" Zombies don’t actually seem to do much except shamble around slowly, bump into things, and groan despairingly. I do that myself most mornings when I have to get up "
That was funny !
Your other, main point about how we see people as the other and the masses... Is interesting but..
Same can be said about "alien invasion" movies and other genres.
And you say, if I understand correctly, that these movies are made to maybe... subconsciously have people to think and believe that "the other" is the enemy etc.
I think it's the other way around.
It's because we are like that, is why we make those movies and books.
good point .. about the alien invasion movies. And reading comments, I realize there's probably more going in the zombie genre than I realized . I've never been a fan so I haven't watched much, but I suppose every genre has something to tell us about ourselves ..🙂
I see your connection to the current issues in the US and how these people feel like zombies. I think of zombies as an example of our existential dread come to life on screen.
I think we love zombie movies not just because they’re thrilling or gory, but because they tap into something deeper — a fear of losing control. Zombies are terrifying because they were once us. They look like us, move like us, but they’ve lost everything that makes us human: choice, reason, empathy, even identity. (Sound familiar to MAGA right now? 😉 Sorry, too easy to connect those.)
At their core, zombie stories are about transformation. The idea that something (a virus, a system, a trauma, a hunger) can override our minds and turn us into something else. Something less. We fear becoming that — not just the monsters outside, but the ones we might become ourselves.
They also play with survival: What do we cling to when the world ends? What matters when civilization falls? Who do we become when everything familiar is stripped away?
So maybe the real addiction, and fear is because they show us what happens when we lose the things we think make us us. That’s not just horror. That’s existential dread. And as we get closer to “end times,” it makes people think how they’d respond.
I think some of that fear is the sheer implacability of them as an enemy; there is no ability to reason your way out of it, you know that your death is the only option on their cards. We have plenty of media out there that can allow for some semblance of the 'human inside the monster' to the point of romanticising the other, but (few very rare exceptions aside) you don't get zombies as love interests because while they're ostensibly human on the outside, they're no longer what we consider human on the inside.
It's easier to care about someone if you believe they can empathise with you; zombies are portrayed as incapable of feeling or thought once they've turned and so while we may mourn a character being turned and then killed, we still think it's a better (lack of) existence for them. But first, we have to, as you say, strip them of their identity of being 'human' or even 'sentient' in order justify brutal behaviours of our own.
Thats a thoughtful and really interesting take on it. Probably there are multiple threads to popular interest, as you say, .. the gore and splatter appeal, existential dread, concerns over our own humanity and so on .. no wonder they're popular .. something for everyone ..
Actually, on a similar theme, I remember a tv show called 'Braindead' .. unlikely mix of comedy, sci-fi, horror, and political satire that had alien insects eating the brains of politicians, and making them behave in bizarre (usually far-right) ways. If its ever re-run and you get a chance, it's a fun watch .. and probably more politically on point now than when it was shown ..🙂
I’ll keep my eyes out for it. Sounds like I might be in need of watching politicians get their brains eaten. lol. I’m sure it’s more on the nose now than ever!
" Zombies don’t actually seem to do much except shamble around slowly, bump into things, and groan despairingly. I do that myself most mornings when I have to get up "
That was funny !
Your other, main point about how we see people as the other and the masses... Is interesting but..
Same can be said about "alien invasion" movies and other genres.
And you say, if I understand correctly, that these movies are made to maybe... subconsciously have people to think and believe that "the other" is the enemy etc.
I think it's the other way around.
It's because we are like that, is why we make those movies and books.
good point .. about the alien invasion movies. And reading comments, I realize there's probably more going in the zombie genre than I realized . I've never been a fan so I haven't watched much, but I suppose every genre has something to tell us about ourselves ..🙂
I see your connection to the current issues in the US and how these people feel like zombies. I think of zombies as an example of our existential dread come to life on screen.
I think we love zombie movies not just because they’re thrilling or gory, but because they tap into something deeper — a fear of losing control. Zombies are terrifying because they were once us. They look like us, move like us, but they’ve lost everything that makes us human: choice, reason, empathy, even identity. (Sound familiar to MAGA right now? 😉 Sorry, too easy to connect those.)
At their core, zombie stories are about transformation. The idea that something (a virus, a system, a trauma, a hunger) can override our minds and turn us into something else. Something less. We fear becoming that — not just the monsters outside, but the ones we might become ourselves.
They also play with survival: What do we cling to when the world ends? What matters when civilization falls? Who do we become when everything familiar is stripped away?
So maybe the real addiction, and fear is because they show us what happens when we lose the things we think make us us. That’s not just horror. That’s existential dread. And as we get closer to “end times,” it makes people think how they’d respond.
I think some of that fear is the sheer implacability of them as an enemy; there is no ability to reason your way out of it, you know that your death is the only option on their cards. We have plenty of media out there that can allow for some semblance of the 'human inside the monster' to the point of romanticising the other, but (few very rare exceptions aside) you don't get zombies as love interests because while they're ostensibly human on the outside, they're no longer what we consider human on the inside.
It's easier to care about someone if you believe they can empathise with you; zombies are portrayed as incapable of feeling or thought once they've turned and so while we may mourn a character being turned and then killed, we still think it's a better (lack of) existence for them. But first, we have to, as you say, strip them of their identity of being 'human' or even 'sentient' in order justify brutal behaviours of our own.
Thats a thoughtful and really interesting take on it. Probably there are multiple threads to popular interest, as you say, .. the gore and splatter appeal, existential dread, concerns over our own humanity and so on .. no wonder they're popular .. something for everyone ..
Actually, on a similar theme, I remember a tv show called 'Braindead' .. unlikely mix of comedy, sci-fi, horror, and political satire that had alien insects eating the brains of politicians, and making them behave in bizarre (usually far-right) ways. If its ever re-run and you get a chance, it's a fun watch .. and probably more politically on point now than when it was shown ..🙂
I’ll keep my eyes out for it. Sounds like I might be in need of watching politicians get their brains eaten. lol. I’m sure it’s more on the nose now than ever!