years to take part in the event.
“We try to something different every year and this just seemed like fun,” Farley said. “We love Disney, so Disney princesses worked.
“I love horror and gore and horror movies. This just seemed like the next step, and it’s fun to hone my almost non-existent makeup skills.”
Morgan Wolfe of Cornville said that she really enjoys doing the makeup for herself and her three friends who attended the Zombie Walk with her. Wolfe even donned some special effects contact lenses that made her eyes look entirely white.
The event also collects donations for a different charity each year, according to Jackson. This year, money will go to Dew Haven in Mount Vernon, a shelter for domestic, exotic and wild animals