What's the deal with zombies?

[Roger]

Seriously, every time I turn around, there is some new zombie movie. There is a TV show (The Walking Dead), probably about a half dozen zombie-themed video/computer games (that I can think of off the top of my head). I think the Dept. of Homeland Security or FEMA or maybe it was the CDC had a training program for "what to do in a zombie apocalypse" (seriously??).

 

Maybe it is just a case of anything popular will be copied. A few years back there was a bunch of penguin movies that came out.

And I suspect the zombie-peparedness survival plans are tongue-in-cheek. Still, it seems there is a glut of zombie media out there these days.

[largento]

I can't criticize, since I'll shortly be adding to the problem. :-)

[robcat2075]

Those Zombies keep on comin' back. Apparently the first Zombie book in the US was in 1929 and the first Zombie movie was in 1932.

 

I think the proliferation of revived-from-clinically-dead stories in the last few decades have done a lot to maintain the notion.

 

Mantan Moreland is a bit of an acquired taste, I will admit, but he does what he does very well in "King of the Zombies" (1941)

[Ilidrake]

I'm a big fan of the Walking Dead. The show, the comics, anything to do with it I own. It's a great theme with endless possibilities.

[Roger]

I'm a big fan of the Walking Dead. The show, the comics, anything to do with it I own. It's a great theme with endless possibilities.

 

I like TWD too. Current season is shaping up well compared to last season which was a snooze fest except for the last 3 or 4 episodes.

However, the pop-culture collective subconscious seems to have *really* latched onto zombies for some reason. They're like every damn where I go lol.

[jakerupert]

...and lets not forget, how easy they are to animate in 3 d.

[Gorf]

...or send to school. Last year my son went as a zombie for comic relief.

 

This year it was as the terminator (with metal endoskeleton showing). Next year, he'll have the alien chestburster wriggling about in his chest cavity.

[John Bigboote]

Zombies AND vampires... I did watch the Walking Dead marathon yesterday on AMC. Some incredibly graphic kill scenes... oh my gosh! Someone needs to mix the two... Zombie-Stripper-Vampires(I thru in the stripper part...) kinda like they did with 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'... they took everything that was popular at the time and combined it all- SMASH HIT!.

[KingVidiot]

I'm all for zombies, but the zombie stripper angle was already done and it was pretty bad. I believe it was actually called Zombie Strippers and it starred Jenna Jameson and Robert "Freddy" Englund.

 

The Walking Dead is pushing the envelope for TV, and that's a good thing. They could never do the actual comic on TV since it's extreme.

[NancyGormezano]

zombie penguin strippers

[Rodney]

Zombies AND vampires...

 

Old religious idioms. Different day.

Just as all were clueless in the days of old, all remain just as clueless today.

[Gerry]

Vambies? Zompires?

[largento]

This is just me playing amateur sociologist, but I wonder if it's not partially a reaction to the economic climate.

 

I think the figure is something like only half of college graduates will be able to find jobs right now? Add to that a general disillusion with the government.

 

The Zombie Apocalypse is really about civilization and order being removed from society. The survivor's find themselves in a world where all of those things they were supposed to do are gone. There are no jobs, no rules, no help.

 

Take away the horror element (and horror movies have always been most popular with teens/young adults) and you have something similar to the hippy movement in the late 60s.

 

The great popularity of them as monsters may come from the fact that the more popular undead monsters, vampires, have largely been taken hostage by teenage girls who think they are never-aging teen idols that sparkle in the sunlight. Less Nosferatu and more My Little Pony. :-)

[MMZ_TimeLord]

This is just me playing amateur sociologist, but I wonder if it's not partially a reaction to the economic climate.

 

I think the figure is something like only half of college graduates will be able to find jobs right now? Add to that a general disillusion with the government.

 

The Zombie Apocalypse is really about civilization and order being removed from society. The survivor's find themselves in a world where all of those things they were supposed to do are gone. There are no jobs, no rules, no help.

 

Take away the horror element (and horror movies have always been most popular with teens/young adults) and you have something similar to the hippy movement in the late 60s.

 

The great popularity of them as monsters may come from the fact that the more popular undead monsters, vampires, have largely been taken hostage by teenage girls who think they are never-aging teen idols that sparkle in the sunlight. Less Nosferatu and more My Little Pony. :-)

I guess that's why I am a big fan of the Underworld series of movies. Well written history and explanation of the 'problem' for both Vampires and Werewolves.

 

As for Zombies, like Largento staed, I think there is that element of globally no support, no help, survivalist part of the story, but also these are people that are already done for, no harm in destroying them. This way the violence seen against them, especially in video games, is more acceptable to the general public. Head shot on a person = Bad, Head shot on an undead corpse that is trying to kill you = Just the right thing to do.

 

I've always found the Zombie stories and mythos very fun and interesting as a social as well as survival problem. Two of my favorite examples are in two different media types. Zombieland (Movie - 2009) which was partially tongue and cheek and Left 4 Dead (1 & 2 Video games 2008 & 2009) which was about survival because you were naturally immune to the 'virus'. Both of these, I think, kind of reflect a modern version of the Black Plague, but this one, the victims that succumb are spreading the disease by attacking the healthy.

[KingVidiot]

George Romero's Dawn of the Dead ('78) was partly about fun and partly a commentary on consumerism with the zombies representing the average zoned-out mall visitors you always see, drawn to the mall out of "instinct". Apparently many malls used to open early for senior groups to walk around for exercise, sort of like zombies.

 

The movie shows the survivors holed-up in the mall living a semi-luxurious life with all of their consumer needs met but still feeling empty. Many of the 70s references are dated, but it's a classic. It spawned the great cheesy wave of Italian zombie films and the eventual rise of Resident Evil, etc.

[Roger]

George Romero's Dawn of the Dead ('78) was partly about fun and partly a commentary on consumerism with the zombies representing the average zoned-out mall visitors you always see, drawn to the mall out of "instinct". Apparently many malls used to open early for senior groups to walk around for exercise, sort of like zombies.

 

The movie shows the survivors holed-up in the mall living a semi-luxurious life with all of their consumer needs met but still feeling empty. Many of the 70s references are dated, but it's a classic. It spawned the great cheesy wave of Italian zombie films and the eventual rise of Resident Evil, etc.

 

Didn't they do a fairly recent remake of Dawn of the Dead? Like in the last 6 or 8 years? Trapped in a mall, etc?

BTW you make it sound like malls are an extinct thing, LOL.

 

I do think American consumerism, such as it is, cannot go on much longer. I think we are in the death throes of that way of life right now.

[Roger]

This is just me playing amateur sociologist, but I wonder if it's not partially a reaction to the economic climate.

 

I think the figure is something like only half of college graduates will be able to find jobs right now? Add to that a general disillusion with the government.

 

The Zombie Apocalypse is really about civilization and order being removed from society. The survivor's find themselves in a world where all of those things they were supposed to do are gone. There are no jobs, no rules, no help.

 

Take away the horror element (and horror movies have always been most popular with teens/young adults) and you have something similar to the hippy movement in the late 60s.

 

The great popularity of them as monsters may come from the fact that the more popular undead monsters, vampires, have largely been taken hostage by teenage girls who think they are never-aging teen idols that sparkle in the sunlight. Less Nosferatu and more My Little Pony. :-)

 

You may have hit on something there, Largento. I think hurricane Katrina from a few years back woke people up to the reality that the government is not always going to be there to help out. What an utter mess that was.

 

I really don't care for the modern sparkly vampires. Give me Nosferatu any day. At least you can't have zombies as a sex object (dear god would that be horrible). I am surprised that there weren't any more Blade movies, though. I kinda expected to see a 4th one.

 

Speaking of zombies and strippers, has anyone else seen Lollipop Chainsaw? I've been thinking about getting it just for giggles.

[Roger]

I'm all for zombies, but the zombie stripper angle was already done and it was pretty bad. I believe it was actually called Zombie Strippers and it starred Jenna Jameson and Robert "Freddy" Englund.

 

The Walking Dead is pushing the envelope for TV, and that's a good thing. They could never do the actual comic on TV since it's extreme.

 

There is absolutely no way they could do a completely faithful TV version of TWD. A movie would have to be rated X or NC 17 at the least.

Just the character of the Governor is such an absolute dirtbag in the comic, I was really interested to see how they would deal with him in the TV show. They managed to humanize him somewhat.

[Simon Edmondson]

I'm not a fan of the zombie genre but, thought this might amuse ?

Simon