Zombies have been a part of pop culture for a long time. I’m not going to get into an exhaustive history of the undead, because I’m sure the idea has been around long before George Romero’s black and white 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead. But the whole zombie culture seems to be bigger now than ever before. Why is that so?
First of all, why are we so enthralled with the idea of a zombie apocalypse? Is it because we all individually believe it would be awesome to be the last person on Earth? Is it because we think it’d be cool to have no rules and laws to live by or govern us? Or is it because it just looks like fun to take a shotgun and blow a zombies head clean off?
I think the reason zombie movies and television shows are so popular today is simply because of modern technology and superior make-up products. The special effects from the latest gore-fest zombie movie make the special effects from Romero’s 1968 classic look like it was made in, well, 1968. But in true American style, it’s not better than the last movie or TV show unless there’s more blood, guts and carnage. So all you need to do to make a successful zombie movie is out-gross the last one.
But what does this say about our society? Today’s entertainment culture is fanatically obsessed with the supernatural–whether it be a TV show, movie or video game. After almost disappearing from movie theater screens over the last 20 years, horror movies are huge now. And it’s not just horror–it’s werewolves and vampires, and zombies and witches and all kinds of monsters–even the psychotic serial killer kind–and we cannot get enough of it!
Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Should our sights be somewhat above such childish make-believe? Or is it good to let ourselves indulge in our most base behavior for an hour and a half? I guess it’s OK as long as we pepper in some comedies and adventures and cartoons, too…right? Or is it normal now for someone to be completely obsessed with zombie and horror paraphernalia? It’s so easy to access it today via the internet, you know?
And how far is too far? How far can filmmakers and producers push the envelope before they’ve taken it too far? Or is that even a relevant term in today’s society? You can do anything you want in a movie and it’s getting that way on TV, too. The shows that seem to win all the Emmy’s are the ones on cable that can and do show and say anything they want. Lookout network TV…
After saying all this, I’m not a zombie-hater. In fact, I’ve got to cut this article short because The Walking Dead is about to come on. I can’t say that I absolutely love the show, but I want to keep watching the next episode to see how they’re going to grossing me out. For me, it’s gotten to the point that if that show doesn’t continue to out-do itself and out-gross itself week to week, I’ll quit watching…but that’s just me…