May Monster Madness is hosted by Annie Walls, Little Gothic Horrors, and Something WicKED This Way Comes.
Monsters frighten us by tapping into the most basic human fears. Over the next week, I'd like to take a look at some of the monsters that I've found interesting over the years, and I'll talk a little about why they frighten us.
The first monster I'd like to talk about has gained popularity over the last few years, though this monster has actually been around a long time.
Zombies!
We all know what zombies are. They've permeated popular culture. Why do these repulsive creatures appeal to us?
Zombies terrify and fascinate us, because they are walking reminders of our own mortality. When death climbs out of the ground and comes looking for us, we cannot help but face the fact that we too will one day rot. This is not a pleasant reality for most people.
That certainty of death also means that the zombies will keep coming. Some zombies may be agonizingly slow, but their strength comes in their numbers. While the whole of society crumbles around the survivors, the zombies keep moving toward their next meal.
The inevitability of death also guarantees that everyone who survives long enough will see someone they love turn into a zombie. The horror of having to face that and the necessity of putting them down taps into some of our deepest fears as human beings.
The theme of cannibalism is also part of what makes zombies unsettling. Zombies, who were once human, feast on humans. There are plenty of instances of cannibalism throughout our history. Some cannibalism is ritualistic in nature, while some resort to cannibalism in a desperate bid for survival in extreme circumstances. We look at these instances with a curiosity fueled by repulsion.
Zombies seem to come in two ways. There are zombies who've been created by man in an attempt to cheat death. We create a cure for cancer, or we experiment with dangerous viruses in an attempt to understand them. The zombie outbreak spreads like a plague, and efforts are made to contain it. These zombies serve as commentary on our attempts to overcome nature. Whether that commentary is justified or not is up for debate.
The other zombie event seems to come from supernatural sources. The dead all over the world rise at once. These are frightening because there seems to be no hope of stopping it. This zombie apocalypse is entirely beyond our control, and all people can do is try to survive as long as they can.
Zombie Links!
http://io9.com/a-history-of-zombies-in-america-5692719
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2012/10/brief-history-zombies/58574/
http://zombie.wikia.com/wiki/Zombie_Wiki
http://zombie.wikia.com/wiki/Cannibalism
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| From George Romero's 1968 film Night of the Living Dead |
That certainty of death also means that the zombies will keep coming. Some zombies may be agonizingly slow, but their strength comes in their numbers. While the whole of society crumbles around the survivors, the zombies keep moving toward their next meal.
 |
| From George Romero's 1968 film Night of the Living Dead |
The inevitability of death also guarantees that everyone who survives long enough will see someone they love turn into a zombie. The horror of having to face that and the necessity of putting them down taps into some of our deepest fears as human beings.
The theme of cannibalism is also part of what makes zombies unsettling. Zombies, who were once human, feast on humans. There are plenty of instances of cannibalism throughout our history. Some cannibalism is ritualistic in nature, while some resort to cannibalism in a desperate bid for survival in extreme circumstances. We look at these instances with a curiosity fueled by repulsion.
Zombies seem to come in two ways. There are zombies who've been created by man in an attempt to cheat death. We create a cure for cancer, or we experiment with dangerous viruses in an attempt to understand them. The zombie outbreak spreads like a plague, and efforts are made to contain it. These zombies serve as commentary on our attempts to overcome nature. Whether that commentary is justified or not is up for debate.The other zombie event seems to come from supernatural sources. The dead all over the world rise at once. These are frightening because there seems to be no hope of stopping it. This zombie apocalypse is entirely beyond our control, and all people can do is try to survive as long as they can.
Zombie Links!
http://io9.com/a-history-of-zombies-in-america-5692719
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2012/10/brief-history-zombies/58574/
http://zombie.wikia.com/wiki/Zombie_Wiki
http://zombie.wikia.com/wiki/Cannibalism
I'm much more of a fan of the supernatural zombies than the man-made ones, because I think I need that 'unreal horror' edge rather than sci-fi to let me disconnect from the fact that these are walking ex-human beings. Having said that, I do like Shaun of the Dead ;P
ReplyDeleteSophie's Thoughts & Fumbles
The man-made freak me right out! I guess my brain finds it more believable. There are many who believe a disease induced zombocalypse is inevitable... who knows! Here's my MMM at Design du Jour.
ReplyDeleteWho doesn't love those squishy dead guys?
ReplyDeleteI can't get enough, though to have to say despite how many zombie books I read and how many times I watch The Walking Dead, I really don't like my chances of survival if (or should I say WHEN) the Zombocalpse happens!
New follower here! Hooray!
Stopping by with my MMM'S Carmen Jenner Author and Book Me!
Happy Hopping! =D
The plague one is scarier because it's more likely to happen.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget the shortage of Twinkies during the zombie apocalypse.
Zombies are my number one monsters that scare me silly. I couldn't even watch the first 10 minutes of The Walking Dead. But give me any other type of monster and I'm fine. (:
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to World War Z this summer. I heard the book was really good and its on my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteI recall reading, though I can't recall where, that horror films reflect the fears of the day. You can totally see this in Romero's zombie flicks, in the ways in which zombies are made, for instance. Plenty of social commentary to be found in zombie-related horror, methinks.
ReplyDeleteSome Dark Romantic
Zombies, like vampires, are getting more fascinating and less scary. Or maybe I'm just still drunk on tales like Warm Bodies, Dearly, Departed, and Breathers
ReplyDeleteOh dear Zombies, more fascinating and less scary. Something is wrong in a world where that occurs, especially when we can't accept our own fellow man with fascination and without fear for our differences - those things that make us special. And yet, vampires and zombies we can embrace? Just don't get it. . .
ReplyDeleteSorry, I know this isn't about politics, it just hit me all wrong.
Yeah, for imagination!
The first zombie movie I saw in a theater was Romero's original "Dawn of the Dead." It was super scary! I could never have guessed that almost 40 years later zombies would be so popular. Huh. And the same for vamps, werewolves and witches. Who knew?
ReplyDeleteFascinating post! The psychology of fear and our attraction to horror is one thing, but I guess we can delve even deeper into our psyches by analyzing why certain monsters scare us more than others.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great examination of the genre!
ReplyDeleteHave you ever read World War Z by Max Brooks? It's the most comprehensive examination of zombies i've ever been exposed to and it sums up much of what I fear when watching simpler movies on one theme.
I'm also a huge fan of the walking dead- both the graphic novels and the show- because where other stories end this one keeps going to show the real monsters (i.e. not the sombies but the survivors who lose their humanity).