As a sub-genre, zombie horror adheres to the majority of conventions. But unlike many other sub-genres, zombie horror speaks to the audience in such a way that leads them to believe they could survive such an ordeal. Whereas Psychological and Slasher horror create an overwhelming sense of unease and fear, Zombie horror is relatively relaxed and does not appear a threat all of the time, which opens up numerous possibilities for both humour in so called "Zom-Coms" (Zombieland, Shaun of the Dead) or the building of tension in serious post-apocalyptic worlds (I Am Legend, 28 Days Later, The Walking Dead) Yet, in each, the conventions stay, on the whole, the same. Their presentation is just changed.
Stock Plots/Themes:
Despite the frankly predictable start and ending of most Zombie films, people can't seem to get enough of the undead these days, with "The Walking Dead " now going into its fourth season. Yet the way in which it is presented is all too similar to that of the "ground-zero" of zombie films "Night of the Living Dead" (George Romero, 1968). A form of incurable disease has struck that is passed on through contact and the few that are resilient to it band together to protect each other. Inevitably someone dies from the main group and they struggle to move on and win against the zombies. So why are they so popular? It's because the audience builds empathy with the characters, and often see themselves. The idea of a zombie apocalypse is so appealing to many, not because thousands of people would die, but because it requires no special skills. It could "happen to anyone". For example, Columbus from the movie "Zombieland" (Ruben Fleischer, 2009) is just a college student, and Rick Grimes from "The Walking Dead" is a Police Officer. People don't watch zombie horror for the gore, they watch it for the characters, and a good set of characters, makes a good zombie horror.
Monsters:
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| The main characters from "Shaun of the Dead" demonstrating the conventions of the average Zombie |
It doesn't take a genius to realise that funnily enough, Zombies are the monsters of "Zombie" horror movies. However, unlike many other forms of monster, be they human or unhuman, Zombies are not all that clever, or at least, people prefer them not to be. No body wants to fight against something they can't defeat. Your conventional zombie will be slow and stupid. Peeling skin and scars galore. Yet the scare doesn't necessarily come from the sight of the zombie, it comes from the prospect of becoming one. Much like in "Shaun of the Dead" (Edgar Wright, 2004) , where Shaun's mother becomes a zombie. She doesn't look like the average brain-eater, but the idea of her turning him into a human happy-meal was enough for Shaun to make the decision to kill her.
Iconography:
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| The deserted London scene from "28 Days Later" |
The iconography of Zombie horrors is instantly recognisable to most audiences, Desolate looking streets, make shift weapons such as bats and blunt objects, and groaning, moaning, man-eating Zombies. However, the way in which this is presented varies depending on the film. For instance, take "28 Days Later" (Danny Boyle, 2002). The scene showing a deserted London creates a very real sense of isolation. As if it's past the time for society to recover. Whereas Shaun of the Dead takes a very different approach. It shows life as so boring and mundane that it takes Shaun ages to realise that people are actually Zombies, and not their normal selves.
Moodboard:
There are a few concepts within this that are intriguing, the idea of a post-apocalyptic world could be effective as context but it is the 'it could happen to anyone' factor that I find very interesting and something we explore.
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