Not saying I'm not enjoying it, I like my living dead just fine, I'm just not sure "why" or "how" the subject matter has gotten so popular so fast. Zombies are pretty much the "in" thing now.
I can understand Vampires. Things like Twilight (hate to admit that one) and True Blood definitely pushed Vampires to the mainstream with love stories, characters with severe vulnerabilities and such--draw in a much larger crowd. Things like Blade, 30 Days Of Night and Let The Right One In.....that's for the rest of us.....with a brain ;D
Why Zombies? We go back to White Zombie then move up what? 30 years to NOTLD and thats the story that really we're still watching, reading, playing etc. It's still the be all end all I guess much like Dracula is. Zombies have no human emotions, no plight, no love or hate--it's not the zombie you care about, it's all the characters the undead affect. Look at Walking Dead. That show has so much story going on and zombies are sometimes 2nd place to whatever is going on in Rick's day.
Marvel comics retold a few classic stories in their successful Marvel Zombies series not to mention a NOTLD comic, Deadworld and of course what kicked off the show...The Walking Dead.
Kids and adults alike are blasting, torching and hacking their way through levels of zombie attacks in some of the most popular video games today.....so what is it about the reanimated dead that has them at the forefront of the genre? Why are zombies becoming what vampires were to this genre of entertainment a few years back?
One thing I can see is that it's "Ok if it happens to a zombie"--A parent might care a bit more if a kid is blowing people up in Grand Theft Auto, but if it's zombies...no big deal. No personality, no strings attached mayhem--gore is more and it's what's expected.
Why do you think horror fans love it and the subject matter has moved on to and been accepted by most mainstream audiences?
I wish I knew! My 7 year old grandson has read Zombiekins, and now he's reading The Zombie Chasers books. He is really entertained by the "horror" of the books and he tell me about the "gross" parts with sheer delight. He seems to think that zombies are cool :) I really don't understand how they just seemed to be the in thing- all of the sudden. I thought when the Wolfman movie came out (the new one), everything would be werewolf themed. But everything seems to be zombie related lately.
I really think you're on to something when you talk about the annihilation of zombies being acceptable to parents. It's a lot more fantasy based than the human shooting games. We only let our little guy watch movies/tv shows where robots, cartoon villains or Lego characters get destroyed by the hero. It's really hard because you want them to stay being a kid for as long as they can, but there are so many video games and violent shows that they want to watch because they are marketed towards them. So you compromise and let them watch the zombies get wiped out. We always discuss fantasy vs. reality with him, and he says "I know....zombies aren't real"! hahahahaha!
Why? Because zombies are the bop bags of the horror genre, I'm not sure if the U.S calls them bop bags but they use to be the inflatable clowns that you use to buy years ago. One punch and that sucker came back for more, maybe that's what the appeal is they are just walking targets a thing that is inanimate devoid of feelings or emotion. The very thought if one was to read more into it is scary there is no doubt about it, they are disgusting things the smell, fear of infection and becoming one yourself are all primal fears. Think about how when a dream you've had were you have tried to kill something but it does not die, think of that frustration and you will know what I mean. Send more paramedics!
Because killing real people in grand theft auto got boring.... ;D
Zombies give me the creeps. I've never got zombies. Mindless, vicious, and cowardly. They remind me too much of an angry mob
The simple answer. Because they are us and we are them.
Never really cared for Zombies...
I like my Monsters to know they're Monsters
& strive to be better (more monstrous) Monsters~ :D
With the exception of some notable classics like White Zombie, NOTLD & Hammer's Plague of the Zombies, I could take 'em or leave 'em. The popularity escapes me.
Quote from: FACTO2 on April 22, 2012, 02:29:08 AM
The simple answer. Because they are us and we are them.
Bingo. Robin Wood described horror movies as "the return of the repressed."
These days, I think a part of it is the feeling that we live among "others" who at any moment may attack your home, your rights, your possessions, your "liberty."
Because they are cooler than lemmings, and people in general are lemmings.
Zombie Movies; the Dark Perspective: I've wondered if there was a darker urge that's at the root of zombie popularity. Do we just want an excuse for killing other humans? Sure zombies are "dead" humans, and that makes it OK, but basically zombie movies are about shooting people-shaped targets in the head. Are zombie movies a safety-valve for our frustrations with each other?
Zombie Movies; the Light Perspective: On the other hand, maybe the appeal is about "facing death". Zombies, like death itself, movie inexorably towards you. By watching movies about shooting and destroying zombies, are we taking our "shot" at death itself? Could zombie movies be a healthy safety-valve for dealing with tensions around mortality?
Anyone want to write a sociology paper on this one? :D
Zombie Movies; the Cynical Perspective: From the film-makers perspective, however, I think they're popular because many of them are cheap and formulaic and easy to make for the direct-to-video market.
I just wish they would stop calling the living dead, zombies.
Zombies represent chaos, a loss of order, and the collapse of society. Something many people, even if only subconsciously, feel is happening in our country right now for a myriad of reasons. Just like giant animal and insect movies, including Godzilla, were popular in the 1950s due to the scare of nuclear war and radiation, and how the vampire film business boomed during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. In a way, movies help people realize that as bad as their situation might be, it could be much worse.
One of the reasons the comic strip Li'l Abner was so popular during World War 2 is because Dogpatch, Kentucky was much worse off than any number of rationing, victory garden-growing, war bond-buying communities in the country. Same principle as before.
At least, it's a theory. :)
-Andy
Quote from: Street Worm on April 22, 2012, 06:34:20 AM
Never really cared for Zombies...
I like my Monsters to know they're Monsters
& strive to be better (more monstrous) Monsters~ :D
Can't agree more. Zombies are definitely not my thing either.
With the possible exception of White Zombie (1932), never had any interest in this type of film.
Rick ;)
Quote from: Pauspy on April 22, 2012, 10:56:41 AM
Zombie Movies; the Cynical Perspective: From the film-makers perspective, however, I think they're popular because many of them are cheap and formulaic and easy to make for the direct-to-video market.
I think this is the biggest part of the commercial aspect. Since NOTLD, Romero has shown us you can do it with a low budget and less than quality actors and do it well. Gives the feeling that anyone can give it a try. Think of how much easier it is to dress up and act like a zombie than a Karloff Frankenstein or a Lugosi Dracula? Anything would come off as a cheap imitation. With Zombies, we are a cheap imitation of a cheap imitation. Easy.
Quote from: Sleepyhollowstudios on April 22, 2012, 01:08:19 PM
Zombies represent chaos, a loss of order, and the collapse of society. Something many people, even if only subconsciously, feel is happening in our country right now for a myriad of reasons. Just like giant animal and insect movies, including Godzilla, were popular in the 1950s due to the scare of nuclear war and radiation, and how the vampire film business boomed during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. In a way, movies help people realize that as bad as their situation might be, it could be much worse.
-Andy
I agree with this one on a deeper level though I disagree on a lighter level of Zombies representing chaos. If anything they represent order. Think of the Omega Man. Our society becomes something new where the sheep are replaced by Zombies and no one notices until it is too late. Same thing. Only those of us who hang to our own thoughts are left to fight off the screaming sheep/zombies. The movie where a shopping mall is taken over by zombies would have been perfect except the zombies had no credit cards. A zombie represents the loss of individuality more so than anything else I can think of.
I haven't the faintest notion why, unless the films are so cheap to make. Zombies have no real personality, when you've seen one you've seen them all. I don't consider the modern zombie films about zombies at all since they don't even conform to the original zombie concept. The modern movies are about reanimated corpses. So they are more like ghouls. Heck, the Frankenstein monster is the original reanimated corpse. So does that make him a zombie? Hardly.
Good point, Monster Kid - I believe Romero originally wanted to call them ghouls. It is more fitting.
Quote from: Monster Kid on April 22, 2012, 04:59:03 PMZombies have no real personality, when you've seen one you've seen them all.
Not completely true. Bub in Day of the Dead clearly had a personality and was developing intelligence (not exactly good for the humans). Big Daddy in Land of the Dead not only had a personality but a sense of injustice and vengeance. That's where Romero was going with it. Once again. They are us and we are them.
Quote from: Pauspy on April 22, 2012, 10:56:41 AM
Anyone want to write a sociology paper on this one? :D
There have been several. There is even a collection of philosophical articles (which I recommend)
(http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/469/101819548.jpg)
I don't know about the zombie's popularity during any given month but they are popular this month because it is National Zombie Appreciation month?!
Don't ask me. I can't understand the popularity of zombies either.
:-\
Quote from: Pauspy on April 22, 2012, 10:56:41 AMZombie Movies; the Cynical Perspective: From the film-makers perspective, however, I think they're popular because many of them are cheap and formulaic and easy to make for the direct-to-video market.
As the producer of the Mail Order Zombie podcast where I've reviewed over 350 zombie movies, novels, comics, games and even a zombie opera . . . don't a know it. I've seen TOO many $200-backyard-epics in my time producing my podcast . . .
Quote from: charp13 on April 21, 2012, 10:14:00 PMI really think you're on to something when you talk about the annihilation of zombies being acceptable to parents. It's a lot more fantasy based than the human shooting games. We only let our little guy watch movies/tv shows where robots, cartoon villains or Lego characters get destroyed by the hero. It's really hard because you want them to stay being a kid for as long as they can, but there are so many video games and violent shows that they want to watch because they are marketed towards them. So you compromise and let them watch the zombies get wiped out. We always discuss fantasy vs. reality with him....
You sound like another silly, overprotective modern parent. Have you ever asked yourself what your own parents would have done?
???
Quote from: Monster Bob on April 22, 2012, 09:54:48 AM
Because they are cooler than lemmings, and people in general are lemmings.
Zombies are the ULTIMATE lemmings. Fer Pete's sake Bob, they'll watch 5,000 of their fellow undead get mowed down by bazookas and just keep shuffling straight ahead. Frankly, zombies are the lowest rung on the monster ladder.
Quote from: Hepcat on May 03, 2012, 09:58:08 AM
You sound like another silly, overprotective modern parent. Have you ever asked yourself what your own parents would have done?
???
You have any kids Hep?
No. That's why my outlook stays so rational.
;)
Rational, or utterly clueless?? ;D ;)
Quote from: Unknown Primate on April 22, 2012, 05:37:34 PM
Good point, Monster Kid - I believe Romero originally wanted to call them ghouls. It is more fitting.
I watched NOTLD on Walpurgis Night... they were referred to as 'things' by the band or survivors at the farm house--------and as GHOULS by the radio broadcasters. I like the term *ghouls*... 8)
I'm not really sure? Maybe it's the idea that a global out break could really happen. Now I'm not saying people are gonna become zombies. I'm just saying people can relate to the idea of a out break and having to survive it. Me personally I like to draw creepy crap.lol!
Quote from: Scatter on May 03, 2012, 04:20:15 PM
Rational, or utterly clueless?? ;D ;)
Whatever way you want to define calm and non-hysterical.
???
Quote from: Hepcat on May 04, 2012, 08:23:09 AM
Whatever way you want to define calm and non-hysterical.
???
Well, it's kinda like telling somebody who's actually driving on the Autobahn how to do it when you've never actually driven a car before. Or did you stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night? :D
So to get back to the question at hand, and I think some of this has already been touched on in this thread, so I may revisit some of what's already been discussed . . .
There's definitely something to be said for the "fantastic" element of seeing something so human-like, yet not-so-human-like being destroyed or killed on screen. There's a reason so many zombie movie fans thrill at the fantastic death scenes built around dispatching zombies, and to ignore that part of it ignores a big part of the reason why zombie movies appeal to their fans.
But to get a bit more cerebral about it, I believe zombie movies - especially in the post-Romero era - are typically the most allegorical of horror films. The zombies represent something that we, as a society, fear en masse. I still believe it's just a matter of time before we see a zombie movie pulling its inspiration from what happened at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant last year. It's no mistake that mad cow disease was referenced in a few zombie flicks not too long ago, or that a handful of zombie stories sprang up that were built around fear of the H1N1 virus, or even its vaccine. Horror movies often deal with these "big" fears, and zombie movies put a face on them. (And, really, looking at zombie movies pre-Romero, you can still see this. Instead of disease, there are statements about colonialism, loss of identity, etc.)
I'm a zombie movie fan (I'd have to be to keep producing my zombie movie podcast for as long as I have!), but I know there are a LOT of BAAAAAD zombie movies out there. Economically, for whatever reason, it's cheaper to make a zombie movie, and the success of The Walking Dead, Zombieland, etc., opens up the market for the lower-/no-budget movie makers out there . . . for better or worse.
Zombies have really, really good press agents!
My own thought is that zombies really aren't any more popular amongst horror/monster fans than they were a decade ago. For whatever reason they're the pop culture flavor of the month which makes them popular for being popular. That'll only last until something else comes along that the masses will find cool.
I think Scatter hit upon something calling zombies the ultimate lemmings. You are faced with a pack of enemies whose only drive is to eat you. They aren't fast, they aren't smart, and they aren't organized, but they are relentless. Zombies just keep coming. It doesn't matter where you run to, it doesn't matter how fast you are, it doesn't matter how many of them you kill, they just keep coming. An even if you out run the pack chasing you, there is a chance of running into another pack where ever you stop at. There is something very frightening about an enemy that (to quote Kyle Reese from Terminator) "will not stop, ever, until you are dead!!!" There is also a chance that one of those trying to kill you could be a family member or a close friend. There is a chance of facing someone you care about who has turned and having to kill them. All of this is very disturbing.
They seem to be the creature du jour recently, what with all the movies in the last few years. And the novel mashups such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies have added to public awareness of the living dead.
However, the concept seems to have made people uneasy for as long as there has been civilization.
Ishtar spoke to her father, Anu, saying:
"Father, give me the Bull of Heaven,
so he can kill Gilgamesh in his dwelling.
If you do not give me the Bull of Heaven,
I will knock down the Gates of the Netherworld,
I will smash the door posts, and leave the doors flat down,
and will let the dead go up to eat the living!
And the dead will outnumber the living!"
That was from the Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest surviving works of literature. Originating in Sumeria about 2250 to 2000 BC, The Epic of Gilgamesh includes mythology, monsters and heroes and covers many issues such as fame, immortality, bravery, love and war -- all still relevant today. The above quote is from tablet IV, where the goddess Ishtar has fallen in love with the Sumerian king/hero Gilgamesh and he spurns her advances. She then decides to destroy Gilgamesh and all of his kingdom.
That last line sounds like a tagline from a George Romero movie . . .
http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/ (http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/)
Flash forward to Early Medieval Europe, and there are plenty of examples of the undead in European mythology and literature.
In Icelandic and Scandinavian traditions the Dragur and Aptrgangr are much more dangerous than the shambling ghouls of Night of the Living Dead.
http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/ghosts.shtml (http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/ghosts.shtml)
JRR Tolkein made several memorable references to the returned dead and/or undead. The Barrowi-wights, witch king and his Nazgul or ring-wraiths bear a remarkable resemblance to traditional Norse/Germanic concept of the dead rising to harm the living. Though not specifically revenants, Tolkein originally saw them as wights on horseback, not kings driven to be servants of the one ring.
I am not familiar with Asian folklore, but I suspect there are deep running roots to a living dead/undead tradition there as well.
Quote from: Hepcat on May 03, 2012, 04:15:35 PM
No. That's why my outlook stays so rational.
;)
Hep, I DARE you to have kids. That is your only valid pass into the parenting discussion.
Now... why are Zombies so popular? It's an unoriginal idea (pretty popular direction these days) that can be done generically and still garner more acclaim than complaint. Zombies also go all the way on the 1st date. ::)
i have no clue.. im not into it.
i like shaun of the dead, which pretty much is more of a parody of zombie move... Fido as well.
I also like I walked with a zombie, which is very very old.
I heart monsters :)
Quote from: Scatter on May 04, 2012, 04:31:56 PMWell, it's kinda like telling somebody who's actually driving on the Autobahn how to do it when you've never actually driven a car before.
1. You forget that I've had the experience of being parented. I know what they did right, and what they did wrong.
2. A corollary of what you're saying is that second, third, fourth, etc. children are raised better than the first, and that people with many children are better parents than those with just one. Well there's no statistical evidence for either proposition.
Quote from: Sean on May 06, 2012, 02:09:28 PMHep, I DARE you to have kids. That is your only valid pass into the parenting discussion.
Nonsense. That's like saying you have to put your hand in the fire to know it will burn.
???
Quote from: Hepcat on May 08, 2012, 03:54:16 PM
1. You forget that I've had the experience of being parented. I know what they did right, and what they did wrong.
Parenting is a completely different perspective from being parented, Hep. While raising my kids, I looked back several times at things my parents had done or said when they were raising me and I would go, "ooooh, that's what they meant!"
Quote from: Zombiology on May 08, 2012, 10:19:23 PM
Parenting is a completely different perspective from being parented, Hep. While raising my kids, I looked back several times at things my parents had done or said when they were raising me and I would go, "ooooh, that's what they meant!"
100% true, Z...
Quote from: Hepcat on May 08, 2012, 03:54:16 PM
1. You forget that I've had the experience of being parented. I know what they did right, and what they did wrong.
2. A corollary of what you're saying is that second, third, fourth, etc. children are raised better than the first, and that people with many children are better parents than those with just one. Well there's no statistical evidence for either proposition.
Nonsense. That's like saying you have to put your hand in the fire to know it will burn.
???
I don't know about people with 5 kids VS people with 1 kid..... but I know that people with ZERO kids don't know how it feels to be a parent... and what comes with that.
Frankly, being parented does little to show what it's like to BE the parent....
...and your knowing that putting your hand in a fire will burn it is wonderful... but parenting is a little more complex than that, Hep.
Zombies are just the trend now, just like Vampires were a few years ago when Twilight was big.
Quote from: BigShadow on May 10, 2012, 10:55:28 PM
Zombies are just the trend now, just like Vampires were a few years ago when Twilight was big.
Zombies have been trending before Twilight. About 8 years ago, I worked on a zombie flick and there were two others in the Portland area shooting as well. All local independent stuff.
(http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/792/crstr120417.gif) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/137/crstr120417.gif/)
There's something very screwy going on here.
There's no way Fester posted that Ukrainian flag and message on 12 May 2012. The last time Fester logged in was on 14 August 2019. Moreover the post above hasn't been flagged as having been Edited at any time.
I've also seen that Ukrainian flag show up as the avatar of a few inactive members which surprised me. So what's happening?
???
Hmmmmm....
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=24&t=1977505 (https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=24&t=1977505)
So it seems that ImageShack has taken it upon itself to replace old links to pictures that no longer exist with this image:
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/g434/Balticprince/(edited)_Ukrainian_flag(1).webp)
:-\
Are zombies still popular? I know The Walking Dead is still on tv and will be ending soon. As I haven't bought any new comics in over two years, I'm not sure if there are even zombie comics on the shelves. It seems like 10 years ago you couldn't turn around without seeing a zombie movie, tv-show, comic, toy, etc., now everything seems to have died down some. If so, what's the new horror rave?
On a related note, I watched King of the Zombies (1941) last week as part of research for an article on the movie. It's probably the fourth or fifth time I've seen the movie and still love every minute of it, especially Moreland's character. I also watched the sequel/remake Revenge of the Zombies (1943) after but was less impressed with the movie overall, except Moreland of course.
In my opinion, Zombies or the Zombie genre isn't as popular at it once was, five years ago. I feel the new trend in Horror fantasy genre, is, Possession films.
The Possession films seem to be made literally once a month.
I heard some say that it's because zombies are easier to kill than werewolves and vampires.
Quote from: CountWolkoff on May 07, 2022, 09:17:06 PM
I heard some say that it's because zombies are easier to kill than werewolves and vampires.
Unless you got about 50 of 'em comin' at ya! ;D