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Zombie apocalypse

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For other uses, see Zombie apocalypse (disambiguation).
Zombies
In media

A zombie apocalypse is a particular scenario of apocalyptic fiction that customarily has a science fiction/horror rationale. In a zombie apocalypse, a widespread rise of zombies hostile to human life engages in a general assault on civilization. In some mythologies, victims of zombies may become zombies themselves if they are bitten by zombies; in others, everyone who dies, whatever the cause, becomes one of the undead. In either scenario, this causes the outbreak to become an exponentially growing crisis: the spreading "zombie plague" swamps normal military and law enforcement organizations, leading to the panicked collapse of civilian society until only isolated pockets of survivors remain, scavenging for food and supplies in a world reduced to a pre-industrial hostile wilderness. The day that the zombie apocalypse begins is sometimes known, by analogy with military operations such as D-Day, as Z-Day.[1]

History

The founding work of the genre was Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend (1954), which featured a lone survivor named Robert Neville waging a war against a human population transformed into vampires. George A. Romero borrowed the idea for his apocalyptic feature Night of the Living Dead (1968) but substituted vampires with shuffling zombies.[2]

Genre tropes

There are several common story elements that create a zombie apocalypse:

  1. Zombies, whatever form they take, are unprecedented in the setting of the story; the event that created them is unknown or has never happened before and it is not generally known how to effectively suppress them. The zombies cannot be controlled easily with available technologies.[3]
  2. Initial contacts with zombies are extremely traumatic, causing shock, panic, disbelief and possibly denial, hampering survivors' ability to deal with hostile encounters.[4]
  3. The response of authorities to the threat is slower than its rate of growth, giving the zombie plague time to expand beyond containment. This results in the collapse of the given society. Zombies take full control while small groups of the living must fight for their survival.[4]

The stories usually follow a single group of survivors, caught up in the sudden rush of the crisis. The narrative generally progresses from the onset of the zombie plague, then initial attempts to seek the aid of authorities, the failure of those authorities, through to the sudden catastrophic collapse of all large-scale organization and the characters' subsequent attempts to survive on their own. Such stories are often squarely focused on the way their characters react to such an extreme catastrophe, and how their personalities are changed by the stress, often acting on more primal motivations (fear, self-preservation) than they would display in normal life.[4][5]

Generally the zombies in these situations are the slow, lumbering and unintelligent kind first made popular in the 1968 film Night of the Living Dead.[3] Recent films, however, have featured zombies that are more agile, vicious, intelligent, and stronger than the traditional zombie.[6] In many cases of "fast" zombies, creators use humans infected with a pathogen (as in 28 Days Later, Zombieland and Left 4 Dead) instead of re-animated corpses to logically counter the "slow death walk" of Romero's zombies. According to a 2009 Carleton University and University of Ottawa epidemiological analysis, an outbreak of even Living Dead's slow zombies "is likely to lead to the collapse of civilization, unless it is dealt with quickly."[7]

Subtext

The literary subtext of a zombie apocalypse is usually that civilization is inherently fragile in the face of truly unprecedented threats and that most individuals cannot be relied upon to support the greater good if the personal cost becomes too high.[8] The narrative of a zombie apocalypse carries strong connections to the turbulent social landscape of the United States in the 1960s when the originator of this genre, the film Night of the Living Dead, was first created.[9][10] Many also feel that zombies allow people to deal with their own anxiety about the end of the world.[11] Kim Paffrenroth notes that "more than any other monster, zombies are fully and literally apocalyptic ... they signal the end of the world as we have known it."[12]

Fandom

Thanks to large number of films and video games, the idea of a zombie apocalypse has entered the mainstream and there have been efforts by many fans to prepare for a hypothetical future zombie apocalypse. Efforts include creating weapons,[13] selling posters to inform people on how to survive a zombie outbreak,[14] and creating websites "documenting" zombie attacks.[citation needed]

Some notable individuals have discussed what they would do in a zombie apocalypse. Mixed martial artist Nick Denis said "I plan on getting, one, an aluminum bat [and], two, a rope ladder, so if I live in the second level of an apartment, that’d be my exit, in and out the window. And then I’d like to get chainmail. No zombie can bite through that. That’d be a good start for my bag."[15] Adam Cayton-Holland said he tried to practice firing a gun: "in order to prove my worth to the denizens of whatever abandoned hovel I will inevitably hole up in during the zombie attack, I should learn how to fire me a flintlock."[16]

In an interview with Ain't it Cool News, The Zombie Survival Guide author Max Brooks commented on the fans of zombie apocalypses: "I don't know what's scarier, the fact that zombies could rise or the fact there are actually people out there that can't wait for it to happen. So they can just start loading up with guns and get on their motorcycles..." Brooks also compared the interest in surviving a zombie apocalypse to people preparing for a Soviet invasion of America in the 1980s after the film Red Dawn was released.[17]

Examples

Films

Comics

Literature

Author Title Year(s) Published Description Source(s)
David Wellington Monster Island, Monster Nation, and Monster Planet 2004-2005 [38]
Max Brooks World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War 2006 Novel details humanity's efforts to defeat a worldwide zombie apocalypse. [39][40]
Stephen King Cell 2006 Novel features people being made into zombies through a cell phone signal that "pulses" them into zombies with supernatural powers. [41]
Carrie Ryan Forest of Hands and Teeth 2009 Set over 100 years after the zombie apocalypse in an isolated village surrounded by a forest full of zombies. [42]
Seth Grahame-Smith Pride and Prejudice and Zombies 2009 Novel combines Jane Austen's classic 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice with elements of modern zombie fiction. [43]
Josh Hilden, Joshua Sanford and Kevin Siembeida Dead Reign 2009 RPG book features survival and the remnants of civilization immediately following the transformation of over 80% of the global population following a mysterious event called The Wave [44]

Television

Video games

Music

  • The zombie parody of The Beatles, the Zombeatles, began in 2006 with the song Hard Day's Night of the Living Dead and are set in a world where the zombies have eaten all the remaining humans.[51]
  • Technical death metal band Brain Drill's 2008 album Apocalyptic Feasting has cover art and songs ("Consumed by the Dead" and the title track[52]) depicting a zombie apocalypse.
  • All music, lyrics and imagery surrounding metal/hardcore band Zombie Apocalypse revolve around the idea of a zombie apocalypse.
  • The 2008 Metallica music video for the song All Nightmare Long features the Soviet Union using a spore found after the Tunguska event on the United States to covertly create an army of zombies, and then openly destroy all of them, in order to take over the US.[53]
  • Metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada will release their Zombie EP on August 24, 2010. The five song EP is about an impending zombie apocalypse derived from lead singer Mike Hranica's strong interest in the subject.[54]

Theatre

  • How To Survive A Zombie Apocalypse - A Seminar that premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2009 that teaches all the necessary skills to survive a zombie apocalypse.[55]
  • Zombie High School - An original a cappella musical, part of the 2010 Minnesota Fringe Festival.[56]

See also

References

  1. ^ Examples of apocalyptic zombie fiction that uses this term include Shaun of the Dead and World War Z.
  2. ^ George Romero Inverview: Fears MAGAZINE
  3. ^ a b Brian Cronin (December 3, 2008). "John Seavey's Storytelling Engines: George Romero's "Dead" Films". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  4. ^ a b c Todd Kenreck (November 17, 2008). "Surviving a zombie apocalypse: 'Left 4 Dead' writer talks about breathing life into zombie genre". Video game review. msnbc. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
  5. ^ Daily, Patrick. "Max Brooks". Chicago Reader. Retrieved October 28, 2008.
  6. ^ Josh Levin (March 24, 2004). "Dead Run". Slate. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  7. ^ "When Zombies Attack!: Mathematical Modelling of an Outbreak of Zombie Infection", by Philip Munz, Ioan Hudea, Joe Imad and Robert J, Smith?. In Infectious Disease Modelling Research Progress, eds. J.M. Tchuenche and C. Chiyaka, Nova Science Publishers, Inc. pp. 133-150, 2009. ISBN 978-1-60741-347-9.
  8. ^ a b Christopher T. Fong (December 2, 2008). "Playing Games: Left 4 Dead". Video game review. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
  9. ^ Adam Rockoff, Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film, 1978–1986 (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2002), p.35, ISBN 0-7864-1227-5.
  10. ^ "Zombie Movies" in The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, ed. John Clute and John Grant (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999), p.1048, ISBN 0-312-19869-8
  11. ^ Cripps, Charlotte (November 1, 2006). "Preview: Max Brooks' Festival Of The (Living) Dead! Barbican, London". The Independent. Retrieved September 19, 2008.
  12. ^ Kim Paffenroth, Gospel of the Living Dead: George Romero's Visions of Hell on Earth. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2006.
  13. ^ Andy Fliege (December 5, 2008). "Daily Distraction: UItimate Zombie Weapon". Windy Citizen. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
  14. ^ Michael Harrison (December 5, 2008). "10 Geeky Gifts for Under $10". Wired. Retrieved 6 December 2008. [dead link‍]
  15. ^ Tony Loiseleur (March 21, 2009). "Sengoku Notebook: 'King Mo' Breaks Hand". Sengoku. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
  16. ^ Adam Cayton-Holland (March 18, 2009). "What's So Funny?: Surviving the zombie apocalypse". Denver/Boulder Decider. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
  17. ^ "Max Brooks and Quint discuss his ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE follow-up novel, WORLD WAR Z!!!". Interview. Ain't it Cool News. September 13, 2006. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  18. ^ Dawn of the Dead at IMDb
  19. ^ "TheMovieBoy Review - Dawn of the Dead (2004)". Themovieboy.com. 2004-03-20.
  20. ^ "Zombi 2 - The Deuce". Grindhousedatabase.com. 2009-01-15. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  21. ^ Mark Kermode (2007-05-06). "A capital place for panic attacks". London: Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
  22. ^ "Stylus Magazine's Top 10 Zombie Films of All Time".
  23. ^ "The Zombie Diaries press kit" (PDF). ZombieDiaries.com. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  24. ^ Pascal. "Fido Movie Review". Movie review. Movies Online. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
  25. ^ ""Grindhouse" double feature a gloriously entertaining contrast". Scene Stealers. April 6, 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
  26. ^ Quint. "Updated! GRINDHOUSE news from Comic-Con! Snake Plissken to be Tarantino's villain! Plus more!!!". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved 2007-01-06.
  27. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (April 4, 2007). "Grindhouse (2007)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 12, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  28. ^ Michael Brookes: "Review: Colin" Sight and Sound 19:10: November 2009: 52-53
  29. ^ http://www.colinmovie.com
  30. ^ Dance of the Dead 2008 Film at IMDb
  31. ^ Carroll, Larry (2009-03-04). "'Zombieland' Monster Maker Has Emma Stone, Mila Kunis Eating Brains". MTV Movies Blog. MTV/Viacom. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
  32. ^ "Deadworld - Information about the comic series from Caliber Comics". Caliber Comics. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  33. ^ Jeffrey Bloomer (June 12, 2009). "Zombie-Ridden Post-Apocalyptic Graphic Novel Gets Film Treatment". Paste. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
  34. ^ WEEK OF THE DEAD I: Robert Kirkman, Comic Book Resources, May 19, 2008
  35. ^ "The Dead Walk the Earth... in Spandex!" Article/Review from I-Mockery
  36. ^ ""AnimeNewNetwork"". Animenewsnetwork.com. 2009-07-22. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  37. ^ JK Parkin (January 8, 2009). "Zito and Trov on The Black Cherry Bombshells going analog". Interview. Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 8 January 2009.
  38. ^ Richards, Dave (June 23, 2009). "Marvel Zombies: The All-Star Return!". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 6 August 2009. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  39. ^ "Exclusive Interview: Max Brooks on World War Z". Eat My Brains!. October 20, 2006. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  40. ^ Currie, Ron (September 5, 2008). "The End of the World as We Know it". Untitled Books. Retrieved September 21, 2008. [dead link‍]
  41. ^ "Cell Review from Pickerington Public Library". Publishers Weekly. 2006-01-02. Retrieved 2008-08-28. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  42. ^ "Zombies Rise in Teen Lit". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. 2009-05-26. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
  43. ^ Grossman, Lev (2009-04-02). "Pride and Prejudice, Now With Zombies!". Time. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
  44. ^ "Review OF Dead Reign". Retrieved 2010-03-11.
  45. ^ Dance of the Dead at IMDb
  46. ^ "SFX interview with Charlie Brooker". Sfx.co.uk. 2008-10-22. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  47. ^ "A Half-Life 1 & 2 Modification". Zombie Panic. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  48. ^ "Zombie Panic: Source mod for Half-Life 2". Mod DB. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  49. ^ "Zombie Apocalyse at Konami". Konami. October 16, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  50. ^ Carl Lyon (February 27, 2009). "Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad - Review". Fear.net. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  51. ^ "The ZomBeatles: All You Need Is Brains Tastes Funny". Fan Cinema Today. March 24, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-09. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  52. ^ "Brain Drill lyrics".
  53. ^ Burkart, Gregory S. (December 8, 2008). "Behold Metallica's "Nightmare" Zombie Apocalypse!". FEARnet. Retrieved 8 December 2008. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  54. ^ "Zombie EP". Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  55. ^ http://www.howtosurviveazombieapocalypse.co.uk
  56. ^ <http://www.zombiehighschool.com/>
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