I had 'smart zombies' in a short story currently with a publisher, the idea being that those directly affected by the original curse (the cause in this case) retained most or some of their intellect, degrading as one went down the chain of infection into the mindless hordes the original zombies could command (borrowing a bit from vampire lore). It was set in Roman times, and I call the zombie lords 'plutocrats', because I am not above a cheesy double entendre.
Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman