That being said, let me preface this post with saying that I hate scary movies - especially zombie films. Seeing 28 Days Later scarred me. I hate zombies. Sometimes when I'm driving around empty fields I have a vision of zombie hordes coming over them towards me and my heart jumps. It's irrational, I know, but God, I hate zombie films.
However, a few nights ago over a couple martinis, a friend explained to me that (good) zombie films are more than just "Scary Movies." Classic zombie films are actually a form of social commentary. (Apparently this is common knowledge, but I never got close enough to the subject to learn that.)
For example, a stereotypical scene in a zombie apocalypse situation is the human "survivors" taking refuge in a shopping mall, taking the useful things and watching the zombies stumble around the department stores and kiosks.
Or, the survivors are in a fortress of some sort while the zombies are either shambling outside or clamoring to get in. The fortress represents the "First World," the zombies any less-well-endowed people or marginalized group. Separate storylines, or perhaps even the main storyline, is concerned with the formation of a social power structure within the survivors.
Last night I watched three - three - episodes of The Walking Dead, a well-liked show on AMC. It's a lifetime achievement for me. Although the zombie threat and the accompanying violence was quite the scare-off, I ended up really enjoying watching the survivors' group dynamics. For example, members of two historically marginalized groups (blacks and women) were mistreated by undereducated, Southern white males and were swiftly avenged by two level-headed law enforcement officers (well, that's what they were pre-zombie takeover). Interesting...
That night, I slept poorly and dreamt of zombies, but with a lot less fear than I was used to. :-) I have more respect for the zombie genre and look forward to catching up on the classics.
P.S. Have you heard of the new trend of zombie camps?
