On Zombies

Otherness is a key component of genre Horror and is most frequently expressed or personified through monsters taken from folklore, myths and legends. Today I’m thinking about otherness in regards to Zombies and why they are still gaining in popularity as pivotal antagonists in modern literature rather than quietly rotting away in the safe corner of cult fandom. Whether they are the shuffling through the darkened and deserted streets of small town America or darting after harried survivors in hive-like cityscapes, Zombies have emerged to take centre-stage.

I am not the first person to turn an analytical eye towards this subject nor am I an expert in zombiology, literary study or psychology. This post came about from catching a tweet Saturday from a follower of mine participating in the chat on urban fantasy. She and I share a love for monsters drawn from folklore and urban as well as rural legends in general and both of us have an interest in seeing them used more frequently in fiction. However the undisputed heavy hitters in Horror at the moment are Vampires, Lycanthropes and Zombies as well as other human beings. I feel that the popularity of Zombies is tied into what they can represent as ‘others’ and that to an extent they are functioning as an expression of our collective unconscious.

Zombies are amazingly flexible antagonists, able to reflect the shared fears of society and have evolved far beyond their historical roots. Originally, Zombies were portrayed as people enslaved after death due to a type of spiritual debt through arcane ritual and curses. Completely lacking free will, emotion and morals, the animated body could only follow the direction of their controller.

Glossing over the obvious factors involving humanity’s instinctive fear of death, a lack of free will is definitely a major fear point as generally people do not seek to be or enjoy feeling powerless. Yet on a daily basis we often find ourselves trapped by circumstances where we must bow to authority on some level, whether that is by acting as a law-abiding individuals or fulfilling the requirements of a job that keeps food on the table. We are constantly frittering away our freedoms as individuals and thus we fear that those we give our power to might abuse it. And yes, those people in authority do abuse it as everyone finds themselves taken advantage of from time to time; by the government right down to those that should be closest to us.

Over time the Zombie has changed to reflect this, most notably embodied in Romero’s interpretation of them however something new emerged at the same time. The controller became non-existent and spiritual debts became much less important. The Zombie was emancipated into spontaneous generation, rising up as a creature of gnawing and ceaseless hunger. Nearly mindless, this type of Zombie functions more as a force of nature, a fact which has been touched upon in multiple interviews and previous attempts at analysis. Through multiple incarnations in film zombies began to take on more signs of intelligence although it remained low more akin to predatory, animalistic cunning. Zombies became a symbol of uncontrolled chaos and consumerism.

The literary Zombie however is a much different creature and reflecting new fears as well as circumstances. The origin of Romero’s Zombies was never clearly explained* although they multiplied through their bite. Even though no one knows where the first Zombie in his universe came from, the spread of zombification followed the same transmission process as other infectious diseases. If one is unfortunate enough to survive the initial contact of a Zombie attack they face a period of incubation and illness as the body fights back only to succumb to death and reanimation as the very object of their terror.

This is an interesting development and plays a rather large part within the cannon of the modern Zombie. A fear of disease is pretty basic and closely tied into our fear of death. Over the last two decades as disease has become a component tool of terrorists the majority of literary Zombies are generated through engineered plagues either accidentally or deliberately released on an un-expecting and woefully unprepared population. This incarnation of the Zombie covers a boat-load of fears; distrust of authority, of our fellow men, the seemingly limitless power of medical science, incurable disease and an end to civilization as we know it through absolute anarchy.

The Zombie is and will remain popular due to the fact it is a view through a mirror darkened, of a collection of the very worst of our human flaws running unchecked. Its flexibility allows for the development and exploration of both the worst and best humanity has to offer through narratives of devastation as well as hope. It is a safe expression of primal as well as modern fears ... so long as it stays firmly on celluloid and on pages.

*Although it is theorized by one scientist in the film, Night of the Living Dead, to have been caused by radioactive contamination from an exploding space probe, the actual cause of the zombie outbreak remains ambiguous. Thanks to the ever-lovely @ruiner85 for checking my facts =)