Zombie Chicken

Zombie Chicken
Biographical information
Home	Derceto Manor
Status	Banished
Physical description
Gender	Unknown
Species	Unknown
Hair color	None
Eye color	Green
Behind the scenes
Appears in	Alone in the Dark

The Zombie Chicken is the second most common enemy in the original Alone in the Dark, after the Ghouls.

Background & Appearance

Giant Chicken Monster Attacking Carnby.

The Zombie Chicken's origins are unknown. Its body appears to be that of a chicken, with a stubby tail, large body, and arm structures similar to wings, it has long sharp teeth, and claws on its hands. Its anatomy indicates that is completely hairless, with absolutely no hair or feathers. It is sometimes thought to be a bipedal rat-like creature.

Events of Alone in the Dark

Chicken monster enters through a window.

The Zombie Chicken is the first enemy the player encounters in the game. They appear in various rooms with windows throughout the mansion. It is implied that Jeremy Hartwood had known about its existence prior to the player's arrival, as the opening text states that he blocked the window with the dresser. If the player does this, it stops the creature from entering the loft.

They appear in three rooms of Derceto Manor and on the Cthonian Tunnels. They usually enter by breaking through windows or by surprising the player.

Strategy

The Zombie Chicken is fast and jumpy; close range attacks are discouraged because it strikes much faster than the player's can recover. If using Melee, the best tactic is to kick from a distance or use a weapon with certain range, like a sword.

Because of its speed, agility, and ability to stun lock the player, it is recommended to use a gun, either the Rifle or Revolver. However, hit detection issues can cause shots to miss, so aim carefully..

Dodging around the side of the Zombie Chicken is very difficult to pull off but the one in the tunnels can be jumped around instead. Alternatively some of them are possible to trap by closing doors on them.

Trivia

• Frédérick Raynal, the creator of Alone in the Dark, revealed in GDC-2012 that the name of the creature is "Zombie Chicken".
• The Zombie Chicken was the first enemy designed for the game.
• A famous feature of Alone in the Dark is to be able to avoid the first clash of the game by moving a wardrobe in front of the window where the monster would appear.
• These creatures are called with contempt by Carnby deranged chickens , or "chickens crazy / insane" in the official guide of the game.
• Photosaurus and Ophtalmicid appeared in The New Nightmare are inspired by the Zombie Chicken.
• In the internal advertising to Atari's remake of Alone in the Dark, the model of a dog-like monster that was deleted from Alone in the Dark (2008) were used for what would be the Zombie Chicken.