zombies dissected - everything you need to know and more! (oh so much more!)
before we start here is what you NEED to know about the zombie movie genre...
the man you can pertty much blame for the whole thing is the incomparable George A. Romero.
sure, the concept had been around for thousands of years before him but they stem from a voodoo concept of ressurrecting the dead and enslaving the soulless corpses for express purpose of performing one's own bidding. needless to say the concept has changed a bit.
Mr. Romero redefined the concept by applying it to a corporate/materialistic world comparing zombification to a sort of clique. it is supposed to reflect the fear and isolation involved with being an outsider. it also was created to bring into light the idea that society is like a tower built on stilts. one kick and the whole thing come crashing down and suddenly life has no value. the purpose of zombie movies is to seperate the men from the boys, in the sense that the man with the gun isn't always the one with the most power, it's the guy with the guts and the plan. usually these guys are smooth talkers, and excellent negotiators. mostly they're the one's that die for the greater good.
then of course a key member of the cast is the man with very little experiance in leadership. sometimes they seem to have it all together and then doom their group to a fate worse than death. usually these are the insecure men making up for their small penises, and have no value for human life. this man usually dies.
there is always the headstrong woman who fights beside heroboy, and supports (even collaborates on) his decisions. usually this is a very insecure woman who has lost alot, or was greatly traumatized by what she has seen and turns to heroboy for support and strength. she is more than likely sexually attracted to his security. this woman usually survives and carries on in the memory of hero boy.
there is a reoccuring concept of the young couple, they've lost everything but one another. they stick together always and if one dies the other one chooses death rather than lonliness, these people are also insecure in not only themselves but in one another, they don't trust their own strentghs or the strength of their partner, they are the ones opposed to splitting up and are always trying to patch up petty differences to keep the group together.
film traditions-
traditionally zombie movies are supposed to feature a black hero. all of Romero's films showcase a black man saving the day, or at least making the best effort. this was new and a break from the usual horror movie tradition in which black men die first. this is one reason why zombie movies must be considered their own genre.
in zombie movies there is always a group, if a character is alone, he or she will soon join a group. there is no possible way a single individual can hold their own amongst the crowd of flesh eating ghouls. forget disagreement, party practices, idiosyncrisies, personal values, whatever you need to do or say to stay in the group is going to happen, garunteed. Night of the Living Dead shows what happens when a group can't agree. and 28 days later reffers to what happens when it's better to go it alone than be a member of the group.
generally speaking zombie movies carry the theme of the loss of life's value, however a new them was introduced in the Dawn of the Dead remake, in which a character named CJ began in the movie as small girth compensation boy to second string hero boy. the idea that someone begins with no concept of life's value and ends up being self-sacrificing is a whole new animal.
methods of killing zombies-
the most popular way of killing zombies has always been a gunshot to the head. other popular methods include axes, sharp objects inserted into the eye and ear areas, and the newest fad seems to be blowing them up. in Night of the Living Dead an explosion was attempted, but failed, since then the idea of exploding zombies was put down until 28 Days Later came onto the scene with it's molotov cocktails, and land mines now we're all wondering why wasn't this used more frequently before? but sometimes when you're on your own with no weapons you have to get creative, this is when bludgeons and small sharp objects are used.
zombie theories-
for the original theories of zombies, check out The Serpent and the Rainbow. it'll give you an idea about the concepts of voodoo and it's different factions. but the most popular seems to be a viral infections circulated by some shady pharmeceutical company.
this is completely off base from the more sinister and mysterious idea that Romero originally envisioned. his idea was that hell was too full and kicked it's dead back into earth. i think that's the one i preffer.
but there are a ton of theories flying around about the overall differences between zombies, and humans in a physiological sense.
i have several of my own regarding this. for example the concept that zombies only eat warm human flesh is incorrect, in all of
Romero's films contain footage of zombies eating old corpses, and lapping up blood, and eating animals. i think the zombies are completely blind. they only smell what can be eaten (which is anything that isn't in the later stages of infection.) i also have a theory involving the screams zombies do, i believe it's a kind of sonar. and also it has a sort of marco polo effect, when the zombie's scream, the human in question screams back revealing their location to the otherwise blind zombies. there are examples in zombie movies supporting this theory, in which a person is hidden between say a wall and a door. the zombie steps in, sniffs around, and then roars. when there is no response the zombie roars again and scampers away searching for better luck.
best ways to avoid zombies-
my favorite is the original Dawn of the Dead in which they lay claim over a mall, block all the entrances with eighteen wheelers and kill all the zombies already inside.
but i think realistically a fallout shelter would prove most protective, something hidden, something underground with one (maybe two) heavily gaurded entrances. presumably this fallout shelter would have supplies including non-perishable foods, water, first aid kits, an assortment of weapons, a radio, and a signal flare. considering that Y2K scare one of these may not be too hard to find.
okay okay, i am a complete FREAK but luck favors the prepared!
that's all for now folks.
-Katie
the man you can pertty much blame for the whole thing is the incomparable George A. Romero.
sure, the concept had been around for thousands of years before him but they stem from a voodoo concept of ressurrecting the dead and enslaving the soulless corpses for express purpose of performing one's own bidding. needless to say the concept has changed a bit.
Mr. Romero redefined the concept by applying it to a corporate/materialistic world comparing zombification to a sort of clique. it is supposed to reflect the fear and isolation involved with being an outsider. it also was created to bring into light the idea that society is like a tower built on stilts. one kick and the whole thing come crashing down and suddenly life has no value. the purpose of zombie movies is to seperate the men from the boys, in the sense that the man with the gun isn't always the one with the most power, it's the guy with the guts and the plan. usually these guys are smooth talkers, and excellent negotiators. mostly they're the one's that die for the greater good.
then of course a key member of the cast is the man with very little experiance in leadership. sometimes they seem to have it all together and then doom their group to a fate worse than death. usually these are the insecure men making up for their small penises, and have no value for human life. this man usually dies.
there is always the headstrong woman who fights beside heroboy, and supports (even collaborates on) his decisions. usually this is a very insecure woman who has lost alot, or was greatly traumatized by what she has seen and turns to heroboy for support and strength. she is more than likely sexually attracted to his security. this woman usually survives and carries on in the memory of hero boy.
there is a reoccuring concept of the young couple, they've lost everything but one another. they stick together always and if one dies the other one chooses death rather than lonliness, these people are also insecure in not only themselves but in one another, they don't trust their own strentghs or the strength of their partner, they are the ones opposed to splitting up and are always trying to patch up petty differences to keep the group together.
film traditions-
traditionally zombie movies are supposed to feature a black hero. all of Romero's films showcase a black man saving the day, or at least making the best effort. this was new and a break from the usual horror movie tradition in which black men die first. this is one reason why zombie movies must be considered their own genre.
in zombie movies there is always a group, if a character is alone, he or she will soon join a group. there is no possible way a single individual can hold their own amongst the crowd of flesh eating ghouls. forget disagreement, party practices, idiosyncrisies, personal values, whatever you need to do or say to stay in the group is going to happen, garunteed. Night of the Living Dead shows what happens when a group can't agree. and 28 days later reffers to what happens when it's better to go it alone than be a member of the group.
generally speaking zombie movies carry the theme of the loss of life's value, however a new them was introduced in the Dawn of the Dead remake, in which a character named CJ began in the movie as small girth compensation boy to second string hero boy. the idea that someone begins with no concept of life's value and ends up being self-sacrificing is a whole new animal.
methods of killing zombies-
the most popular way of killing zombies has always been a gunshot to the head. other popular methods include axes, sharp objects inserted into the eye and ear areas, and the newest fad seems to be blowing them up. in Night of the Living Dead an explosion was attempted, but failed, since then the idea of exploding zombies was put down until 28 Days Later came onto the scene with it's molotov cocktails, and land mines now we're all wondering why wasn't this used more frequently before? but sometimes when you're on your own with no weapons you have to get creative, this is when bludgeons and small sharp objects are used.
zombie theories-
for the original theories of zombies, check out The Serpent and the Rainbow. it'll give you an idea about the concepts of voodoo and it's different factions. but the most popular seems to be a viral infections circulated by some shady pharmeceutical company.
this is completely off base from the more sinister and mysterious idea that Romero originally envisioned. his idea was that hell was too full and kicked it's dead back into earth. i think that's the one i preffer.
but there are a ton of theories flying around about the overall differences between zombies, and humans in a physiological sense.
i have several of my own regarding this. for example the concept that zombies only eat warm human flesh is incorrect, in all of
Romero's films contain footage of zombies eating old corpses, and lapping up blood, and eating animals. i think the zombies are completely blind. they only smell what can be eaten (which is anything that isn't in the later stages of infection.) i also have a theory involving the screams zombies do, i believe it's a kind of sonar. and also it has a sort of marco polo effect, when the zombie's scream, the human in question screams back revealing their location to the otherwise blind zombies. there are examples in zombie movies supporting this theory, in which a person is hidden between say a wall and a door. the zombie steps in, sniffs around, and then roars. when there is no response the zombie roars again and scampers away searching for better luck.
best ways to avoid zombies-
my favorite is the original Dawn of the Dead in which they lay claim over a mall, block all the entrances with eighteen wheelers and kill all the zombies already inside.
but i think realistically a fallout shelter would prove most protective, something hidden, something underground with one (maybe two) heavily gaurded entrances. presumably this fallout shelter would have supplies including non-perishable foods, water, first aid kits, an assortment of weapons, a radio, and a signal flare. considering that Y2K scare one of these may not be too hard to find.
okay okay, i am a complete FREAK but luck favors the prepared!
that's all for now folks.
-Katie