The Cultural Meaning of Zombie Films
The first zombie film in the film industry came from the Das Cabinet Dr. Caligari released in 1921. Recently the Zombie theme is a growing popularity for most filmmakers in the world today. The demand and consumption of zombie films are sending movie directors in a frenzy to create more videos to satisfy the public. However, the sudden resurgent demand for these films is still a puzzle to many. Several authors and critics believe that the zombie apocalypse films have a cultural meaning in the world since its acceptance and order is not just a mere coincidence. Social anxiety is a common phenomenon in the society and a metaphor that film directors refer to in the zombie films. This paper will, therefore, analyze the zombie trends and how it sheds light on the social anxiety experienced in the contemporary society.
Exploring the Fear and Societal Anxieties
Zombie movies contain a lot of horror scenes and it is common for an individual to think that the pictures will instigate fear. Conversely, the films give a notion of an impending apocalypse building on the social tension that exists. The continuous growth of zombies in many films, video games, and novels creates an urgency to understand how this idea came about. Bishop (52) posits that the zombie culture stems from the hybrid of the voodoo religion and the Haitian folk myths. These films contain several parallel arguments that of fear of self and the fear of loss of individuality. The zombie films released back in the 1950’s came about as changes in the American suburban community grew. The changes led to new developments, mass consumption and production and new identity creation. Wang states that the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima bore new tensions about the dangers and possibilities of technology and science and the dangers that new inventions posed for humanity. These concerns show that the zombie films act as metaphors on the anxieties and fears that inform the world.
Zombie Disaster Films: Portraying the Destruction and Social Critiques
The major characteristics that shape Zombie disaster films are the destruction that involves humans and the world to an extinction level. These events vary from wars, global health epidemics, technology malfunctions, and natural occurring catastrophes. Other films also contain arguments about the increase in criminal activities and criminals, technology that results in human enslavement and urban decadence. The films are quite successful in questioning the nature of humans and the society in these modern times. The films tend to portray and explore the future of the word, the society, and the humans from a fictitious angle. Cooley asserts that these films even though tend to focus more on the future of the world they are an important tool in critiquing the society today. This is because they fully explore on the social anxieties that subsist in the modern social order. These films also tend to transform accommodating new idea, social change, and event that happen in the world. The zombie films that exist in the 18th century are not similar to those in the 21st century. As time moves the firms evolve to accommodate and concentrate on the issues that are current and identical to the time. For example zombie films created in the 20th century aimed at entertaining and covering social issues. The zombie films that exist now are less than entertaining since they include more bloody and gory scenes.
The Role of Zombie Films in Reflecting Contemporary Fears
The End of the World is a film that revolves around a comet that hits the world causing a huge natural catastrophe. Audiences had a wide and welcoming reception for this movie since it did not only touch on the fears that people have but also addressed concerns about the Halley comet that was the talk of every show. These films touch on the specific events that are current and touch on the lives of humans. The films released during the 1930 period illuminated the fears that people had about the aliens and the disastrous human wars. The 1940’s the World War II brought with it a lot of tension and destruction. Film directors explored this subject matter and released films that suggested the start of a World War III. The film on the beach managed to capture the trepidation people had about the effects of war. The film does not only infer on the result of wars but on the unpredictable nature of humans relationships.
The Fear of the Future: Zombies as Symbols of Societal Anxiety
The 21st century is more accommodating to these premises in films perhaps due to the effects of globalization and the nature of complexity in human interactions and technology. As societal anxiety continue to raise the zombie films acts as tools that reflect and measure the height of these fears. Zombie films are on the increase in this century because they touch on the fear of inexorable germs and high consumerism. Chung affirms that the zombie movies depict the emotionally unavailable and insensitive culture of the current world and outlines the ongoing hyper consumerism trend. People are afraid that sooner or later human beings will act like zombies and this is a result of technology that will deter the feelings and the communication ability of individuals. Most of the zombies in many films do not communicate with each other but tend to follow a particular object and subject that seems to control them. Technology is slowly turning people into walking zombies. The internet contains numerous cases of insensitivity increasing cases of online bullying and tarnishing the reputation of people. Communication is no longer on a face to face basis but rather through the technological channels.
Fear of Global Health Epidemics and Other Catastrophes
The films also touch on the fear of global health epidemics. Diseases seem to be more contagious and spread like wildfire from continent to continent. So many cases of health outbreak fears, for example, yellow fever, Ebola, and Zika virus contribute to the anxieties. The Zika virus that stated deep in the forest of Uganda became a global concern in months raising a lot of fear and apprehension among many people. As technology continues to advance bringing more possibilities to the medical field, diseases, on the other hand, go beyond jurisdictions. People all over the world fear that these health pandemics may lead to the extinction of the human race. The extinction may occur from the lack of cure or a war between humans especially between the infected and the survivors of the infection.
The Post-9/11 Impact on Zombie Films
The 9/11 attack on the United States acted as a revolution to the film industry. Many films seem to orbit around this unfortunate event. 28 Days later is a film that builds its storyline from this terrorist attack to create fast-moving zombies, unlike the traditional films that portrayed very sluggish characters. The film by Daniel Boyle portrays the social decay that exists in the world today. Show how people are willing to do anything to survive and save them including killing. The films also capture the social turbulence and the increasing cases of global terrorism. Natural disasters caused by the effects of global warming, encroachment on natural habitat and the depletion activities by humans are also addressed in these films. For example, the film The Day After Tomorrow is one of the films that show how humanity suffers under the mercy of nature due to destruction activities. The movie contains apocalypse that ranges from tsunamis, earthquakes, abrupt climate changes and shows how human struggle and a war between the environment and humans. The films deal with the fear that the effects of human activities on the earth will mean in future especially with problems like global warming.
Zombie Films as Cultural Barometers
Zombie films are necessary tools in the society as they act as powerful symbols that articulate the social fears and the cultural anxieties in the world. Chung affirms that an artifact refers to an incomplete creation that does not have a definite beginning or end. Chung’s statement is synonymous with the zombie-themed films that work as a cultural piece. The life cycle of zombie films is not ending anytime soon, as demonstrated in this paper they are evolving with new inventions as the world changes and grows. The films adapt to the ongoing transformations bringing in new creations and touching on more diverse subjects about the human life. Chung argues that Zombie films are a barometer to the collective fears harbored by humans collected from different historical periods. The zombie destruction and survival narratives provide the world with the platform to analyze the social and political statements with the aim of dividing the contemporary world. The survival narratives in the films also contain critical criticism of the current apocalyptic future and the social order of the human race.
The Role of Zombie Films in Reflecting Contemporary Concerns
Globalization is an important tool that has led to the illumination of the decay and inequality across the world. The social class systems still continue to thrive as the less fortunate try to bridge the gap but the level of isolation is hard to bridge. Social mobility in the society is thwarted giving an opportunity for social inequalities to grow. Technology contributes to the problems of the world and so man people feel marginalized and the internet not a help at all but a trolling tool. The zombie films try to capture all these decay and magnify the fear the people have about the future and the possible ways of survival.
The Future of Zombie Films
In conclusion, the zombie films have become a relevant cultural tool, especially after the 9/11 attack. These films have led to the certain of new accounts of individuals and the society. The survival tactics displayed in the films represent the nation and the individuals and how far one would go in an effort to protect themselves. Even though the films portray an inevitable future of the human race, they also give information about the crises that exist in the world today. People can use the information to find solutions to the situations causing anxieties or wait for an apocalypse and try to use the survival tactics to survive the inevitable. The films also transcend beyond genres and provide a useful lens in the study of the concerns and the nature of the human life.
Works Cited
Bishop, Kyle William. American zombie gothic: The rise and fall (and rise) of the walking dead in popular culture. McFarland, 2011.
Chung, Mun-Young. "The Humanity of the Zombie: A Case Study of a Korean Zombie Comic." The Comics Grid: Journal of Comics Scholarship 7 (2017).
Cooley, Jennifer Nikita. The societal allure of fear: Horror films as representations of current day cultural fears. California State University, Dominguez Hills, 2015.
Wang, Jessica. "A State of Rumor: Low Knowledge, Nuclear Fear, and the Scientist as Security Risk." Journal of Policy History 28.3 (2016): 406-446.
