In some works, zombies are slow and shambling, while in others they are fast and agile. In the classic George Romero zombie films, such as Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, zombies are slow and uncoordinated. They move at a walking pace, and they can be easily outrun by humans.

Common tempos are between 80 and 118 BPM, while more upbeat tracks may be between 128 and 140 BPM. "Outrun" is a synonym of synthwave that was later used to refer more generally to retro 1980s aesthetics such as VHS tracking artifacts, magenta neon, and gridlines.