Since The Last of Us debuted on HBO, fans have gotten to relive the horrors of the video game eerily well, especially the disgustingly mutated zombies of the acclaimed franchise. The post-apocalyptic series, taking place after the fungal infection outbreak of Cordyceps festers and spreads throughout the United States, showcases humans slowly transforming in stages after being infected. Starting out as a mere Runner, exposed people will continue to mutate from appearing close to human, until they are entirely unrecognizable.
The dystopian, zombified wasteland forces the remainder of humankind to struggle to survive against the six different infected types, the monsters only becoming more of a threat as the mutation progresses. As such, players must use unique strategies to take these horrifying foes down, before they become one themselves. From the creepy Clickers to the sinister Shamblers, each of these zombie categories is deadlier than the last, but which are the scariest of all?
Runners
Runners may be the weakest of the infected types, but they're far from easy to deal with, especially since they don't cower away from light and can attack at any time. On top of this, they still have good hearing and sight, unlike the later stages of infected types.
Though they look the most human, since the parasitic fungus hasn't fully mutated them, they act like rabid animals. When hunting for prey, they are agile and quick, but also very loud. Their aggression can be incredibly frightening, specifically in enclosed areas, sprinting at the player without any hesitation. Luckily, they aren't too difficult to kill, unless they're traveling in groups.
Stalkers
Behaving quite the opposite of Runners, Stalkers are a zombie type that are explained perfectly by their name, often found lurking low to the ground while watching their prey's every move. Making sure to stay hidden for the right moment to strike, they quickly crawl on all fours and patiently wait around corners or objects.
They are arguably the most intelligent of the mutations, adding another level of horror to them, as they can easily outsmart and bombard an inattentive passerby. If that wasn't scary enough, they often hunt in packs, making them harder to kill. The suspenseful way a Stalker moves alone is enough to send chills down the spines of anyone.
Clickers
HBO's The Last of Us may differ from the game with the concept of tendrils instead of spores, but that certainly doesn't make the infected abominations any less terrifying. Clickers are the third stage of the mutation in one of the best third-person horror games, the fungus had grown out of their faces and taken complete control of their brains.
Though they have no eyes, their insanely good hearing makes up for it, allowing them to utilize a form of echolocation to find their next meal. The grotesque features of these savage atrocities make the top of their heads look like mouths ready to swallow up prey, horrifying humans effortlessly. Clickers can also be a challenge to kill, specifically if there is more than one and a nearby human isn't moving slowly.
Bloaters
The highly resilient Bloaters are thoroughly infected with Cordyceps from head to toe and immensely strong. While they do move pretty slowly, it rarely hinders them in a fight. Instead of biting humans, Bloaters primary attack is the use of toxic spore-filled sacks on their bodies.
These pockets can obstruct eyesight and deteriorate the health of their enemies in order to make them vulnerable, giving the Bloaters room to assault their target. Looking at their pouches of glow-in-the-dark toxin easily makes the viewers' skin crawl, becoming nausea-inducing when popped. Unable to be taken down at close range, they are only killable at a distance with a flamethrower or shotgun.
Shamblers
The heavily deformed Shamblers aren't introduced until The Last Of Us Part II, and are much more impressive than Bloaters, primarily due to their surprising speed. Able to sprint almost as fast as a Runner, despite their huge weight, these abhorrent eyesores can rush toward their unfortunate prey to knock them right down.
Those who were deeply fearful of Bloaters will cower in the sight of Shamblers, since they can mist toxic acid when someone comes too close or attacks it. Like Bloaters, they must be fought from farther away, but this distance is considerably harder to maintain due to their speed. Only becoming vulnerable once their thick fungal armor is burned away, getting close enough to do so is petrifying.
Rat King
The very last (at least thus far) stage of the Cordyceps infection is inarguably the most appalling and ferocious of all. The Rat King is a super-monstrosity that has been mutating for decades and is a mixture of all the other stages to create one near-immortal host. Deadly as it is durable, this extremely rare organism has the ability to spew acidic gas in rapid succession.
Whenever The Rat King takes damage, something equally as nightmarish as its initial look happens. As the fungus breaks down, individuals that were fused into it (like Clickers and Runners) will detach themselves and charge or fling spores at their foe. Furthermore, this absolutely horrific disgrace has crazy strong fungal armor and speed to overpower its opponent easily.