What makes zombies such an effective on screen menace?
- Thread starter Sn0W
- Start date
Recommended Videos
3 Things:
- No reasoning, no negotiating, nothing.
- Hard to kill.
- Numbers. Anghrist said it wonderfully: as humanity dwindles, their numbers grow, and there are a LOT of humans.
- No reasoning, no negotiating, nothing.
- Hard to kill.
- Numbers. Anghrist said it wonderfully: as humanity dwindles, their numbers grow, and there are a LOT of humans.
Zombie movies are awesome because simply the idea of the dead rising from the grave has opened movies to new cinematic territories. From basic horror, to bloody slapstick, or even to complete satire, zombie movies have proven that they are flexible, and that we still have much more of them to explore.
btw, favorite zombie movies: 28 Days Later, DeadAlive (aka Brain Dead), Shaun of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead.
btw, favorite zombie movies: 28 Days Later, DeadAlive (aka Brain Dead), Shaun of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead.
Although I just thought I'd point out that the original idea of zombies has been around for a while. The idea comes from when dead people are left out, they can decompose and this produces gases. If these gases are trapped in the right place, they can be released through the mouth when pressure builds up, causing a moaning sound. In extreme cases this pressure can be sufficient to cause the body to sit-up while moaning.
Giving the impression of returning to life -> zombies.
-A
Giving the impression of returning to life -> zombies.
-A
Just think, everyone around you is a potential zombie. a soon as one gets biten, bam you have to kill them. Now imagine if you were out with loved ones. You would have to kill them before they turned on you.
Also, the idea of the dead rising from the grave is just creepy and opens up a whole different realm for story telling.
Zombie movies also allowfor excessive amounts of blood and gore and stuff. thats always fun
Also, the idea of the dead rising from the grave is just creepy and opens up a whole different realm for story telling.
Zombie movies also allowfor excessive amounts of blood and gore and stuff. thats always fun
The thing that I enjoy most is the shear number of them. Movies, not actually zombies. It always surprises me just how many movies there are out there. I actually prefer the crappy ones over the ones with a "message." I would rather watch Return of the Living Dead over Dawn of the Dead any day. I think, the more fun the zombie movie, the better. That is why I love Shaun of the Dead and Dead alive so much.
Because they take so much effort to stop, yet just one scratch or bite will comdemn you to the same fate. Scary stuff.
The thing I find most appealing about zombie movies and fiction in general is the idea of humanity being overrun, pushed out of their cities, pushed to the brink of extinction, their government have completely dissolved, and life has gone back to a daily stuggle for survival.
To me, it's the sudden change in society, from big government and pampered lifestyles in cramped cities to struggling to survive in the ruins of civilization alone or with a small band of survivors, scavenging in the ruins for any little bit of supplies to keep them alive whilst constantly fighting against the hordes of undead.
Come on, it's freaking awesome.
To me, it's the sudden change in society, from big government and pampered lifestyles in cramped cities to struggling to survive in the ruins of civilization alone or with a small band of survivors, scavenging in the ruins for any little bit of supplies to keep them alive whilst constantly fighting against the hordes of undead.
Come on, it's freaking awesome.
Killing family and friends, they infect people very quickly, and they never seem to end when attacking, that's pretty scary thoughts to have >.>
They make for a great atmosphere, rather than with the "OMFG look there's loads of gore and torture!!" brand of horror, you're always on the side of your seat.
There are a number of reasons.
First, to blatantly steal a line from Warhammer 40k - They are without number, they are without mercy and they are without fear.
Second, it preys on the fear that at some point we might not be in control of our actions. No one wants to kill their loved ones (or re-kill their loved ones depending on who is the zombie).
Third, zombies can proved a great social metaphor, and in fact George Ramero seems to believe one can express all the human societal transgressions with zombies, from racism to consumerism.
Fourth, zombies are a sympathetic enemy. They are not evil like most antagonists found in games and movies, they are simply fulfilling their place in the natural order of things.
Finally, zombies generally accompany an apocalyptic scenario. It can be a localized apocalypse (as in Resident Evil) or a world wide one (as in L4D). It's a common video game trope to pit the player against a seemingly unstoppable foe after the fall of humanity has begun. Zombies are a relatively recent break from the usual Evil King/Demonic Invasion/Alien Invasion/Doomsday Cult/Mad Science scenarios we see most frequently
First, to blatantly steal a line from Warhammer 40k - They are without number, they are without mercy and they are without fear.
Second, it preys on the fear that at some point we might not be in control of our actions. No one wants to kill their loved ones (or re-kill their loved ones depending on who is the zombie).
Third, zombies can proved a great social metaphor, and in fact George Ramero seems to believe one can express all the human societal transgressions with zombies, from racism to consumerism.
Fourth, zombies are a sympathetic enemy. They are not evil like most antagonists found in games and movies, they are simply fulfilling their place in the natural order of things.
Finally, zombies generally accompany an apocalyptic scenario. It can be a localized apocalypse (as in Resident Evil) or a world wide one (as in L4D). It's a common video game trope to pit the player against a seemingly unstoppable foe after the fall of humanity has begun. Zombies are a relatively recent break from the usual Evil King/Demonic Invasion/Alien Invasion/Doomsday Cult/Mad Science scenarios we see most frequently
Part of it is involved in the 'uncanny valley' theory. The closer something is to being human when it isn't, the more unnerving it is. A robot made of a couple of blocks of metal isn't very worrying, but those robots Japan is so famous for, with the fake skin face, are incredibly creepy in the eyes of most people who see them.
The same goes for zombies, they're almost human, but they lack something that makes them human and it just creeps out the people who see them.
Then there's the fact that the dead can also be called 'the silent majority'. If a zombie apocalypse happened there could be thousands to one per human, and for every death, there's more zombies.
The same goes for zombies, they're almost human, but they lack something that makes them human and it just creeps out the people who see them.
Then there's the fact that the dead can also be called 'the silent majority'. If a zombie apocalypse happened there could be thousands to one per human, and for every death, there's more zombies.
Zombies represent humanities biggest fear, death. They are walking corpses for fuck sake.
And the are very difficult to kill.
They also represent de-individualition, another big fear of Man, as all of the zombie horde are not humans, just predators.
And the fact we are no longer on the top of the food chain.
These are the reasons.
And the are very difficult to kill.
They also represent de-individualition, another big fear of Man, as all of the zombie horde are not humans, just predators.
And the fact we are no longer on the top of the food chain.
These are the reasons.
I dislike the zombie films with the shuffling, slow zombies. In my mind only the fast zombies pose much of a threat to Humanity as they are pure aggression (and thus have high stamina and strength) but with the speed to back it up, which would help the inital outbreak to spread. It is unimaginable that the slow zombies would be able to destroy Humanity - as the inital outbreak may spread fast due to the panic and confusion but the world's governments would deploy great forces that would be able to destroy and detain it before the whole planet fell.