Warm Bodies, The Walking Dead, The Last of Us, World War Z and the list goes on. Where did this zombie obsessed culture come from? Aren’t people bored of seeing the same zombies kill people in those movies, TV shows and games like Resident Evil, and hoping that the zombies will not survive? Well, the answer is a resounding ‘NO!’.
Where did these Zombies come from?
Vampires entered into popular culture through one primary literature work, ‘Dracula’ by Bram Stoker. While history has shown vampires have been ‘around’ for centuries, it was that book that really brought them ‘into the light’. Werewolves also have been part of the pop culture scene for much the same reasons. How about zombies?
According to Kyle Bishop, the author of ‘Raising The Dead’, zombies became famous after the films started to portray them. Especially George A. Romero’s ‘Night of the Living Dead’, which is generally attributed to have started the modern craze.
Visual effects are essential when showing the zombie. They do not speak or act to create fear; it is just the physical manifestations of fear. Just when you think they are done, they wriggle up and grab someone, even if they have been shot by 1000 bullets. This thrill of not knowing when they will come back, makes it a good watch in many films.
Pretty much every movie or game (check out our list of the Top 5 Best Zombie Games) has a different origin for zombies. Some showed them as a failed experiment, voodoo effect or just an infection. There is nothing new to be said about the undead anymore and yet, they thrive in the media and video games.
Is There Anything that Can Compete With The Zombies Craze?
The competitors of zombies in media would be the vampires and werewolves. With the recent novels and films, the theory that the vampires and werewolves are ready to share the world with the humans and potentially be a part of our culture has reduced the fear humans had on them.
The public love to be spooked and zombies terrify humans, as they have the fear of becoming zombies themselves. The usual storyline of any zombie movie will traditionally start with an explosion of rays, an experiment or a meteorite that changes hordes of people into flesh eating beasts. The remaining population tries to make a stable living by finding food, shelter and by avoiding becoming food.
There are zombie events all over the world, from a Zombie Hunt real life action game in Calgary, Alberta (Canada) that pits you as a zombie or survivor as you run through a course, to the Zombie Walk in Moscow where people dress as zombies and walk through the city. Even the government of the USA got into the action when the CDC decided to use zombies to help teach preparedness! You can visit the CDC Zombie page here.
What are The Reasons For Zombies Being So Popular?
- The thrill of not knowing what is going to happen is the main advantage of keeping these creatures fascinating to the masses. You think they are dead and the next second they grab your leg and plunge their teeth into you! You might think they wouldn’t get up again, but then all of a sudden there is a sudden move! What more thrills can we expect in a horror movie?
- The younger generation consider dangerous things as cool and zombies seem to satisfy their hunger. At the same time, it is acceptable because it is all just fiction.
- The number of people who really believe that zombies exist is very low, therefore these zombies in video games, do not terrorize kids but on the other hand, makes them happy to blow away a head or two.
- The accepted outbreak of zombies is replete with an apocalypse, referred to as a Zompocalypse, and human kind always has a morbid curiosity when it comes to our own downfall.
With novels and movies showing vampires as good romantic heroes and werewolves as loyal friends, the only creature left to terrify the living piss out of people is zombies. With that being said, they have a strong future in movies and video games.
