What?!?! I know, right. Me, who raised her children with the threat "If you did that in a Zombie Apocalypse, you would be dead." Me, who before it was cool to like zombies, often day dreamed of a Zombie Apocalypse. Me, who has written three different versions of a book about a Zombie-like apocalypse, who owns Zombie flux, Zombie munchkin and loves watching her husband play DayZ.
And even now, if there is a Zombie movie or TV show, I feel a compulsive need to watch it. But lately I have been disappointed.
And I don't know that it is solely because Zombies have been "overdone". I think it is because it has been so overdone that people are taking liberties with the concept of Zombies.
First there was 28 Days Later. Arguably one of my favorite Zombie movies, because it was the first time I found Zombies scary. Before that (another secret confession) I enjoyed Zombie movies because it basically gave me permission to enjoy killing masses of stupid people... er, I mean Zombies ;)
Then there was the Resident Evil movies that I thoroughly enjoyed, even though the "infection" crossed the species barrier and we needed to kill animals. (I know, PETA would love me! Ok with killing people, but not animals... but I digress.) It at least had a sound basis in the fact that the virus was man-made and manipulated to cross the species barrier.
Then there was My Boyfriend's Back, Shawn of the Dead, and Fido all turning Zombies into an intentional comedy with still blood and gore and stupid people dying but at the same time stupid people living... and that kind of annoyed me. Yes, I know looking back at George Ramiro's work it was kind of bound to happen, but he wasn't trying to make it funny. It just so happened that there were funny things in it.
Then came Walking Dead (and to be fair, I have watched every episode and will continue to do so until they kill Daryl.) When did the concept of Zombies become more about the survivors than the Zombies? It was an interesting and refreshing view.... for about a minute. Now I am just wondering how some of these people have survived this long. Seriously, the whole joy of Zombie movies was watching the stupid people die. I did get perverse pleasure in seeing Rick cap the wife beater, but wouldn't it have been more amusing to watch him eaten by a female zombie?
Then there was Warm Bodies where a Zombie becomes a romantic interest and regains his humanity...
Now there is a new series: I Zombie, about a young doctor, turned Zombie, who becomes a coroner's assistant so she can eat the brains of already dead people. But she is virtually normal as long as she
can maintain eating human brains.... she is even, dare I say it, sexy in a goth/ emo kind of way.
It feels like the destruction of Vampires. Taking what is supposed to be a warning to society, (Take your pick: stop being a part of the stupid masses, or people will want to kill you, Beware the stupid masses destroying your ability to think for yourself. Stay out of graveyards, whatever message you want to take as a warning.) and turning our monsters into sexualized "hip" cannon fodder to pull in the masses.
and yet, I still feel drawn. I have become a Zombie.
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