Evolution of Zombie Films
The first zombie film White Zombie (1932) dealt with the
traditional Haitian zombie from a western perspective. Unfortunately, it’s
generally considered an over-the-top melodrama with terrible acting. Not a good
start for zombie’s first big screen outing. George A Romero rescued the zombie
from this terrible screen debut. In 1968 he created the fully formed modern
zombie is his feature-length horror Night of the Living Dead. Critics were
shocked, claiming it went from “delightfully scary to absolutely terrifying”,
in fact, one critic witnessed a nine-year-old child burst into tears.
Romero took a blend of undead and vampire lore and the zombie
evolved from a passive mind controller into murderous and relentless. It wasn’t
just their unpredictable nature that was terrifying, it was their blood
thirst—there was suddenly a lot more at stake if one of these mindless zombies
got their teeth into you, you would become one of them, and their disease would
spread across the world in epidemic proportions. Romero’s films were not only
terrifying because of the monsters but as a critique real world problems:
government ineptitude, bioengineering, greed, exploitation, and human nature.
Its sequel Dawn of the Dead was released ten years later, set in a mall—its
critique of greed and capitalism very apparent. In those days the zombies were
slow movers and painted blue.
Danny Boyle’s 2002 film 28 Days Later not only produced
vicious, souped up zombies (thanks to advanced special effects and incredible
makeup, today's zombies are much faster and grotesque) but made us fearful
of human nature. Safe havens would be occupied by men who had themselves turned
into monsters driven by their primal urges in this apocalyptic environment.
This is a theme further explored by AMCs smash series The Walking Dead (an
adaptation of Image Comics’ The Walking Dead)—after all, a TV show with seven
seasons can’t last that long if the only story line involves running from the
undead.
The first zombie film White Zombie (1932) dealt with the
traditional Haitian zombie from a western perspective. Unfortunately, it’s
generally considered an over-the-top melodrama with terrible acting. Not a good
start for zombie’s first big screen outing. George A Romero rescued the zombie
from this terrible screen debut. In 1968 he created the fully formed modern
zombie is his feature-length horror Night of the Living Dead. Critics were
shocked, claiming it went from “delightfully scary to absolutely terrifying”,
in fact, one critic witnessed a nine-year-old child burst into tears.
Romero took a blend of undead and vampire lore and the zombie
evolved from a passive mind controller into murderous and relentless. It wasn’t
just their unpredictable nature that was terrifying, it was their blood
thirst—there was suddenly a lot more at stake if one of these mindless zombies
got their teeth into you, you would become one of them, and their disease would
spread across the world in epidemic proportions. Romero’s films were not only
terrifying because of the monsters but as a critique real world problems:
government ineptitude, bioengineering, greed, exploitation, and human nature.
Its sequel Dawn of the Dead was released ten years later, set in a mall—its
critique of greed and capitalism very apparent. In those days the zombies were
slow movers and painted blue.
Danny Boyle’s 2002 film 28 Days Later not only produced
vicious, souped up zombies (thanks to advanced special effects and incredible
makeup, today's zombies are much faster and grotesque) but made us fearful
of human nature. Safe havens would be occupied by men who had themselves turned
into monsters driven by their primal urges in this apocalyptic environment.
This is a theme further explored by AMCs smash series The Walking Dead (an
adaptation of Image Comics’ The Walking Dead)—after all, a TV show with seven
seasons can’t last that long if the only story line involves running from the
undead.
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