Throughout the decades, horror movies and horror stories have often been the best indicators of what is scaring people about the society in which they live. In his book Danse Macabre famed horror writer Stephen King illustrates how monsters can reflect deep-seated fears about war, politics, the economy, disasters and a host of other very real and serious issues. In the 1950s, for instance, mutant monsters and aliens dominated the silver screen. The giant ants of Them and the arachnids unleashed in the movie The Black Scorpion were perfect metaphors for the dangers of nuclear war.
Today's popular monsters are less grand than those of the 1950s. People today are concerned about more gradual forms of annihilation. They may fear losing their jobs or houses. They worry about terrorism and endless war. They fear the political and moral breakdown of society.
So what monsters currently represent the mindset of most people? One has only to glance at horror genre trends of the last few years to conclude that vampires and zombies are the monsters of choice. Due to the enormous popularity of vampire romance novels, vampires have bled somewhat outside of the horror genre. Therefore, zombies remain as the best metaphors for the fears of our age.
Wherever you look, zombies permeate our culture. Films such as Zombieland and 28 Weeks Later have enjoyed marked success. Books such as World War Z and the recently released thriller, The Dead-Tossed Waves, are quite popular among young adults. The AMC show The Walking Dead has been much anticipated. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies proves that not even classic literature is safe from these monsters. People use the word "zombie" to describe banks, politicians and media pundits. Just like in the movies, zombies keep right on coming.
The failing economy has been the fear that has dominated the lives of so many people in recent times. In his April 26, 2009 Sunday Times article "Zombies Rise to Be Life and Soul of Recession," Tony Allen-Mills explains that zombies were nearly non-existent during the 1990's when the economy was strong. As soon as the recession hit, Zombies made a huge resurgence.
The very appearance of the zombie is a testament to lean times. Unlike the powerful Godzilla, the zombie is an everyman. He wears tattered clothing. His flesh is rotten and stinky. He is literally falling apart at the seams. He walks about in a perpetually hungry state, and there is something pitiable about him.
The zombie also reeks of the greedy consumerism that many people blame for current economic conditions. It is the ultimate mindless consumer, devouring everyone in its path. No matter how much it consumes, it is never has enough. The scene in Zombieland where people enter a gift shop and recklessly destroy the merchandise touches upon this theme. It is similar to the shopping mall scene in James Romero's Dawn of the Dead in which people hide from zombies inside a shopping mall while toying frivolously with items they find inside. Both of these scenes are reminiscent of real-life horror stories that involve people being trampled upon inside shopping centers.
In his book Zombie Economics, John Quiggin uses the Zombie metaphor as a way of illustrating how the financial crisis could have been caused by ideas that simply could not be killed. Erroneous assumptions about how the economy works persisted in spite of evidence to the contrary.
Horror movies and books have also used the idea of a Zombie Apocalypse as a metaphor for the breakdown of our political systems. In these stories, failures in government have caused the world to fall apart and become overrun with zombies. The Resident Evil films, for instance, play off of anxieties about the military-industrial complex. World War Z deals heavily with American isolationism and how prepared countries are to respond to major crises. The American military occupation of London in the movie 28 Days Later has been compared to military operations in the Middle East.
The technological age has greatly increased access to information. While this can be a positive for society, many people worry that it has also opened the door for our culture to become saturated with commercialism and for intellectualism to be replaced with meaningless nonsense. This might result in a large number of lackadaisical people with short attention spans who ignore what is really important in life.
Zombies are the perfect representation of the masses who walk the streets but are mentally dead. They are after the brains of the living, and suck everyone into their mindless horde. The film Shaun of the Dead is a satire, but it delivers an underlying message about the dangers of obliviousness.
Zombies may be the embodiment of society's worst fears, but there is a glimmer of hope to be found in their stories. Most zombie movies feature people successfully fighting zombies. The Dead-Tossed Waves depicts young people realizing that it is up to them to repair their damaged society. Perhaps the message of The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks is that one can avoid becoming zombified with enough resourcefulness and wit.
Today's popular monsters are less grand than those of the 1950s. People today are concerned about more gradual forms of annihilation. They may fear losing their jobs or houses. They worry about terrorism and endless war. They fear the political and moral breakdown of society.
So what monsters currently represent the mindset of most people? One has only to glance at horror genre trends of the last few years to conclude that vampires and zombies are the monsters of choice. Due to the enormous popularity of vampire romance novels, vampires have bled somewhat outside of the horror genre. Therefore, zombies remain as the best metaphors for the fears of our age.
Zombies, Zombies Everywhere
Wherever you look, zombies permeate our culture. Films such as Zombieland and 28 Weeks Later have enjoyed marked success. Books such as World War Z and the recently released thriller, The Dead-Tossed Waves, are quite popular among young adults. The AMC show The Walking Dead has been much anticipated. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies proves that not even classic literature is safe from these monsters. People use the word "zombie" to describe banks, politicians and media pundits. Just like in the movies, zombies keep right on coming.
The Zombie as a Poor Man's Monster and Greedy Consumer
The failing economy has been the fear that has dominated the lives of so many people in recent times. In his April 26, 2009 Sunday Times article "Zombies Rise to Be Life and Soul of Recession," Tony Allen-Mills explains that zombies were nearly non-existent during the 1990's when the economy was strong. As soon as the recession hit, Zombies made a huge resurgence.
The very appearance of the zombie is a testament to lean times. Unlike the powerful Godzilla, the zombie is an everyman. He wears tattered clothing. His flesh is rotten and stinky. He is literally falling apart at the seams. He walks about in a perpetually hungry state, and there is something pitiable about him.
The zombie also reeks of the greedy consumerism that many people blame for current economic conditions. It is the ultimate mindless consumer, devouring everyone in its path. No matter how much it consumes, it is never has enough. The scene in Zombieland where people enter a gift shop and recklessly destroy the merchandise touches upon this theme. It is similar to the shopping mall scene in James Romero's Dawn of the Dead in which people hide from zombies inside a shopping mall while toying frivolously with items they find inside. Both of these scenes are reminiscent of real-life horror stories that involve people being trampled upon inside shopping centers.
In his book Zombie Economics, John Quiggin uses the Zombie metaphor as a way of illustrating how the financial crisis could have been caused by ideas that simply could not be killed. Erroneous assumptions about how the economy works persisted in spite of evidence to the contrary.
The Zombie Apocalypse as a Political Symbol
Horror movies and books have also used the idea of a Zombie Apocalypse as a metaphor for the breakdown of our political systems. In these stories, failures in government have caused the world to fall apart and become overrun with zombies. The Resident Evil films, for instance, play off of anxieties about the military-industrial complex. World War Z deals heavily with American isolationism and how prepared countries are to respond to major crises. The American military occupation of London in the movie 28 Days Later has been compared to military operations in the Middle East.
Zombies and the Death of Intellectualism and Responsibility
The technological age has greatly increased access to information. While this can be a positive for society, many people worry that it has also opened the door for our culture to become saturated with commercialism and for intellectualism to be replaced with meaningless nonsense. This might result in a large number of lackadaisical people with short attention spans who ignore what is really important in life.
Zombies are the perfect representation of the masses who walk the streets but are mentally dead. They are after the brains of the living, and suck everyone into their mindless horde. The film Shaun of the Dead is a satire, but it delivers an underlying message about the dangers of obliviousness.
Zombie Horror Stories Offer Hope
Zombies may be the embodiment of society's worst fears, but there is a glimmer of hope to be found in their stories. Most zombie movies feature people successfully fighting zombies. The Dead-Tossed Waves depicts young people realizing that it is up to them to repair their damaged society. Perhaps the message of The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks is that one can avoid becoming zombified with enough resourcefulness and wit.
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