The first step in deciding what are the best zombie movies requires the rather delicate matter of determining what in fact are zombies. The common short hand of calling them the reanimated or walking or living dead isn't quite sufficient. After all, vampires would thereby qualify, too. And them vampires, they ain't no zombies, no way, no how. To determine what qualifies as a zombie, we will need some rules to set the parameters.
Of course it's something of a cliche to observe that rules are made to be broken. That may be so and without question even the rules of zombie movie conventions have not been rigorously observed. Despite this fast and loose playing with the rules, some enduring conventions can be identified. Exercising a little flexibility in discussing them should keep us out of too much conceptual hot water, while allowing us to set some parameters.
In looking at these zombie movie conventions it is useful to distinguish between the pre and the post Romero zombies. We can conclude by identifying, too, some of the standard narrative rules of zombie movies.
The Pre Romero Zombies
1. The original idea of zombies comes from notions of Haitian voodoo and the pre-Romero movies often followed this archetype so that such zombies would have a master that controlled them as a function of having raised them from the grave.
2. They were characterized by slow, unbalanced movement,
3. Even before Romero, the convention developed of setting zombies in an apocalyptic nihilistic world.
4. These earlier films also commonly depicted zombiism as the manifestation of a plague.
Romero/post-Romero Zombies
5. Under the influence of Romero's vision, zombies were no longer depicted as under the control of a master-mind. Instead they become more like a force of nature - in fact something of a natural disaster. Indeed, it has become a familiar trope in zombie movies that the zombies are the product of some "unnatural" human intervention into the world -- radiation, pharmacology, etc..
6. They were now driven by an insatiable hunger to eat the living, which had (and apparently required) no further explanation.
7. Under Romero's influence, the zombie attacks were explicitly depicted in graphic and gruesome detail, with emphasis on the gore.
8. Perhaps the most enduringly influential Romero idea was that zombies were only "killed" by a decisive head shot, resulting in brain damage.
9 Though perhaps as enduring as #8 is the premise that the zombie plague, which as we saw predates Romero's vision, was spread through the human population by zombie bites.
Stock ingredients for a zombie movie
10. Almost invariably all zombie movies require some pathetic bummer character who whom, as a consequence of stupidity, selfishness, cowardice or general all purpose inhumanity, brings the previously withheld zombie horde down upon the poor straggling survivors. This person's characteristically anti-social behavior serves the symbolic function of being the weak link in the fortifications that had previously protected a small safe space.
11. Straggling survivors, who just gotta stick together to survive. Frequently, they are composed of a solid PC diversity across ethnic, gender and age lines. All this seems intent upon representing a microcosm of human hope and futility, dignity and venality.
12. Initial obliviousness to what is actually happening. Apparently, all zombie movies take place in a world in which no public official, nor any other person with any authority, has ever actually seen a zombie movie. Otherwise they'd know, right?
13. Though on the surface, zombie movies are about killing zombies, they are really about human distrust, betrayal and fear. They're not just surviving the zombies, but themselves, and each other.
14. A reliable staple is the sad sap, unable to let go emotionally of some past intimate relation with one of the zombies. They can't quite come to terms with the reality that their former loved one is now a cannibalistic ambulating corpse. You'd think that might be more obvious.
15. A peace maker and implicit leader, who tries to pull everyone together and is usually thanked for the effort by some obnoxious jerk eventually accusingly commenting "who made you leader?"
16. And let us not forget the attractions of the love-interest. Among the ragtag of humanity there will be reliably at least one hottie of each gender. No doubt part of the attraction of zombie movies for many fanboys is the projected excitement that finally now some hot babe will have to have sex with me. I mean, the future of humanity depends upon it. As observed, though, the hotties are usually represented in both genders. So, just like high school, there's still some alpha type messing up your plans. But, hey, at least there's some faint hope, right? What's the point of a zombie apocalypse if it's not going to give you some hope to make out with a babe who wouldn't give you the time of day in study hall?
So, there you go; there's our 16 rules for identifying zombies and their movies. Now, next time you're asked about the best zombie movies , you know what you're talking about!
Of course it's something of a cliche to observe that rules are made to be broken. That may be so and without question even the rules of zombie movie conventions have not been rigorously observed. Despite this fast and loose playing with the rules, some enduring conventions can be identified. Exercising a little flexibility in discussing them should keep us out of too much conceptual hot water, while allowing us to set some parameters.
In looking at these zombie movie conventions it is useful to distinguish between the pre and the post Romero zombies. We can conclude by identifying, too, some of the standard narrative rules of zombie movies.
The Pre Romero Zombies
1. The original idea of zombies comes from notions of Haitian voodoo and the pre-Romero movies often followed this archetype so that such zombies would have a master that controlled them as a function of having raised them from the grave.
2. They were characterized by slow, unbalanced movement,
3. Even before Romero, the convention developed of setting zombies in an apocalyptic nihilistic world.
4. These earlier films also commonly depicted zombiism as the manifestation of a plague.
Romero/post-Romero Zombies
5. Under the influence of Romero's vision, zombies were no longer depicted as under the control of a master-mind. Instead they become more like a force of nature - in fact something of a natural disaster. Indeed, it has become a familiar trope in zombie movies that the zombies are the product of some "unnatural" human intervention into the world -- radiation, pharmacology, etc..
6. They were now driven by an insatiable hunger to eat the living, which had (and apparently required) no further explanation.
7. Under Romero's influence, the zombie attacks were explicitly depicted in graphic and gruesome detail, with emphasis on the gore.
8. Perhaps the most enduringly influential Romero idea was that zombies were only "killed" by a decisive head shot, resulting in brain damage.
9 Though perhaps as enduring as #8 is the premise that the zombie plague, which as we saw predates Romero's vision, was spread through the human population by zombie bites.
Stock ingredients for a zombie movie
10. Almost invariably all zombie movies require some pathetic bummer character who whom, as a consequence of stupidity, selfishness, cowardice or general all purpose inhumanity, brings the previously withheld zombie horde down upon the poor straggling survivors. This person's characteristically anti-social behavior serves the symbolic function of being the weak link in the fortifications that had previously protected a small safe space.
11. Straggling survivors, who just gotta stick together to survive. Frequently, they are composed of a solid PC diversity across ethnic, gender and age lines. All this seems intent upon representing a microcosm of human hope and futility, dignity and venality.
12. Initial obliviousness to what is actually happening. Apparently, all zombie movies take place in a world in which no public official, nor any other person with any authority, has ever actually seen a zombie movie. Otherwise they'd know, right?
13. Though on the surface, zombie movies are about killing zombies, they are really about human distrust, betrayal and fear. They're not just surviving the zombies, but themselves, and each other.
14. A reliable staple is the sad sap, unable to let go emotionally of some past intimate relation with one of the zombies. They can't quite come to terms with the reality that their former loved one is now a cannibalistic ambulating corpse. You'd think that might be more obvious.
15. A peace maker and implicit leader, who tries to pull everyone together and is usually thanked for the effort by some obnoxious jerk eventually accusingly commenting "who made you leader?"
16. And let us not forget the attractions of the love-interest. Among the ragtag of humanity there will be reliably at least one hottie of each gender. No doubt part of the attraction of zombie movies for many fanboys is the projected excitement that finally now some hot babe will have to have sex with me. I mean, the future of humanity depends upon it. As observed, though, the hotties are usually represented in both genders. So, just like high school, there's still some alpha type messing up your plans. But, hey, at least there's some faint hope, right? What's the point of a zombie apocalypse if it's not going to give you some hope to make out with a babe who wouldn't give you the time of day in study hall?
So, there you go; there's our 16 rules for identifying zombies and their movies. Now, next time you're asked about the best zombie movies , you know what you're talking about!
About the Author:
Now that you know what makes the grade as a zombie movie, check out Mickey Jhonny's controversial top five list of the all time best zombie movies . Over at the Walking Dead celebration site, Pretty Much Dead Already, his article on the Walking Dead fanfiction is required reading for all aficionados of the zombie genre.
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