Zombie Films Essay

In recent years, there have been a plethora of film releases that pertain to the central topic of zombies. Typically “zombies thrive in popular culture during times of recession, epidemic and general unhappiness” (Drezner). Zombie films began around the 1920’s, and continue to fill modern day theatres. These films, although dramatized for entertainment, are something that truly could, and have, occurred. These films have been modernized, in order to fit the desires and demands of a modern-day audience, and therefore are tremendously different from their original zombie-film counterparts.

In order to completely understand the transition of zombie films, it is crucial to recognize the origin of the zombie genre. The concept of zombies

originated from voodoo practices that were used in Haiti. These:
Haitian zombies were said to be people brought back from the dead (and sometimes controlled) through magical means by voodoo priests called bokors or houngan. Sometimes the zombification was done as punishment (striking fear in those who believed that they could be abused even after death), but often the zombies were said to have been used as slave labor on farms and sugarcane plantations. (Radford)
These Haitian zombies created a new genre in horror films, and set a precedent for many films to come. However, the origin of zombies have been adapted multiple times in order to fit the fears of varying audiences.
Another crucial topic that needs to be addressed while discussing the zombie subgenre is why audiences are afraid of these creatures. Zombies induce fear and alarm in audiences by consuming human flesh, which is often gory, and difficult to watch. Secondly, the mob mentality that zombies use to corner survivors if petrifying, because there is no way to escape the situation. Also, “there is this sense of them being the people you know -- but they're not… [and that is] scary" (Vance). A Zombie’s human-like appearance makes it more difficult to rationalize killing them. This makes viewers question if they could kill a monster that was once their friend. Although these three factors make zombies frightening, the primary reason that audiences are fearful of these creatures is that zombies have already walked the earth. Although the full-blown zombie apocalypse has not yet occurred, the fact of the matter is that individuals have been reported in a sort of inhuman, unconscious state, much like the state of the popularly-depicted “zombie”. Three specific instances are verification that the zombie apocalypse is within the realm of possibility.
In 2012, a gruesome event occurred in China that validates the idea that zombies are an existent threat. A Chinese bus driver became agitated with another driver on the road. Instead of simply waiting, or even doing something common such as yelling or flipping off the other driver, this Chinese man leapt onto the woman’s car, and began to jump on the hood of the woman’s car. When the woman got out of her car, the crazed man grabbed her and bit her in the face. Although this attack was not fatal, the woman required significant plastic surgery. Many people believe that the bus driver was possessed by an evil spirit known as the Jiang Shi (Hawkins).This incident in China validates both the belief in zombies, and the fear that the creatures resonate in modern day film audiences.
In Miami, another famous, and genuine zombie incident occurred in 2012. Rudy Eugene is documented as stripping naked and attacking a homeless man. This man, Ronald Poppo, was attacked in the middle of the day on a well-known bridge called the MacArthur Causeway. Eugene also chomped on Poppo’s face, and it took multiple bullets from local police to detach this “insane” man from his meal. Ronald Poppo fortunately survived this incident, but he was permanently mutilated by Eugene. It is reported that Rudy Eugene was high on bath salts when this incident occurred, but it is not certain (Hawkins). This instance in Miami further supports the realism of zombies.
Not only have there been reports of individuals being in zombie-like states, but there has also been a man who declares that he can induce this state. Wade Davis claimed to have encountered a powder that causes this type of behavior, although he does not believe in voodoo or any other type of magic. The chemical that he claims creates zombies is called tetrodotoxin, which is most commonly found in pufferfish, but has also been found in several other animals. This claim raises fears of a terrorist group, or even a rogue government, using a chemical such as this to control and dominate a disgruntled population. The claims of Wade Davis not only supports the concept of zombies in the real world, but also raises qualms about how this type of chemical could be abused.
Zombie films are an exceptionally interesting subgenre of media, because they are used, as metaphors, to represent much larger, more controversial concepts than the average film watcher realizes.

Zombie films are occasionally said to represent terrorism, because of the concept that a small occurrence can lead to countless deaths and injuries (Drezner). The creatures can also represent “the living death experiences by the brutalized and exploited worker” (BOOK). A more complex, and more commonly discussed concept that zombies are said to represent is society, in relation to the role of citizens in relation to the government. In this metaphor, zombies signify the complacent, unquestioning public. One can understand this metaphor by

examining:
What is a zombie, after all? It is something that was once human but has had the spark of life, the drive of ambition and individuality, literally drained out of it, so it is part of a mindless horde. Sound familiar? Think of the millions of people in the suburbs, stupefied in front of the television. How about the teeming masses who flock to malls every weekend, or those of us who spend our days in downtown skyscrapers, packed into veal-fattening pens, peering into the flicker of the data stream. (Potter)
This selection makes it clear that zombies can be used to represent an obedient population.

Another concept that is discussed in relation to zombie films is the dependence of individuals on their government. If a population were to give total control to the government, and did not take precautions to protect themselves, what would occur in a situation such as this? If a country or worldwide catastrophe such as an apocalypse occurred, many governments would collapse. In this situation, the general population would had no weapons, because of their faith in the government, and the number of deaths would be astronomical. Zombie films are used as metaphors to represent much larger ideas than their surface level plots, and raises concerns of placing too much trust in

government.
The zombie subgenre, unlike many other branches of the horror movie genre, adapts completely to fit the audience of its time. For instance, in the slasher subgenre, both the killers and the victims have shared common characteristics since the very first film. On the other hand, the torture porn subgenre of horror changes, but does not adapt to the audience. Although new concepts are fashioned, there is not a correlation to the fears of the audience. Specifically in the zombie subgenre, particularly when examining the origin of zombies, it is clear that directors and film writers adapt to fit both the desires and the fears of their audiences.