Zombies, Vampires and Werewolves

Why do people like Zombies?  I'm one of those people.  I can't get enough.  I watch every movie and show and even play a fair amount of video games based on the undead.  There are many variations on the zombie invasion theme.  The common denominators are (1) most people become walking dead, (2) civilization falls apart and (3) a few survivors band together against the zombie hordes.  

Believe it or not there is a debate zombie community as to whether zombies walk(stumble, crawl) or they run.  Running zombies are defiantly the scariest, but zombies are also dead and not very healthy at all.  Some living people don't run so well so why would dead people be all that great at running.  I take the middle road.  Recently killed and formerly healthy zombies should by all means run or even sprint.  Decayed and dismembered zombies should limp and crawl or whatever they need to do to get to their prey. 

Zombie movies have evolved over the years too.  The early zombie movies steered clear of the explanation of the living dead phenomenon.  They fall back on the old myth of Judgment Day when the dead rise and walk the earth.  The wrath of God is still a part of the zombie story but God acts through the realistic explanations in the movies today.  There is usually some kind of virus outbreak that kills its host and takes over the body of the victim.  The virus spreads through fluid exchange which is why the host is driven to bite and scratch and consume the hated live humans. 

Here are a few of the Zombie movies that I recommend:

• Zombieland: gory, scary and funny all at once.  -Awesome casting too.
• Day of the Dead:  A classic.  A little old but damn good.  This was before Romero started getting preachy and just made a fine movie.
• Dawn of the Dead:  I'm talking about the remake.  The Heroes get stuck in a mall that bears an uncanny resemblance to CrossIron Mills.  Romero's leftist preaching surfaces here if you know what to look for but Its still a bloody good time.
• 28 Days:  Focuses on the virus zombies.  The sequel is good too.
• Shaun of the Dead:  Hilarious parody.  Brits like zombies and they like a good laugh too.
• The Signal:  Indy movie.  Its low budget but it has a unique take on the zombie apocalypse plus a good story.
• The Crazies:  Romero makes a come back.  His last zombie movie, Land of the Dead, was so thick with leftist preaching it even turns off lefties.  This movie redeems Romero.  Its a variation on zombies.  These zombies aren't dead but they are insane and incurable.  Effectively the crazies are zombies and the familiar survival apocalypse story plays out.  

The zombie outbreak in most of these movies is caused by the government.  They accidentally  release the zombie virus and then mishandle the clean up such that the entire population is lost.  "We are from the government and we here to help" comes to mind in almost every zombie movie.  In one scene from The Crazies a government agent actually says this and you want to just punch the guy.

Why are there so many movies books and games made over decades that keep coming back to the old zombie theme?  There is something in us that the zombie apocalypse genre speaks to.  I'll tell you what it is.  We all secretly believe that we are smarter than everyone else.  We live in a sea of dumb zombies who might one day turn on us driven by some insanity.

For me the zombies are eco-nuts.  They are out there stumbling around in search of brains.  Their misanthropic mindset makes me wonder when I'll have to fight off a mob of enraged eco-zombies.  In fact their goals seem to include the fall of civilization too.

We all believe we will survive the zombie apocalypse.  We all romanticize about an empty world with no rules no debts and no work except getting food and shelter for the people you love.  Its a dangerous sentiment, to want to empty the world of people.  This is exactly the sentiment that the green movement openly teaches.  Anti-human misanthropy is a pillar of the green religion.

Its an illusion of course.  The fact is that we are each brilliant experts in the execution of our own lives and endeavors while simultaneously being ignorant dummies.  'Not me' you're thinking.  Yes you too.  Did you ever lock your keys in your car?  Ever get caught speeding?  Ever cut someone off cause you were fiddling with the radio?  Ever get into any accident?  Spilled milk?  How is your bank account?  If you think you aren't a dummy sometimes than you must be dumber than usual.  This is often the case with self anointed elites who prefer most of us dead or controlled.

Think about it.  Its true.

What about vampires and werewolves?  I don't get vampires and werewolves.  Talk about hokey horror.  My girlfriend doesn't get zombies or vampires but she's a werewolf person.    Its actually funny when you start to analyze these timeless themes.  She likes werewolves and loves animals.  She loves them so much she is a vegetarian.   Loves when I grow a beard....hmmmmm.  (hehe)

A lot of people are into vampires though.  Most of those people are girls.  Thinkof all the shows, movies and books about vampires, but there are no vampire video games.  The basic themes are about a sexy and mysterious stranger who seduces innocent young maidens.  The naive maidens are punctured.  Blood is drawn.  The maiden is forever jaded and changed into blood sucking vampire herself.   

I have to smile when I think of what the vampire story speaks to in a girl's mind.  I'll let you ponder this yourself.  Its too funny.

Enjoy your Halloween!  Thumb your nose at the dark and scary things in life.  Its the one day a year that we can laugh and poke fun at evil and everything else we otherwise take so seriously.