After hearing Eric King Watts speak about zombies and their history in media culture I thought to myself: "If zombie culture stems from all of these things, then what is it about the culture that is still so appealing to me?" Sure, there are plenty of films that feature beautifully filmed zombies, but what about the plot points?
28 Days Later is one of my favorite zombie films. The movie takes place in the UK after a virus outbreak stemming from monkeys and rage infects thousands. Looking back on it, one of the more interesting elements of the film was that the virus (for now) was isolated in the UK, and the rest of the world was able to carry on without worry.
Perhaps this was a reassuring element, but it was also frightening. There are so many horrible events isolated and not covered in the news that are equally violent to many of the things that happen in 28 Days Later. However, the isolation of the event makes it feel like more of a narrative, much like the idea of zombies, and this is a sad fact.
Watts mentioned that zombies tend to stem from the ideas of Colonialism, race, and anxiety. Perhaps a mixture of all of these elements is what makes the isolated news of both zombies and world-terror events both narrative and distant. Sure, it's horrible to see a zombie ripping out a jugular and also horrible to hear of mass-genocide. These are both blatantly horrible things. The idea of distance from our own anxieties may describe why zombie films and shows are so popular currently, and why perhaps Americans and many others are willing to face their fears through deflection.
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