There is no better barometer of the values and fears of our society than the monsters our culture creates…
What these types of interpretations often ignore, however, is the thread that stretches across all countries and their zombie films: the role of science…
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The 21st-century zombie renaissance began in 2002 with 28 Days Later and Resident Evil, two films whose plots were dependent upon the abuse of genetic engineering (and questionable scientific methods). For the next decade, the majority of mainstream zombie films followed the same premise, demonizing scientific intervention as the harbinger of the apocalypse.
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But that’s changed…in the past eight years, zombie movies and television shows have shifted focus…No longer do zombie viruses emerge from the lab. Instead, science becomes a mechanism for survival. Zombie apocalypse survivors are now shown dedicating time and effort to developing a cure or developing personal relationships in a demolished world.
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Instead of fearmongering, the modern zombie movie is concerned with social relationships and personal development. Zombies no longer represent the past returning to haunt us. Instead, current zombie films look toward the future, to a “cure” that can take the form of a vaccine or an altered system of ethics. Either way, today’s zombie narratives are not about the mistakes of the past, but the uncertain future.
Read full, original post: The Evolution of the Modern-Day Zombie
