The question is frequently posed, what are the best zombie movies? To answer this question, however, one has to first in fact be clear about just what qualifies as a zombie movie. Or, for that matter, what qualifies a zombie. The uninitiated might be surprised to learn this isn't so straightforward a matter as it first seems. We won't presume here to settle the much debated sprinters vs stumblers debate, nor what constitutes being dead. Even leaving aside those controversies, though, the matter isn't necessarily straightforward. For instance, simply calling them the undead or living dead leaves open the place of vampires. They too share the gray place between dead and alive, but, they aren't zombies, that's for sure. So, some kind of rules will be helpful in determining the parameters of what qualifies.
Well, they do say that rules are made to be broken. And it's certainly true that the rules guiding conventions in regards to movie zombies have been broken plenty enough. Nevertheless, there remain some pretty enduring rules. Even many of those that have been broken have not thereby been vanished from the genre. So, while a little flexibility may be required in the application, some parameters can be usefully identified.
Our examination of zombie movie rules will be helped by acknowledging the great impact of George Romero. So the rules will be initially broken into the pre and the post Romero zombies. After that some further rules about the narrative mainstays of zombie movies will be considered.
The Pre Romero Zombies
1. The pre-Romero zombies were usually much influenced by the voodoo mythology of Haiti's folk religion. A distinctive feature of this tradition was the notion that some master of the zombies raised them from the dead and as a consequence exercised control over their worldly actions.
2. These early zombies usually had slow, unbalanced movement,
3. Even before Romero, the convention developed of setting zombies in an apocalyptic nihilistic world.
4. Connected to the above, zombiism was often depicted as a form of plague.
Romero/post-Romero Zombies
5. No longer under the control of a master-mind, zombies became more like a natural disaster. Sometimes they were interrupted as nature itself striking back for alleged humanly caused harms.
6. They were now driven by an insatiable hunger to eat the living, which had (and apparently required) no further explanation.
7. Romero completely re-imagined the zombie attack as a bloody gore fest, almost lovingly depicted in graphic cinematic detail.
8. Perhaps the most enduringly influential Romero idea was that zombies were only "killed" by a decisive head shot, resulting in brain damage.
9 It was mentioned above that the plague aspect of zombiism predates Romero, but he gave it another of its distinctive features with the idea that the plague was spread through zombie bites.
Stock ingredients for a zombie movie
10. A generic moron, who out of stupidity, selfishness, cowardice or general inhumanity will prove to be the weak link in the fortifications protecting the straggling survivors against the zombies.
11. Straggling survivors, who just gotta stick together to survive. Frequently, they are composed of a solid PC diversity across ethnic, gender and age lines. All this seems intent upon representing a microcosm of human hope and futility, dignity and venality.
12. And of course one of the most stock of stock story devices, is the initial incomprehension and denial about what's actually going down. Interestingly, despite all the zombie movies in the world, no zombie movie itself ever takes place in a world that has zombie movies. Or, at the very least, no public official, nor any other person with any authority, it would appear has ever seen such a movie. Because they sure are slow on the uptake.
13. Though on the surface, zombie movies are about killing zombies, they are really about human distrust, betrayal and fear. They're not just surviving the zombies, but themselves, and each other.
14. A reliable staple is the sad sap, unable to let go emotionally of some past intimate relation with one of the zombies. They can't quite come to terms with the reality that their former loved one is now a cannibalistic ambulating corpse. You'd think that might be more obvious.
15. A peace maker and implicit leader, who tries to pull everyone together and is usually thanked for the effort by some obnoxious jerk eventually accusingly commenting "who made you leader?"
16. And of course some hot love-interest. Surely the most compelling geek attraction to the zombie movie is the hotties. "They'll have to have sex with me! How else will the human race be repopulated?" Unfortunately, though, that cuts across both genders, so there's always some alpha type to get in your way. But, still at least it gives some hope. How do you survive a zombie apocalypse without some hope?
So, there you have it: the rules for identifying zombies and their movies. Next time, then, the question is posed, what are the best zombie movies , you'll be ready to rock and roll.
Well, they do say that rules are made to be broken. And it's certainly true that the rules guiding conventions in regards to movie zombies have been broken plenty enough. Nevertheless, there remain some pretty enduring rules. Even many of those that have been broken have not thereby been vanished from the genre. So, while a little flexibility may be required in the application, some parameters can be usefully identified.
Our examination of zombie movie rules will be helped by acknowledging the great impact of George Romero. So the rules will be initially broken into the pre and the post Romero zombies. After that some further rules about the narrative mainstays of zombie movies will be considered.
The Pre Romero Zombies
1. The pre-Romero zombies were usually much influenced by the voodoo mythology of Haiti's folk religion. A distinctive feature of this tradition was the notion that some master of the zombies raised them from the dead and as a consequence exercised control over their worldly actions.
2. These early zombies usually had slow, unbalanced movement,
3. Even before Romero, the convention developed of setting zombies in an apocalyptic nihilistic world.
4. Connected to the above, zombiism was often depicted as a form of plague.
Romero/post-Romero Zombies
5. No longer under the control of a master-mind, zombies became more like a natural disaster. Sometimes they were interrupted as nature itself striking back for alleged humanly caused harms.
6. They were now driven by an insatiable hunger to eat the living, which had (and apparently required) no further explanation.
7. Romero completely re-imagined the zombie attack as a bloody gore fest, almost lovingly depicted in graphic cinematic detail.
8. Perhaps the most enduringly influential Romero idea was that zombies were only "killed" by a decisive head shot, resulting in brain damage.
9 It was mentioned above that the plague aspect of zombiism predates Romero, but he gave it another of its distinctive features with the idea that the plague was spread through zombie bites.
Stock ingredients for a zombie movie
10. A generic moron, who out of stupidity, selfishness, cowardice or general inhumanity will prove to be the weak link in the fortifications protecting the straggling survivors against the zombies.
11. Straggling survivors, who just gotta stick together to survive. Frequently, they are composed of a solid PC diversity across ethnic, gender and age lines. All this seems intent upon representing a microcosm of human hope and futility, dignity and venality.
12. And of course one of the most stock of stock story devices, is the initial incomprehension and denial about what's actually going down. Interestingly, despite all the zombie movies in the world, no zombie movie itself ever takes place in a world that has zombie movies. Or, at the very least, no public official, nor any other person with any authority, it would appear has ever seen such a movie. Because they sure are slow on the uptake.
13. Though on the surface, zombie movies are about killing zombies, they are really about human distrust, betrayal and fear. They're not just surviving the zombies, but themselves, and each other.
14. A reliable staple is the sad sap, unable to let go emotionally of some past intimate relation with one of the zombies. They can't quite come to terms with the reality that their former loved one is now a cannibalistic ambulating corpse. You'd think that might be more obvious.
15. A peace maker and implicit leader, who tries to pull everyone together and is usually thanked for the effort by some obnoxious jerk eventually accusingly commenting "who made you leader?"
16. And of course some hot love-interest. Surely the most compelling geek attraction to the zombie movie is the hotties. "They'll have to have sex with me! How else will the human race be repopulated?" Unfortunately, though, that cuts across both genders, so there's always some alpha type to get in your way. But, still at least it gives some hope. How do you survive a zombie apocalypse without some hope?
So, there you have it: the rules for identifying zombies and their movies. Next time, then, the question is posed, what are the best zombie movies , you'll be ready to rock and roll.
About the Author:
Now that you know what makes the grade as a zombie movie, check out Mickey Jhonny's provocative top five list of the all time best zombie movies . Over at the Walking Dead appreciation site, Pretty Much Dead Already, his article on the Walking Dead fanfiction is a must read for every fan of the zombie genre.
0 comments:
Post a Comment