I am not the first to applaud AMC for their Walking Dead series. While the Zombie genre's popularity has endured and evolved for decades, this series that is surprisingly smart and emotional. Especially considering that the setting is a world filled with mindless hordes of brain dead monsters.
For a very long time, I would not have considered myself a fan of Zombie films, but starting with 28 days later and Shawn of the Dead, I have definitely come around to appreciate the Romero Zombie Mythology. I would almost say I am, at times, obsessed with it. But why is part of our culture drawn to these films, and what is it that I find so fascinating? I think it comes down to Five main reasons that the Romero Zombie literature is captivating to myself, and to many others.
First, it is about Survival.
We could all complain endlessly about the rise of reality TV and the decline of good scripted programing. But despite all our grievances towards current trends in television, we almost all have a reality show weakness. I can't get enough of Les Stroud or Bear Grylls. There is almost and obsessive need to keep watching, made much worse if there is a marathon running, where I feel like any tip for staying alive that I miss might be the one that I might need someday. I keep way to much crap in my pockets thinking that some day I will have to Macguyver myself out of a situation. No, seriously, I do need that many paperclips at all times.
The current Zombie stories are about Survival, the horror is not lost, but I am drawn to the survival and critical thinking. After watching, I sometimes think about what I might do in such a fictional situation, and I imagine a game plan or strategy. There is much shared with Post Apocalyptic genre in that it is a harsh world that requires an acute skill for survival and the removal of everything but the basic necessities of day to day life. This simplification also ties with Castaway fiction as well.
Second, It is Not about the dead.
What made the batch of zombie films in the 2000s great, was that they were not about the Zombies. Yes, the Zombies were an integral part of the story, but in many ways they Zombies are a very weak antagonist. The Zombie Apocalypse is a setting, Not a character. In many good Zombie movies, the Zombies could almost be replaced with anything, be it Aliens, Monsters, or The Stuff. It is the Characters, and how they interact in the setting that make some of the recent Zombie fiction so popular. Another big benefit is that the newer films, books and TV shows are much smarter. I have yet to read Max Brooks, World War Z, but I am told that it is brilliant in describing what was once a campy splatter film genre, but now a realistic and detailed thought out world. I still need to read the original Walking Dead Comic.
Third, it can get pretty emotional.
More than any other that I have seen, The Walking Dead shows that the there is an
enormous amount of emotion that is rarely touched in the Zombie genre. From worrying about missing family members, to the horror of having to kill a turned loved one, There is no end to the emotional buttons that can be pressed. It is this emotional element that is reaching out of the once obscure genre and to the masses. Shawn of the Dead was a romantic Comedy in many ways, there just happened to be Zombies acting as the narrative guides.
Forth, there is a message in there somewhere.
When George Romero first took the Zombie Mythology from that of a Voodoo curse on the living, to the mind killing contagion in Night of the Living Dead, we were given a social commentary about America's fear concerning the spread of Communism. Since then, Zombies have been used as metaphor for Consumerism, Environmentalism, Bioengineering and more. From Post Apocalyptic and Castaway fiction, I also find that a big element in Zombie fiction is people subconsciously wanting simplification in their life. There is a draw to these worlds, but not the horrible world itself, but to the idea of a world with simpler demands. We are a culture so over burdened with Debt, bills, obligations and careers. I think many wish there was some sort of escape from the hassles of modern society, and maybe a Zombie Apocalypse would almost be worth it if it made thinks simple again.
Fifth, just tell me where to shoot.
I could ramble on endlessly about how violence is wired into humanity. The world is not black and white. There is no pure evil, and every enemy deep down is just another poor sap trying to make it though the day. But we often crave an adversary, one that we can unleash the full glut of violence that society requires us to keep bottled up and in check. We get the definite good or bad (or alive or dead) distinction in Zombie fiction, but we also have the knowledge that they were once living. This stops it from being a good vs. the ultimate evil idea, as these were once good people too, yet we are able to keep the conviction that this is violence that needs to be done. In the real world there is never a time when that is the case.
Violence is detestable, and there is never justification for it. Unless the Third Reich is marching across Europe, or we are defending the helpless from murderous bandits, there is never a time when violence is acceptable. But human nature is violent, and as society forces us to suppress and ignore the blood thirsty, animal nature within us all. There will still be times when we will crave to attack with the fury of ten thousand enraged gorillas with chainsaws. Thankfully we have some fictional outlets to channel those impulses, and Zombies make some of the best targets.
Just remember to aim for the head.
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