There
are all kinds of monsters. Vampires, werewolves, lizard creatures, etc. And of
course, there are zombies. But the one thing that zombies have over all the
other monsters is that they seem to be the one monster that can end the world.
All those other monsters manage to live along side human society, and in many
cases even integrate themselves into it. But when zombies show up it seems to
spell the beginning of the end for humanity.
Why
are zombies the one monster humanity cannot defend against? That is, why is the
world never depicted as being overrun by other types of monsters? With the
exception of the brilliant film Daybreakers, you don’t see a world overrun by
vampires. I know the book I Am Legend (and its various film adaptations) is supposed
to depict a world overrun by vampires, but I never considered the monsters in
it to be very vampire like. They are more like zombies.
The
most simple reason for why we associate zombies with the end of the world is
that they are most closely associated with a plague. The one time human society
almost did come to an end was in the 14th century thanks to another
plague, The Black Death. This disease decimated Europe and killed nearly half a
billion people. People who were infected were very close to being the living
dead. Adding the mobility of zombies and it just becomes that much more terrifying
a scenario.
Our
current pop culture is fascinated by zombies. Why? Why do we enjoy depicting
this continuous scenario where humanity is destroyed? It seems a bit
schadenfreude (enjoying the misery of others). We’re watching the survivors of
a fictional scenario struggle to continue to live and enjoy it. If you’re a fan
of AMC’s The Walking Dead (of which I am), that’s pretty much every episode
right there. In some cases you’re even rooting for certain characters to die
(Carl?).
Perhaps
that is the essence of zombie fascination. Zombies represent the worst of human
nature. That singular greed and hunger that controls our every action. Most
humans try to suppress their more base nature, but zombies are that nature
unchained. No thought, no feelings, just hunger. In a way it reminds most
people that in reality humans are merely animals and without rational thought
we really are no better than any other beast.
But
the modern vision of the zombie really only came into existence forty or so
years ago. The entire concept of the modern zombie is the product of the mind
of one man, George Romero. It was only after his brilliant film Night of the
Living Dead, and it’s numerous sequels and copycats, that we pictured zombies
as swarms of ravenous hunger.
Originally,
the zombie is a product of voodoo ritual and belief. Rather than being a lumbering
cannibal, zombies were the risen corpses of the enemies of voodoo priests. These
risen dead were condemned to a life of slavery to their new master. The
creation of a zombie did not involve an infectious bite but was instead a
product of spells and potions. Some scientists theorized that these supposed
zombies were not the risen dead but actually just coma victims whose brains
were damaged due to oxygen deprivation. This would leave the victim susceptible
to suggestion and give the illusion that he or she was under the command of a
voodoo priest.
If
film and television have any say we will not see the disappearance of the
zombie anytime soon. As George Romero helped the concept of the zombie evolve
he gave way to Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, which further evolved the concept.
We can only hope that new geniuses will continue to tweak the take on a zombie
apocalypse and pray that such a real event never comes to pass.
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