Thousand of
stories have been spawned by the creature that Romero almost singe-handedly
created. Many of those stories refer,
either subtly or quite blatant, not only to elements of Romero’s tales, but
also to the man dubbed “The Master” by millions. Malls have an iconic place in the realms of
the zombie multiverse. There will always
be “outside” threats from other survivors that seek to spoil some false
utopia. Often, the zombie is the lesser
threat as it brings out the best and the worst from those who fight and
struggle to survive.
The zombie is a
terrifying monster because of just how very “real” they are. Whether it is due to a viral infection that
causes bestial rage ala 28 Days Later,
or some bizarre radiation dragged in from space by a crashing satellite, a
zombie is not too far-fetched. After
all, The Bible features the first
possible zombie: Lazarus. The story
never says what happened after Jesus left. While it is not assumed that Lazarus
went on a flesh-eating spree, it still opens the mind to the possibility of the
dead re-awakening.
As horror has
unraveled and become slash or torture-porn, and the good, old-fashioned monster
has morphed into the stranger next door...the zombie remains. As vampires undergo high school hormone
make-overs...the zombie endures. As
Jason spends his time battling Michael and Freddy...the zombie trudges on. As sick old men take out their frustrations
of a cancer diagnosis on perceived ingrates with no appreciation of their lives
by trapping them in unsolvable torture puzzles that would repulse
Torquemada...the zombies gather outside by the millions seeking to devour the
last survivor. As today’s scary story
plays out on the six o’clock news...zombies break down the last door.
They feast.
They kill...
...the people they kill get up and kill!
No comments:
Post a Comment