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Landon Guenther
Mark McLane
English 111
November 28, 2014
A Look into the Living Dead
It is early in the morning, most people would just be waking up about this time, but the
parking lot of a strip mall is packed, teeming with people shambling about. They move as one
would expect someone who just woke up to, dragging their feet about, eyes barely even open,
mouths agape, groaning. Inside the mall, a small group of people has the building locked down,
windows covered, security gates down. Some still sleep, some keep an eye on the crowd
gathered outside, some have their own jobs to tend to. From the rooftop, one of this group
surveys the crowd, wondering just how it all came to this; where humanity went wrong, what
could have been done differently, whether or not their attempts are worth it or not. He sighs as he
looks down into the sea of people clawing fruitlessly to reach him, driven by some base instinct
to find their next meal. Some have wounds, some lack limbs, some are still clinging to objects
they held in their last moments, no sentient thought in their head telling them that they can let go,
they do not need it. The survivor sees friends, even some family, all of which he knows are really
dead. Even so, they continue to claw and groan for him as he returns to his fellow survivors
inside.
This is the fairly typical scene one may expect to find in todays modern zombie story.
Whether it is in a movie, in a video game, in a television show, or in a book, it is difficult to
escape this genre. Its works come forth like the walking dead themselves, massive hordes of
familiar ideas and tropes beating down your door, eager to devour the viewer whole. A major

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oversight of this analogy, however, is that in most of these stories, the focus is on a band of
survivors struggling to avoid an untimely demise by the risen corpses of their once fellow
humans. However, people who have an interest in this genre will welcome it in open arms, as if
they desire to be devoured and become one with the ever-growing army.
This raises the question of what exactly brought about this popular theme. From where do
its origins lie, how did they develop into what they are now, and what may have caused their rise
in popularity? It is undeniable that the idea of zombies has deeply ingrained itself in modern
culture; one could ask just about any young adult if they have a plan should a zombie
apocalypse occur, and the answer would be yes. Many people even stockpile weapons in their
home for reasons including preparation for this particular end-of-the-world scenario. This raises
the question over what the underlying motivation to embrace this genre may be.
To understand the rise of the dead, it is important to find where they had risen from. The
origins of zombies lie in Haitian culture, in which a zombi was a corpse that had been dug up and
given life, but no will of its own. It would simply obey its master. These were not the fleshdevouring monsters they are now known to be though, they were mindless slaves, often used for
labor. This can be well-observed in the first zombie film, which according to Parker is White
Zombie, released in 1932 and directed by Victor Halperin (32). The zombies in this film were
under the control of a sorcerer, used primarily as workers on a sugarcane plantation. Their lack of
free will is also evident, as one zombie falls into a thresher and not a thought is given about it,
and the closest servants of the sorcerer were also some of his greatest enemies in their respective
lives. This was how zombies were represented for decades in films; their original form, as it had
been established in Haitian voodooism and folklore. Their evolution into their current form did

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not occur until thirty-six years later, when a man named George A. Romero created one of the
most common horror movie monsters today.
Night of the Living dead is one of the most well-known movies featuring the modern
zombie, as well as the first. Released in 1968, this film started off the genre with a true bang, not
only being horrifying but also being released in theaters with no rating, allowing children to
attend its initial showings. Though its visuals are tame compared to today, the horror of the film
cannot be denied, showing many of the tropes that are well-known today. As always, the
survivors featured in this film are hard-pressed to accept that they are fighting the living dead,
but it is important to realize that this is not an overused plot point, as these zombies have never
been seen before. In fact, the term zombie did not even appear until the films sequel, Dawn of
the Dead. The basics of zombies are created in this film as well; their hunger for flesh, either
human or otherwise, the idea that the only way to kill them is by damaging the brain or burning
the body, and the single bite being the only necessary act to transmit the disease. Most of the
dead shamble about, probably having succumb to rigor mortis before rising, while those that
move faster simply stumble awkwardly. Among the many origins of the disease, this one
originated from radiation, which does well to explain why a single bite may be enough to kill a
human. It even includes the disagreements between survivors in this tense situation, which has
proven to always result in an early death for at least one of the group. These ideas persist in the
1990 remake, along with adding a more aggressive, persistent zombie and introducing bands of
survivors who make light of the situation, poking and teasing the dead before killing (or rather
re-killing) them and moving on.
In recent years, the evolution of the undead has continued in different paths, with
infection being attributed to various diseases, fungi, genetic experiments, and the original

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radiation, of course. Some franchises even pay homage to the original zombie by using
mysticism as an explanation for the transformation. Some zombies do not stagger, but will sprint
and climb, and some almost seem capable of cognitive thought. There have even been stories in
which the infected are cured, which brings the whole new tension of whether or not survivors
can trust the revived revenants and what they should do with the information that they can be
cured. Though, they have always remained the flesh-hungry, ever-growing horde of reanimated
corpses that Romero successfully made them.
Zombies have also made differing evolutions in the video game world. They often make
casual appearances in games as insignificant enemies, but they will fairly commonly appear as
the main antagonist. In Capcoms popular Resident Evil series, the zombies are a result of an evil
corporations chemical experiments. These mutants are also unique in that they are not simply
risen corpses, but many of them mutate into horrific monsters. Capcom has also created the Dead
Rising franchise, which takes a much different stance from the gritty, action-oriented
zombification terrorism present in Resident Evil. It often presents a more common setting,
consisting of a quarantined area that has received the virus, and often makes light of the
situation, albeit sometimes in gruesome ways, such as allowing the player to shove a mask over a
zombies head and take a picture for points. Other light-hearted games featuring the undead exist,
such as Plants versus Zombies by PopCap Games, which pits zombies against a survivors
garden in a strategic defense-type game. Left 4 Dead and its sequel is also a popular game
focusing on zombies, pitting four survivors against hordes of infected as well as highly mutated
special enemies.
The history and development of this now well-known horror movie monster has taken
many twists and turns, as producers take artistic freedom with the idea of the risen dead.

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However, this kind of popularity does not simply spring up overnight. It is important to look at
what underlying factors may contribute to the interest, such as the social state of the world when
these stories were created. As with many subgenres, the culture of society is reflected within
zombie media. This is evident when one watches Night of the Living dead and its 1990 remake
by Tom Savini. One major difference is the female protagonist, Barbara. In 1968, womens rights
were still developing, and it was still a commonly accepted notion that women were weak and
relied on men for support. Barbara remains rather lethargic for the entirety of the movie, barely
moving or speaking, and hardly contributing anything to the survival of the group. Twenty-two
years later, however, when women are empowered and have fought for their equality, Barbara
not only contributes to the situation, but spearheads it, having no fear of taking up a rifle and
fortifying their house. By the end of it, she is the sole survivor of the whole ordeal, finding
herself with a group of rowdy men that take joy in the situation. The use of foul language also
drastically increases between the two versions, as it is more socially acceptable. The entire
situation is also escalated, featuring more persistent monsters with gorier appearances, and more
hostile interactions between the living, to feed a desensitized crowds desire for conflict and
violence.
Major plot points also reflect concerns of society at the time. In the original Night of the
Living Dead, it is stated that the outbreak was believed to be due to radiation from a fallen
satellite. This was, of course, during the Cold War, when space travel was new, unusual, and
fascinating to the public, and radiation was an upcoming and worrisome threat. The
aforementioned Resident Evil and even Dead Rising reflect the distrust of government and
corporations present in modern society, showing that the genre adapts to the views of the world.
This reflection is not one-way, however. This media is being reflected upon the world, as well.

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After the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, Americans
were highly concerned about the possibility of attacks on home soil and to what extent terrorists
may go. It was unknown if the next attack or the next epidemic would affect them; a mindset ripe
for the picking (Bayley 1137). One must simply look at a list of zombie-related films and their
release year to see the significant increase. Between 2003 and 2004, nearly as many zombie
movies were released as there were throughout the entire decade of the 1990s. This rise may very
well also be [representative] of the inescapable realities of unnatural death (Bishop 17). This
rise in popularity has also made its impact on the world itself, changing mindsets to that of a
culture expecting a zombie outbreak to occur at any moment. This is made evident by looking at
certain news stories as of late. A well-known example is the 2012 incident in which a man, who
had used the cocaine substitute known as Bath Salts, had been found eating another mans flesh.
After this, many concerns surfaced that Bath Salts would create a zombie epidemic, or that the
epidemic had already arrived; this idea was only spurred on by the reports that only marijuana
was found in his system, and the lack of human flesh found during the autopsy did nothing to
slow speculation. Not only this, but other incidents have risen relating zombies and drugs. More
recently, reports of a heroine knock-off known as Krokodil have emerged, which has been stated
to rot the flesh of those who use it. The media had no hesitations about calling this a zombie
drug right out of the gate. There are even entire websites devoted to keeping track of news that
indicates suspected zombie-like behavior, which is often padded down by incidents of
cannibalism. It has come to the point where zombie is almost a trigger word, used to bring
forth eager crowds in the twisted hopes that the outbreak may have finally arrived, with the word
now being synonymous with the mindless masses so often referred to in modern culture, an

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idea referenced in the 2004 movie Shaun of the Dead. This begs the question of just what makes
these zombies so appealing.
One of the most likely theories related this to Freuds concept of the Uncanny (Bishop
196), which states that that which is most familiar to someone is potentially the most terrifying.
Whether consciously or unconsciously, this idea is often touched upon in this subgenre, with
people having internal struggles concerning their own humanity; whether or not they are morally
in the right to be killing what is or once was human. It can also be observed that killing these
monsters for the sake of survival may turn one into a monster themselves, as can be observed in
both Night of the Living Dead movies, with struggles between characters often turning violent
and eventually resulting in death. Some of the hardest-hitting struggles with this concept are
when it comes to family and friends becoming one with the horde, a concept investigated in
depth in many works including Night of the Living Dead, in which the daughter of two of the
survivors rises and attacks them. It is also a reoccurring theme in the popular television show The
Walking Dead, being a major conflict that appears in the very first episode in which a man
struggles to end his risen wifes suffering. Freuds concept holds up with the idea of avoiding
infection as well, as no one is more familiar as oneself, and becoming a monster would be one of
the greatest fears of this time.
So whether it be via radiation, disease, drug, or parasite, the zombie virus has deeply
imbedded itself in modern culture. It has spread to one and all, infecting countless masses who
continue to spread the infection to even more. In time, it may be that a zombie apocalypse
becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, or perhaps it will not come at all. Whether that means that its
popularity will continually rise or eventually fall is unknown, but the development of this

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uncanny horror has come a long way, and holds a place in societys collective mind; a mind that
is ripe for the eating.

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Works Cited

Birch-Bayley, Nicole. Terror in Horror Genres: The Global Media and the Millennial Zombie.
Journal of Popular Culture 45.6 (2012): 1137-1151. Print.

Bishop, Kyle. Dead Man Still Walking. Journal of Popular Film & Television 37.1 (2009): 1625. Print.

Bishop, Kyle. Raising the Dead. Journal of Popular Film & Television 33.4 (2006): 196-205.
Print.

Night of the Living Dead. Dir. George A. Romero. Perf. Duane Jones, Judith ODea, and Karl
Hardman. The Walter Reade Organization, 1968, Film.

Night of the Living Dead. Dir. Tom Savini. Perf. Tony Todd and Patricia Tallman. Columbia,
1990, Film.

Parker, James. Our Zombies, Ourselves: Why we cant get the undead off our brains. Atlantic
307.3 (2011): 32-33. Print.

White Zombie. Dir. Victor Halperin. Perf. Bela Lugosi, Madge Bellamy, Joseph Cawthorn, Joh
Harron, and Robert Frazer. United Artists, 1932, Film.