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Katherine Hernandez Genre Essay Lynda, Haas October 28, 2013

Zombileland: Zom-com for a New Audience As the 2009 film Zombieland begins, the protagonist Columbus, in voice over, sets up the situation for the narrative. He says: Oh, America. I wish I could tell you that this was still America, but I've come to realize that you can't have a country without people. And there are no people here. No, my friends. This is now the United States of Zombieland. This was director Ruben Fleischers first horror/zombie film; in an interview, he said, When I read the script I wasnt a zombie fan, i didnt grow up on zombie movies. So for me I hadn't seen the cannon of zombie movies before getting hired to do the job. I made sure that I watch the classics to have the vocabulary to make the film. he did not want to disappoint zombie fans (Zombieland). Zombieland was rated R, targeting a young adult audience who are familiar with the zombie and zom-con genres; it begins with a post apocalyptic situation caused by mad cow disease, and throughout the story, comic relief is supplied via Columbuss voice over narration. Zombieland also fits the horror genre because of the zombies appearances and the way the audience reacts when the zombies appear unexpectedly. Zombieland is about a group of survivors: Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock. They want to get to a save haven, which is an amusement park in Los Angeles called Pacific Playland. At first, the group does not want company but they become close as a result of their adventures and create a family bond that helps them survive. When they get to their save haven they discover that it is infested with zombies. They escape Pacific Playland by helping each other--this ending communicates one of the primary themes of the film, which is that humans are better together than alone. As a zombie genre film,

Hernandez 2 Zombieland uses the common conventions of a post-apocalyptic setting, the focus on a group of survivors, at least one moment in the plot when the survivors are surrounded and in danger, and scenes in which the women end up being damsels in distress (Bishop, 18). Nol Carroll, a famous philosopher who wrote about the horror, suggests that some classic conventions are revolting monsters and an isolated setting like a city or mall (53); these conventions are also present in Zombieland. As a zomcom, the film also includes comedy conventions such as Tallahassees affinity for Twinkies, the characters' reactions to the zombies, and Columbuss voice over. One of the classic zombie conventions in the film is that the narrative focuses on a small group of survivors, allowing viewers to witness human interactions under the pressure of living through an apocalypse; Zombieland sets itself apart from other zombie films by also including a comedic undertone throughout, which is delivered via Columbuss voice over. Most zombie films focus on a group of survivors with different backgrounds; for example, in Night of the Living Dead, the first classic zombie film, the group of survivors includes a black man, a family with a young daughter, and a teen-aged girl. None of them knew each other before the apocalypse, but the new situation is what brings them together. In most movies, the group ends up having a disagreement or hiding something from each other and that is what puts them in danger. In Zombieland, the focus is on a small group of four survivors; they are not different in terms of race, but they do come from different social classes, and they did not know each other before the apocalypse. A good scene that illustrates this convention is midway through the story, when Wichita and Little Rock take over the Hummer that Tallahassee and Columbus had just gotten. In this scene, they all agree to travel together because it was the best way to survive. This is when they start to bond; Little Rock talks about her safe haven being Pacific Playland and how there are no zombies there. Tallahassee is about to make a comment on how there are zombies there but Wichita gives him a glare. What Wichita wanted to say with the

Hernandez 3 glare is that she knew there were zombies there but she did not want to disappoint her sister. Columbus asks Wichita if she knew anything about Columbus, Ohio and she says that it is a ghost town. After this Tallahassee gives her a glare, Wichita realizes that that is where he is headed. This makes Wichita realize that that is why Tallahassee calls him Columbus. Tallahassee did not want any emotional attachment --that is why when he met Columbus he said that it is better to name the place they are headed. Wichita also apologizes and tells him that they could help him find a car so that he can go see for himself. Wichita finds him a ride but he decides to stay with them. Voiceover is heard when Columbus is silent after what Wichita said and in the background, you hear him narrating his thought. The lighting inside the car is darker than the outside to set a serious mood to their conversation. In the scene medium close ups are done to show the characters expression and body language. With this, Little Rocks excitement is noticeable and Columbus shock. The camera also changes positions to show the characters talking directly into the camera, addressing the viewer. Columbuss rules and voice over is what sets Zombieland apart from the other films. Voice over gives Zombieland a video game aspect. The pop-up bit works precisely because Zombieland unspools like a game(Levin). The voice over is new to the zombie genre because it has not been seen in other films. Many zombie films do not have rules that a character follows. With this it can be infer that Columbus is a gamer because he said "Friday night, third straight week indoors, World of Warcraft, leaning tower of pizza boxes, code red mountain dew, pride nowhere, dignity long gone, virginity totally justifiable to speculate on."(Zombieland) which is what helps him set up the rules. The best scene to illustrate voice over is the opening scene where Columbus narrates what United States is like at this point. In the beginning, Columbus states This is now the United States of Zombieland. At the beginning of the movie, you here

Hernandez 4 Columbuss voice in the background explaining the rules and why they should be followed. As he does, this main scenes and highlights of what is happening in America are occurring in a montage. Normally to show these scenes it would take longer. The lighting is dark to make other color stand out. This adds dramatic effect to the rules being mentioning in the background. A lot of zoom is done on the zombies to show their appearance. When part of the scene is occurring in slow motion the zombies look revolting, but at the same time humorous. There is a fat guy running and helps to illustrate why cardio is an important rule. Double tap rule to make sure the zombies are dead is illustrated when a woman is checking to make sure the zombie is dead. This scene is important because it helps to set up the mood and setting of the film and what can be expected. This ties back to the group of survivors because as Columbus as Columbus attached to the group he notices that he does not new the rules as long as he is with the. Columbus breaks many of his rules except to get a kick ass partner. Zombieland is a game like film because in most games the avatars are talk to the gamer to help them out through the game. Over all Zombieland shows common zombie conventions that other films have. The film focuses on a group of survivors, the zombies, and becoming surrounded. However, what really helps the film fit into the genre is that it is similar to Shawn of the Dead. Shawn of the Dead is a British zom-com; Zombieland is the American version of it. Thankfully, what precedes and follows The YKnow is arguably brilliant, and worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the genre-leader, Shaun Of The Dead.(Hewitt) ZOMBIELAND keeps the bar that was set by SHAUN OF THE DEAD still elevated high, making zom-coms a genre to be reckoned with.(Given) One of the themes of the movie is fitting in because though out the whole movie Columbus just wanted a place where he belonged. At the end Columbus said the he had finally found a place where he belong with is new/different family.

Hernandez 5 Works Cited Bishop, Kyle. JPF&T (n.d.): n. pag. 2009. Web. 16 Oct. 2013. Carroll, Nol. "The Nature of Horror." The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 16 Oct. 2013. Given, William Allan. " ZOMBIELAND Helps Define the Zom-Com Genre and Is One of the Year's Funniest Films |. N.p., 02 Oct. 2009. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. Hewitt, Chris. "ZombielandHarrelson and Eisenberg save the World in a Biting Comedy." Empireonline.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. Levin, Josh. "Zombieland Reviewed." Slate Magazine. N.p., 07 Oct. 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. "Zombieland - Comic-Con 2009 Exclusive: Ruben Fleischer." YouTube. YouTube, 24 Sept. 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.