“You need a stout weapon to break their heads. A baseball bat—metal, not wood, because wood will break. A cricket bat is terrific. A crowbar—it’s heavy, so it does a lot of the work for you in head-cracking, plus it can help you pry open doors. I would stay away from firearms—unless you’ve trained, it’s really hard to hit a moving target in the head. You can run out of ammo. And firearms encourage overconfidence in a zombie situation.” —Brendan Riley, professor, “Zombies in the Media,” Columbia College–Chicago

(Photo: Michael Allin/New York Magazine )

Good: DeMarini Ultimate Weapon metal bat, $100 at Paragon Sports (867 Broadway, nr. 18th St.; 212-255-8036).

(Photo: Alamy)

Better: Aresson Mirage 1000 cricket bat, $169 at Singh’s Sporting Goods, 100-06 101st Ave., nr. 100th St.; 718-925-9058).

(Photo: Danny Kim/New York Magazine)

Good: Kershaw Camp ax, $39.95 at Eastern Mountain Sports (2152 Broadway, at 76th St.; 212-873-4001).

(Photo: Courtesy of the vendor)

Better: Horton Bone Collector 175 crossbow, $500 at Dick’s Sporting Goods (Paramus Towne Square, 240 Route 17, North Paramus, N.J.; 201-261-2926).

Related:

• Archive: “Guides”
• Articles by Dan Kois
• Table of Contents: Oct 24, 2011 issue of New York | Subscribe!