Yup. And so, in a way, zombies are a real possibilities.

A zombie, an undead creature who craves human flesh, isn’t a real possibility (yet).

But zombies, as a situation a person might have to deal with, actually can happen. You’re boarding up the windows. They’re walking by outside, at a steady pace. You’re hoping they don’t notice you.

A mob coming up the street is a slow zombie horde. They’re just slowly filling the street.

A mob that targets you is a fast zombie situation. You need to sprint and will die if caught. You won’t get eaten but you will get beat to death which is basically the same kind of death.

Guns are useless: you’ve got limited ammo and it draws more of them.

And finally the feeling is eerie because people in a mob don’t see you as a person. Being part of a mob is an instinctual experience. It shifts the psychology and cuts out deliberation and inhibition. Members of a mob are in an altered state of mind, which creates an eerie, inhuman feeling.