Zombie Invasion

Blood, gore, dead people and pretty women.All these elements are needed in a good zombie movie, said Shahed Jameel, a 29-year-old graduate student from Chennai, India.

In the past year, the big screen has been filled with the living dead searching for a flesh feast. The releases of "Dawn of the Dead," "Shaun of the Dead" and "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" have proved that zombie movies are a popular sub-genre of the horror movie.

"I think (zombie movies) have become part of popular culture," said Doug Rogers, assistant professor of communications.

Rogers, who has taught a film course on horror movies, said zombie movies originated in the early 1930s.

Films such as "White Zombie" (1932) and "Revolt of the Zombies" (1936), focused on voodoo rituals as the main reason for zombie infestation; bodies were reanimated using voodoo spells.

Rogers said during the 1960s, with the release of "Night of the Living Dead" (1968), other causative agents were introduced. In this film, dead bodies are reanimated because of radiation. Later, zombie movies depicted chemical, viral and alien experimentation as the source for zombie plagues.

In more recent films, such as "Resident Evil" (2002) and "28 Days Later" (2003), a virus produces the zombies.

According to "The Zombie Survival Guide," by Max Brooks, the origin of the zombie stems from a virus known as Solanum. This virus works by traveling through the bloodstream, ceasing all bodily functions. The virus mutates and causes the dead body to reanimate.

"The idea of the zombie has not changed much since the beginning," Rogers said. He said zombie movies tap into cannibalism, which is one of the "most repulsive of ideas."

"The concept of people dying and coming back is pretty fascinating," Jameel said.

Rogers said the idea of the zombie is "especially repulsive because it is something that could happen to anyone if they buy into the belief system."

Zombie movies scare people, Jameel said.

"I think there is this underlying fantasy with people dying and coming back," he said. "It freaks people out ... that is a pretty scary concept."

Rogers said these films contain three elements: "a nauseating depiction of a dead body, convincingly animated ... a pretty girl that's going to be chased ... and a boyfriend strong enough to do the zombie in."

Rogers said ticket sales of the more recent films suggest that zombie films are popular among moviegoers. He also said the newer movies contain "snazzier" special effects.

He said these movies are not meant to frighten but to repulse the viewer.

According to "The Zombie Survival Guide," the goal of the zombie film is to entertain. These movies are a source of "temporary, lighthearted entertainment."

Jameel said he is always up for a good zombie movie, and he admits that his favorite is "28 Days Later."

"The whole concept is just brilliant," he said. "It was different. It introduced a different twist to the zombie tale."

Rogers said the original "Night of the Living Dead" is the best zombie movie.

"You have to go back to the original," he said. The makeup and sets were simpler, but "the movie made you worry ... kept you on the edge of your seat."

Monster movie mania

Zombie movies have become popular in our culture. How well do you know your zombie-movie trivia? Take this quiz and find out.

1. "They're coming to get you, Barbara," comes from what famous zombie film directed by George A. Romero?

A. "Dawn of the Dead"
B. "Zombie"
C. "House of the Dead"
D. "Night of the Living Dead"

2. In this film, strangers barricade themselves in a mall after the entire town becomes infested with zombies.

A. "Resident Evil"
B. "28 Days Later"
C. "Dawn of the Dead"
D. "Day of the Dead"

3. In this zombie film, an evil corporation, Umbrella, develops a virus, which

turns the employees of an underground laboratory into zombies. The laboratory is called The Hive.

A. "28 Days Later"
B. "Shaun of the Dead"
C. "Zombie"
D. "Resident Evil"

4. England is infested with zombie-like humans infected with 'rage' in what popular British film?

A. "Day of the Dead"
B. "28 Days Later"
C. "The Evil Dead"
D. "Resident Evil"

5. In this sequel to a movie based on a popular video game, zombies overrun the town of Raccoon City, and the few survivors must escape before the town is obliterated.

A. "Resident Evil"
B. "28 Days Later"
C. "Resident Evil: Apocalypse"
D. "Day of the Dead"
6. In "Night of the Living Dead," what brings the dead back to life?

A. Radiation
B. A Virus
C. Bacteria
D. Genetic testing

7. This 2004 movie is a parody, which includes many characteristics of the traditional zombie film, while adding a comedic approach to the genre.

A. "House of the Dead"
B. "Dawn of the Dead"
C. "Night of the Living Dead"
D. "Shaun of the Dead"

8. "Night of the Living Dead," "Dawn of the Dead," and "Day of the Dead" are all movies directed by _________.

A. Steven Spielberg
B. George A. Romero
C. Wes Craven
D. Michael Moore

Answers:
1. D; 2. C; 3. D; 4. B; 5. C; 6. A; 7. D; 8. B


Reach Kasey at
kasey_doyle7@eku.edu