Karen Cooper was one of the people who were trapped by a horde of zombies in a Pennsylvanian farm house during the early stages of the undead apocalypse. She is one of minor characters in Night of the Living Dead.
Biography[]
Night of the Living Dead (1968 Film)[]
When the undead outbreak occurred, Karen, her mother Helen, and her father Harry were attacked by a horde of zombies which turned over their car and bit Karen on the arm. With Karen too ill to move, they joined with Tom and Judy and hid in the cellar of a Pennsylvanian farmhouse.
Eventually, Karen dies of her zombie bite, reanimates and devours her dead father's flesh. When Helen comes down into the cellar, Karen advances on her mother and guts her to death with a trowel. Karen then goes upstairs and attacks Ben, who throws her off and locks himself downstairs.
Karen and the zombies at first try to break into the cellar, but they eventually give up and abandon the farmhouse. She is most likely killed for good by the posse afterwards.
Night of the Living Dead (1990 film)[]
Her role in the remake more or less identical with the original albeit with notable changes. First of all, her mother Helen was Karen's first victim upon reanimation as opposed of her father Harry because the latter was upstairs turning against Barbara and returned Ben in a mental breakdown. The manner reanimated Karen killed her mother was different also, in which she tore the latter's necklace aside before fatally chomped her by the neck (Helen's blood got splattered over the nearby rusted trowel as a nod to it being used as her original incarnation's murder weapon). She then reveals herself before the three survivors, halting their confrontation while ignoring Harry in favor of claiming Barbara next despite the former being in close proximity. A violent shootout between Harry and Ben ensues as soon as the latter attempts to put zombified Karen back to rest, leaving Barbara to do the deed instead.
Trivia[]
- Karen's second death was only confirmed in the remake.