According to the online Oxford English Dictionary, the word zombie has been around in the English language since at least 1819.
Originating in West Africa, the term refers to a corpse revived by witchcraft. By the 1930s it had spread more widely to to convey a 'dull, slow-witted person' of the kind we now associate with flesh-eating tabloid journalists.
The example shown top-right appears on a lamppost in East Scotland Street Lane. It perhaps alludes to a nearby planning application which, despite repeated knocks on the head, refuses to lie down.
Artisan Roast staff are currently applying the concept to a state of unreasoning motion without caffeine.
Their A-board displays the average Broughtonian before coffee ...
and afterwards ...
Nice to see that locals remember to queue, even when undead.
Other disturbing presences may be found in the tunnel between St Mark's Park and Tesco ...
and on Calton Hill ...
and at Sugar Daddy's on Rodney Street ...
not least among their recent Halloween-themed offerings.
If you spot other creatively gruesome sights in Broughton, we'd love to know. Tell us at spurtle@hotmail.co.uk and @theSpurtle and Facebook