and so it ends....

After examining all these different articles, sources, and theories about why zombies have become so popular in media, I have become convinced that the biggest reason for the zombie’s popularity is their versatility and adaptability.  The zombie’s ability to adapt and speak for so many situations is its greatest strength and the main reason that they appear so much in modern media.  The ability of the genre to be adapted to so many different ideas whether comparing various foreign policy ideals, teaching about the best way to prepare and equip yourself during a pandemic, being an analogy of social independence of thought, or just telling a fun story that people feel they can relate too is it’s true appeal to so many authors and film makers.

As I continue my study of zombies, I have not yet decided on a thesis for my final project.  I still want to do more research on voodoo zombies and their possible influence on this zombie phenomenon as well as some of the original source material in movie and book form.  I have not yet found a copy of some of those old movies but I do intend to look for them.  I have also been reading some of the more popular books in the genre looking for common elements the might suggest some other research paths to me. 

As I come to the end of this blog I have to wonder where my research will go from here: What are the best source materials?  Should I read some of the comic books as well the books I have been reading?  Should I watch some of the movies as well?  I find that here at the end I have more questions and maybe not as many answers as I would have liked.  I believe this project was beneficial to me though,  It gave me a couple new avenues of research to explore. 

You know it's a zombie when it tries to eat you....

Someone asked me today: Well, What do you mean zombies are everywhere?  So I figured I would spend a little while addressing some of the best places you can find (and fight!) the flesh eating hordes.  There are many different media sources where you can find zombies whether they be movies like “Zombieland” and “Dawn of the dead” or video games like “Left 4 Dead” or “Resident Evil.”  There are books (“Zombie Survival Guide”, “World War Z”, and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), comics (“The Walking Dead”, “Blackest Night”), and even TV shows (“The Walking Dead”) (Also, don’t forget real world events, i.e. Fort Collin’s annual Zombiefest.) all of which explore the phenomenon to some degree.  I found an article among the e-resources section of my local library, an article by author Daniel Drezner called “How I learned to stop worrying and love zombies.”  In it Drezner explains how he came to write his book: Theories of International Politics and Zombies. In it he explains how he came to understand that his average grad student understood more about zombies then many serious academic subjects.  Another source I found today was an article by James Parker from Atlantic Monthly called “Our Zombies, Ourselves, Why we can’t get the undead off our brains.”  In which the author theorizes that their popularity has to do with the prevalence of zombies in the media and with their anonymity.  A Zombie is noticeable but can be anyone.  I think it may be more of a case of the chicken or the egg.  Did zombie become popular because they’re everywhere or are they everywhere because they are popular? 

all around you....

Movies, Video games, Books, comic books, TV Shows, holiday parties, and college campus events all have zombies in common.  You can find signs of our fascination with the undead almost everywhere. Zombies are obviously here to stay so the question is why?  What makes zombies so fascinating to us mere mortals?  Some of the sources i have read say it’s the versatility of the zombie as an opponent that attracts us to them.  Others sources believe it’s just a fad or a cyclical phenomenon.  A new article I found at The Huffington Post  believes that our obsession with the undead is more psychological coming from base human desires and needs.  Yet another source I found over at IGN believes it comes from a more simple need to create an excuse for extreme bloodshed and violence. 

I think it may be more of a combination of all of the earlier ideas.  The fact that the undead are versatile enough to appeal to so many different sides and aspects of human psychology is fascinating.  What about the undead and zombies specifically make them so fascinating?  Another question I haven’t been able to find much information is if Voodoo zombies maybe have something to do with it?  The only thing about voodoo zombies basically comes from Wikipedia which I can’t necessarily trust.  I wonder if that is where the psychology aspect comes from.  I mean real life cases where people supposedly die and then come to life and are used as slave labor (Creepy!!!!)

Looking Around.....

I found two articles today both with different takes on why zombies have become so much more popular in the last 10 – 15 years.  The first article I read was from The Huffington Post.  This article theorizes that zombies have become more popular because the economic recession allows people to better identify with the hard-bitten survivors of the zombie survival horror genre than with other currently mainstream media.  The second article from Fox Business's website takes a much more philosophical approach, the author believes that the zombie phenomenon is cyclical in nature; its popularity growing and waning with time.  The first article makes the argument that the older zombie media is more like the “nerd from high school who eventually grew up and shows up at the reunion as a millionaire.”  The is not a cycle but more of an evolution of the genre.  I think I agree with the first article here.  Older zombie movies don’t explore the topic and repercussions as well as the newer material . 

But I do have questions.  Why doesn’t the older material explore the subject more?  Why have the stories changed so much?  What’s changed in society to encourage the evolution? Why do people better identify with a zombie apocalypse survivor then say a vampire hunter?  How are zombies different from other popular creatures?

I think part of this evolution has to do with how versatile zombies are.  They are a very straightforward threat that can be used as a metaphor for all kinds of storytelling.  Another reason that the media is so popular in my opinion is the depictions of the decay of civilization: the wrecked cities, the abandoned cars, and all the other signs that our once mighty civilization is gone.  I believe these are all draws whose combination is unique to the zombie genre.  That’s my 2 cents anyway.

Zombies - They're everywhere

Zombies, the undead, and an unnatural force of destruction that exists for one purpose: They exist to eat all living things.  These undead civilization destroyers have become more and more pervasive in today’s culture.  The question I am asking is simple: why?  Why have zombies become so popular in American pop culture?  There are video games, books, movies, comic books, TV shows, and even occasional simulation on college campuses around the nation.  What about these creatures is so fascinating?

You might be wondering why this question is important.  My answer is that this question matters because it helps us to understand society.  Where does this fascination with zombies come from?  What does it mean?  Why would an otherwise normal society find the concept of flesh eating undead so fascinating?  These are some of the questions I would like to explore in this blog.  I could look for the answers to these questions several places.  

 I believe that there are many such studies already in place that I can check for more information.  I can also look from commonalities between some of the more popular media with zombies.  Other locations I can look are online for articles and other blogs.

My own thought is that part if the reason we find zombie apocalypses so fascinating is that ultimate survivor character study.  The basic need of many people to root for the underdog trying to survive ridiculous odds is a very compelling story and it is one that is prevalent in the zombie genre.  The ultimate challenge of trying to survive a ravenous horde of zombies trying to eat you is imagery that evokes powerful emotions and hopes with which many people can identify. 

With this blog I hope to further explore this fascinating subject and see just what makes it tick.