Yes, I am still obsessed with Zombies. I have no idea why. Or maybe I do. Zombies are us, caught up in the need to feed so that we may survive. Humans eat grains, meat, vegetables and fruit to sustain ourselves. Zombies eat... well, mostly brains in order to sustain themselves.
Part of the American zeitgeist since George A. Romero's seminal Night of the Living Dead, the zombie as we have come to know him is an almost unstoppable eating machine, much like the shark in Peter Benchley's Jaws. And like the ravenous Great White Shark in Spielberg's terrifying film, the modern zombie is an eating machine, intent on chomping on human flesh. The big difference here? While a bite from either is probably fatal; the bite of a shark does not create another shark.
Doomed to roam the Earth in eternal hunger, zombies represent our greatest fears. Alone, unfulfilled and unloved, the modern zombie is everything we hope we'll never be; a shambling, mindless creature with only one priority. I don't know about you, but uncontrollable urges, soulless wandering and heartless blood-lust seem to me the ultimate horror.
Of course, Hollywood (and I will admit, myself) have taken advantage of that fear and exploited it for all it's worth. Needless to say, some have used those fears to their financial advantage, often with horrific results (though more than occasionally, for cheap thrills and laughs). I know I have blogged about zombies ad nauseum, and probably will again. And I know you'll continue to read my thoughts on the genre because, like me, the fear of losing control of one's own mind to one's basest urges is almost unthinkable.
So, you may well ask yourselves what prompted yet another Zombie post from your dear Uncle Prospero. YouTube gets the blame here, suggesting the following trailer as something I might enjoy:
Part of the American zeitgeist since George A. Romero's seminal Night of the Living Dead, the zombie as we have come to know him is an almost unstoppable eating machine, much like the shark in Peter Benchley's Jaws. And like the ravenous Great White Shark in Spielberg's terrifying film, the modern zombie is an eating machine, intent on chomping on human flesh. The big difference here? While a bite from either is probably fatal; the bite of a shark does not create another shark.
Doomed to roam the Earth in eternal hunger, zombies represent our greatest fears. Alone, unfulfilled and unloved, the modern zombie is everything we hope we'll never be; a shambling, mindless creature with only one priority. I don't know about you, but uncontrollable urges, soulless wandering and heartless blood-lust seem to me the ultimate horror.
Of course, Hollywood (and I will admit, myself) have taken advantage of that fear and exploited it for all it's worth. Needless to say, some have used those fears to their financial advantage, often with horrific results (though more than occasionally, for cheap thrills and laughs). I know I have blogged about zombies ad nauseum, and probably will again. And I know you'll continue to read my thoughts on the genre because, like me, the fear of losing control of one's own mind to one's basest urges is almost unthinkable.
So, you may well ask yourselves what prompted yet another Zombie post from your dear Uncle Prospero. YouTube gets the blame here, suggesting the following trailer as something I might enjoy:
Follow-up video clips included this gem:
This very funny piece:
And finally, something I may have posted before, but still find hilarious:
Ah, the George W. Bush administration. I can't think of a better real-life Zombie analogy. The horror.. the horror....
I really need to get out more, don't I?
More, anon.
Prospero
No comments:
Post a Comment