In the recent past there been an increase in the number of zombie films, videogames and books. In fact IMDb reports that a whopping 68 films have so far been released in 2015 alone(IMDb). This has elicited a big debate on the significance of zombies in the modern culture. This is important because while so many people are finding the living dead interesting, the forms of entertainment that we as a society choose are relevant. Different perspectives have been put argued on this issue. This paper is going to use the movie film Anger of the Dead by Francesco Picone to consider concerns and issues in the contemporary culture brought about by zombie films. Generational disillusionment, global capitalism and hopelessness are the three aspects of …show more content…
In any zombie literature helplessness is one of the most prominent themes. Most people would agree to the fact that there rarely is any happy ending to any zombie story or even film. In most of these stories the survivors try to make it to safety but they will usually not succeed in doing so and they eventually end up dying. A state of helplessness has also been stressed in the Anger of the Dead. In this movie we find Alice a pregnant girl who is trapped in a world that has been ravaged by a virus that turns its victims into cannibals. There are very few survivors along with her but not all of them have the same motive as her. Their only hope is an island that is untouched by the plague. However, despite the near impossible mission to head to safety, the situation is complicated by an individual from a group of sadistic groups who is after a mysterious woman. He is not to be reasoned with and his methods interrogation and punishment are simply barbaric.He only serves to make her threats bigger aside of the zombies.In Anger of the Dead mankind is ultimately doomed(Robson, …show more content…
More than seven billion people currently live in this world, and the number continues to increase.The human race has become like a mindless horde, it leaves nothing behind andconsumes everything in its path. Since the end of the Black Death in the fourteenth century,the human population has been growing steadily and it has been exploding since the 1950's.The resources are rapidly becoming depleted. There is massive environmental pollution that is increasing the global temperature and the sea levels are rapidly rising. In short the resources are rapidly getting depleted. In a similar way to the survivors in the zombie films, the human race feels helpless to stop this(Robson, 2013). In conclusion, this essay has argued the three cultural aspects that Anger of the Dead portrays in the contemporary society which includes the global capitalism, disillusionment and hopelessness.By conducting an analysis on the film,issues and concerns of the contemporary culturehave been established. The fears, anxiety and desires of the humankind are determined by the nature of the zombies and the decision made by survivors. These determine the issues that are faced by mankind in the
No book has captivated the zombie apocalypse better than World War Z. Max Brooks creatively presents “a worldwide zombie pandemic from outbreak to aftermath” (Boyd, Tristan). His book encompasses many social and political themes in the world today. The book reveals true fear and shows the strength of the human race.
Torie Boschs “First eat all the lawyers” appeared in Slate october 2011. Her piece was to reach out to horror fans and to explain to them why zombies are a great monsters in current media. Zombie fanatics who read this short essay will love her vast knowledge of zombies while others who still do not understand why zombies are horribly terrifying can get behind her argument. Bosch explains that the current zombie craze has to do with our current society and how white-collar workers would be left defenceless in a world over run with a rampant horde of zombies. While blue-collar workers can flourish in this current state as they have more skills suited for survival. Boschs essay uses rhetorical devices such as ethos, foil and satire to make her
Victor Harplin’s black and white film, White Zombie, and W.B Seabrook’s short story, “Dead Men Working in the Cane Fields”, both were produced in the early twentieth century and were among the first works to capture the nature of the zombie. The zombie being a unique monster, it originated in the folkloric and ritual practices of the New World, specifically in the Republic of Haiti (The Sub-Subaltern Monster). They both centralize around Zombies, however they do differ in the way that they are portrayed. Both were set in Haiti where the zombie originated. Also around this time the U.S. occupied Haiti and American businesses were moving to the island. America was going through serious social change in this time as well. Both women and African Americans were trying to get more rights. Women were also acting more provocative and doing things that would have been seen as inappropriate at the time. The social mold was being shattered. America was in a boom period with big business and new technological innovations. Also both the story and the film relate closely to Cohen’s first thesis. These two literary works have similarities and differences to them, however both tend to play on social and political differences of the 1920’s and 1930’s.
Max Brooks explains in his article ‘’The Movies That Rose From The Grave’’ [2006], that zombies and the supernatural forces have impacted and have become popular in the world today. The first main idea that Brooks points out is the way society has changed the meaning and glimpse for the supernatural creatures like zombies causing them to become increasingly popular. To support this zombie movies have changed from darkness and mystery to violent and bloodier scenes therefore making them more prevailing. The second main idea that is discussed by Brooks is how the media has helped to increase the popularity of zombies, vampires, ghosts. Highlighted by the author particularity both ‘’resident evil,
We are in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Every time we hit “retweet,” a bullet is shot through a zombie’s head. Each email we delete is another zombie down. Finishing last night’s haul of homework is surviving a whole mob of zombies. This is the picture that Chuck Klosterman paints in his article published in The New York Times, “My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead.” Having published many books and essays concerning pop culture, Klosterman attempts to uncover the reason why zombies are so popular right now. He concludes that their popularity is a result of the current zombie-like state of our society. Killing zombies is repetitive, and it is no different from the monotonous tasks we engage in every day. Although Klosterman’s claim that zombies are popular because they are relatable is an interesting view, he does not bother to consider a more optimistic perspective: that zombies are popular because they are unrelatable.
As said in the previous discussion regarding the second chapter of Better Off Dead: The Evolution of the Zombie as Post-Human, zombies and their culture are examined and broken down in order to understand their motives for the progression of zombies globally. Through different perspectives from individuals based around the world, the discussion of the zombie culture debates over the idea that zombies have not just evolved within the narratives that have brought them to life, but they have evolved in such a way that ultimately transforms the narrative itself. However, in this specific chapter, “They are not men.they are dead bodies!” : From Cannibal to Zombie and Back Again, Chera Kee breaks down the introduction of zombies into mainstream consciousness, and eventually cinema.
George Romero's reinvention of the zombie in night of the Living Dead (1968) is clearly a critique of elements of the American society, and the film as a whole is easily twisted into a warped view on the 'American Dream'. Themes throughout Romero’s film, dealing with controversial topics during the time that the film was made, are still, to this day debated by critics and film historians. Themes of racism and war are defined within the movie, hidden underneath the idea of carnal, cannibalistic zombies and over the top heroes who, eventually, succumb to the reanimated; despite their every effort. These themes are colored over and painted to hide beneath subtle references to the typical American Dream during this time, and Romero does quite the good job at it too. This dream, whilst continuously changing in the everyday lives of modern Americans, can be loosely defined as a national ethos of the United States, or a set of ideals dealing with freedom and the opportunity for success - an upward social status that can be achieved through hard work and effort.
The idea of a zombie is made up and it comes from nzambi, the Kongo word for the spirit of a dead person. In states such as Louisiana, or the Creole culture they believe zombies represent a person who has dies and brought back to life with no speech. Kings psychological argument on how we have an urge to watch horror movies because it helps to re-establish our feelings and feel natural again. Klusterman’s sociological essay helped us see the comparison of zombies and humans in real life. In conclusion zombies are not real, they are make believe but help bring a sense of normality to
In the article, “A Zombie Manifesto: The Nonhuman Condition in the Era of Advanced Capitalism” by Sarah Juliet Lauro and Karen Embry, the authors’ evaluate the idea of the zombie and its connection to capitalism and post-humanism. According to the authors, the zombie represents much more than just a fear, it represents a loss of oneself to many different things, primarily to a capitalist society. The authors have come to the conclusion that humans have a fear of what they cannot control, and that is why the zombie is so big in entertainment. We see zombies everywhere, in movies, books, tv shows, fundraisers, marathons, and so much more. They have been around for decades, but recently they have become very popular. The authors believe this is
African American representation in the film industry has always been a topic for discussion. Whether talking about character types and roles, the actors being cast or not cast, and the lack of diversity in front of and behind the camera. ‘The contemporary status of race in mainstream American culture is intimately bound to the process of representation within and through the mass media.’ (Rocchio, 2000, p. 4). Any role that was to be played by an African American kept in with the dominant stereotypes of the time of production; incompetent, child like, hyper-sexualised or criminal.
Although “Thriller” is beloved as a classic 80’s pop music video, it manages a successful dive into the social and political issues that make zombie flicks so great. Pulling from a history of work on zombies, Michael Jackson packs so much history into such a concise package. Through using the texts of Amy Devitt and Kerry Dirk we are able to uncover Jackson’s experience and social commentary in “Thriller”. He simultaneously writes a hit song, revolutionizes music videos, and still remarks on the societal problems of the early 1980’s. However, the story goes much further than that of a number one hit. “Thriller” owes its success to an important cultural figure that looms as large as
make us see exactly what he wants us to and this film is a very good
The Walking Dead is an allegory for the real world. It presents audiences, the controversies of the conventional postmodern society amidst a post-apocalyptic drama. The series portrayal of dissolving humanity in unfeigned bleakness both reflects and inflames our societal perceptions and fears. Through an inhuman fallacy, (the zombie) The Walking Dead humanises the hopeless actualization of our corrupted world in all its postmodern traits. Therefore, the ambition for The Walking Dead is to exhibit a world pursuing a favourable equilibrium of peace and liberty but never achieving it as it is entirely a Sisyphean. In this essay, I will argue how cinema and humankind has fed into corruption within postmodernism.
Almost everyone has a favorite genre of film, but how everyone defines their favorite genre can differ greatly. Horror is one of the genres where its definition can be perceived differently by many people. Like all other genres, horror does have rules and traditions that must be included in order for a film to be considered a horror film. These rules and traditions include a protagonist, an antagonist, an escape or escape attempt of some sort, and very influential audio and visual effects.
The reduction of the Earth's resources has been closely linked to the rise in human population. For many thousands of years people lived in relative harmony with their surroundings. Population sizes were small, and life-supporting tools were simple. Most of the energy needed for work was provided by the worker and animals. Since about 1650, however, the human population has increased dramatically. The problems of overcrowding multiply as an ever-increasing number of people are added to the world's population each year.