Zombie Crawlers mass in Denver mall

DENVER, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Denver's Zombie Crawlers said they wanted to break the world record for most zombies in one place but Guinness officials were not there to verify the attempt.

Denver's 6th annual Zombie Crawl at the 16th Street Mall allegedly drew thousands of participants Saturday, but officials were not on hand to certify the exact number, leaving the Oct. 30, 2010, record of 4,093 held by New Jersey's Zombie Walk intact, The Denver Post reported.

The occasion included a canned-food drive for Food Bank of the Rockies and a Nerf shooting event benefiting Hopeful Tomorrow Inc., a program for at-risk youth.

Costumes ranged from the simple to the elaborate and featured straightforward face painting to elaborate wardrobes and makeup with fake blood pouring out of bullet holes, the newspaper said.

University student Brian Strongreen, 29, sported a costume strikingly similar to the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi he called "zombie-Gadhafi."

"I used to be in the military and I'm all for dead dictators," Strongreen said. "I couldn't find a Jheri curl wig."

Justin Smith, 28, Valerie Rudden, 29, and Nick Pantier, 28, from Denver, attended as "zombie-occupiers" holding fake-blood-stained cardboard signs reading, "corporate greed did this" and "coming for the 1 percent."

"We aren't here as hardcore Occupy Denver people," Smith said. "It's a good movement to support and raise awareness of, but we are just down here for fun."