Zombie movies have managed to be among the most popular monster films, and this trend does not seem likely to end any time soon. To be sure, there are a variety of different monster types that hold sway over the large screen environment. Few, however, can begin to compare with the overall popularity of zombies, nor the genre's ability to maintain relevance year after year. Many have wondered why these films are in such great demand, and many attempts have been made to explain the phenomenon.What they are
Zombies have origins far older than modern film making. Many experts on the subject point to their existence within the voodoo culture as being among the first instances of the walking dead. Of course, voodoo zombies were mere servants; they possessed none of the terrifying drive or flesh-eating capabilities they would later be given by Hollywood film directors.
Zombies in film
Within those films, zombies advanced far beyond mere risen corpses and adopted new abilities to make them even more menacing to the viewing public. Chief among these changes was a new emphasis on the creatures' insatiable hunger for human brains. And though they remained slow-moving and mindless, they were now found primarily in large packs.
As time went by, even this portrayal of zombies seemed tame to new audiences. As a result, directors and writers made the monsters quicker, even more organized, and complete cannibals. No longer would mere brains satisfy these creatures; they now would feast on every part of the human body.
Into the psyche
Still, the creatures themselves seem to be a simple type of monster, and hardly one that would demand such devotion from die-hard fans. To explain this seeming contradiction, many experts have examined the psychological nature of the zombie menace, in the belief that there must be a deeper reason for the creatures' popularity. Most now agree that it is not the zombies themselves that draw our interest and dread; it is what they often represent.
Previous generations living under the treat of worldwide communism and nuclear war projected those fears onto these mindless creatures. Thus, the escape from zombies was a psychological escape from a danger that was too large for any individual to confront. Subsequent generations have similarly projected their own fears onto the screen: the fear of radiation leakages and mutations, the fear of a biological plague, and many others.
That is the true power of the zombies: they exist as clean sheets of paper upon which each viewer can place his own personal angst. Thus teenage viewers may see themselves as the heroes who are faced with constant isolation, while the elderly may see the zombies as the subconscious representation of relentless, inescapable death. For each viewer, personal fears can be confronted by confronting the zombies on the big screen.
The simple truth that must be acknowledged is that films need villains, and few others offer viewers such an easy opportunity to project one's inner fears onto the screen. Because these creatures provide a unique opportunity to confront those unspoken fears, there is little reason to believe that the popularity of zombie movies will wane any time soon.
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