Even though there are precious few good zombie films, I keep watching everything I can find regarding the zombie apocalypse. What is it about such a depressing, violent, gruesome, nasty scenario that I love so much?
For people who are not fans of the genre, apocalyptic horror probably seems the kind of thing only deranged sociopaths would like.
Here are five reasons why I fantasise about the zombie apocalypse.
1) It lifts society's restrictions. Wouldn't it be fun to take your neighbour's porsche and head out into the country. After all, he won't be needing it. The last time you saw him, he was eating his wife. And you could enter the houses of all the people you used to know to discover their secrets and the skeletons in their closets (sometimes literally), to satisfy those voyeuristic urges. Not that it would matter any more though.
2) It brings out the best in people. It gives you the oportunity to show your true colours. You could be the hero you always felt that deep down you are. Save a group of survivors by crushing the skulls of some rotting walkers and bathe in gratitude and praise.
3) Gets you out in the fresh air. I spend most of my life sitting in front of a screen, tapping on small square plastic keys. Sometimes, I would love to get out in the sun with a hammer in my hand, building a fortress, running from danger, harvesting food, and basically getting dirty in the real world. Grrr!
4) It levels the playing field. Is your boss a better person than you, with more skills, ingenuity, wisdom and strength? I thought not. Yet somehow he gets more money and more respect. How about that rich douchebag you pass in the street who looks at you as though you have just come from a dog's intestine? Is he better? Is he more worthy? In the apocalypse you get to hear them beg you for scraps of food, and plead for help when they are too slow to outrun the horde. Then you get the satisfaction of shooting them in the face when their eyes glaze over and their skin turns green.
5) It reboots civilisation
Once the worst is over, as long as you can find a safe place and learn how to survive in the post-apocalyptic world, you just need to wait it out. Gradually the zombies will start to die. Then the world will enter a kind of a Mad Max dystopia. After a few years of that, you will emerge as a benevolent dictator to usher in a glorious new age for humanity. Right?
So there you have it. I honestly do view zombie stories as positive and uplifting, despite being embedded in horror. For me, they are about liberation. The chance to clear away the old stagnant, corrupt, boring, spiritually bankrupt world, and work towards a better future. An opportunity to be who you really are, not what society has ordained you to be. To win or lose on your own merits, not because of how many zeroes, or what letters, are associated with your name. A place where everyone is equal and survival of the fittest means something again.
Of course, if the zombie apocolyse were to happen, little old nerdy me would probably be one of the first to die. And anyway, who would want to live in an anarchic world of zombies, rape gangs, brutal clan wars, no electricity or fresh water?
And no internet! Oh the humanity!
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