MB: Zombies

1. Zombie Faces - Why are we afraid of them?

It appears that humans have a certain "nervous disposition" in regards to things that are not quite human. The fact that a zombie resembles the shape and somewhat features of a human frightens us, because it is distorted, and not quite "natural". The blank eyes and peeling skin are unnatural for most people. The same premise applies to ventriloquist dummies. There is something not quite right about them...

The ventriloquist dummy's vacant eyes often strike a sense
of fear with audiences

The effect this gives is known as "Uncanny Valley", and signifies that instead of being reassured by something that looks human, people are quite often repelled, and can find it almost sinister. The Open-University's Stephanie Lay investigated this 1970s research, describing is as "the sense of unease that accompanies the sight of something almost, but not quite human"


Lay goes on further to state that this is why psychological horrors often leave the audience feeling more unsafe than a generic "Slasher" movie, as the use of distorted faces is somewhat relatable, and seems more "real"

2. Why People Love the Zombie Apocalypse

Zombie Apocalypses appear to require no special skills, just
a clear head and few blunt objects. As in "The Walking Dead"

• People "think" they like the idea of a zombie apocalypse, but only because of the way they are presented to the audience
• The audience is drawn to this scenario over an "end of the world" scenario, such as 2012 (Roland Emmerich, 2009) by the question "Can I survive?" or the belief that they can
• People envisage zombies being slow and stupid, easier to kill. They are less drawn to the idea of fast and clever zombies. No one wants to fight someone they can't beat
• The idea of being a survivor, or something different to the usual "run of the mill" day to day lives of many people, appeals to audiences
• Audiences do not consider the effects that a post-apocalyptic world would have on them, and fail to see past the first week or so of survival
• Free food and items appeal to the sense of greed within all people. The idea of taking something without paying seems adventurous
• Similarly, the idea of killing without being punished appeals to a person's sense of destruction, and explains why games like "Call of Duty" or "Grand Theft Auto" are popular
• Most of all, a zombie apocalypse scenario gives one the opportunity to be a hero, something that is not easily acceptable in reality

3. Why Do We Love Zombies?