Been wondering if the pop infatuation with rom-zoms (Romero-style zombies) is on the skids in the United States. I mean, wasn’t their fifteen minutes up some time ago?
Happily, I have to say I don’t think so. “Zombie walks” and other zombie events are increasingly popular. The Walking Dead comics have had enormous sales, and a second season of the show based on them begins in October. The zombie apocalypse of Resident Evil keeps gamers busy. Undead flesh-eaters just keep a-comin’.
Perhaps the reason for the enduring power of the zombie in the zeitgeist is an economic one. “Zombies are an apocalyptic threat, we are living in times of apocalyptic anxiety [and] we need a vessel in which to coalesce those anxieties,” World War Z author Max Brooks was quoted as saying in 2009. We have still not fully recovered from the Great Recession and America is increasingly pessimistic about the economy.
Maybe it’s partly a guy vs. gal thing, and mens’ fears are getting more attention right now. That’s the view of writer John Devore, who said around the same time that
“Dudes just don’t dig bloodsuckers, since vampires pretty much look like girls. We prefer zombies, because we love chainsaws, flamethrowers and samurai swords.
“And because on some level, we know that besides being vehicles for sperm, our other important, if lesser, genetic imperative is to defend our loved ones from hordes of unthinking, flesh-eating metaphors for current social anxieties.”
Well, that sounds about right.
David J. Schow, the noted horror writer and author of the powerful zombie book Zombie Jam (buy it here!) let me ask him a few motley and even impertinent questions about flesh-eaters and blood-suckers. And because he has a weakness for severed heads, he even gave me answers!
Which has more power in the zeitgeist now, zombies or vampires?
Zombies are the new vampires. Expect a wild flurry of meaningless zombie programming that will over-saturate, then ebb, soon enough.
Which would disgust you less: drinking blood or eating human flesh?
I have no preference. After all, you need something to wash down the meat, right?
Favorite zombie movie and favorite vampire flick?
For reasons described in ZOMBIE JAM, probably DAWN OF THE DEAD. [Schow has compared it to getting a whack in the head.] There are so many vampire variants you’d have to pick one in each subcategory, but for general overall watchable-ness, I’d pick THE NIGHT STALKER.
If they never made another movie featuring a____ monster, you’d never notice or care.
Right now, right here, I don’t care if I never see another flick with vampires OR zombies … unless somebody is smart enough to film John Farris’ book FIENDS.
Are the zombies of voodoo lore a completely spent force in film?
Absolutely not – it’s the greatest untapped reservoir of zombie lore, and a possible salvation from endless reiterations of the Romero ethos.
The real-life person you’d most like to see eaten onscreen by zombies is _______.
It’s a long list, composed mostly of production executives and TV hacks. From a pop culture standpoint, Justin Bieber can’t get disemboweled soon enough – just as long as it’s a live feed.
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Here’s a pic I think you’ll like, David:
Image source :
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