Throughout recent history America has become more and more obsessed with zombies in popular tv shows, movies, books, and video games. For example, a video game called the Last of Us made in 2013 won many awards for its gameplay, storyline, and graphics involving its zombie filled world. For every era of zombie there are different adaptations and ways to depict zombies. These differences are influenced by fears that we Americans are feeling. Such as, the red scare when we feared the spread of communism or after the 911 terrorist attacks. In my adaptation I will be exploring the fear of each other. How will we humans act when there are no police, laws, government to restrict and guide our actions. Will we be kind and work with one another or kill and destroy to gain power or resources. Are humans the true monsters hiding in plain site among us. Annotated Bibliography
“How the Zombie Represents America's Deepest Fears.” This article explains the origins of the word zombies and the history of zombies in America. It also explains each era of zombie which represented a fear in America in that time period. This article uses many movies and tv shows as examples to his claims such as, the Walking Dead. The article states.... “For 80 years, the undead have been used by filmmakers and writers as a metaphor for much deeper fears: racial sublimation, atomic destruction, communism, mass contagion, globalism — and, more than anything, each other”. I am using this source because it gives could background behind the word zombie, it’s history as well as what each zombie was a metaphor for that time period. This source also agrees with my topic, how humans are the real monsters and what we truly fear, for my adaptation. “The Undead in Culture and Science”* This article is solely used to explain the history of the word zombie and how it was used in books, movies, Tv shows and more. It references George Romero like Dawn of the Dead and his other two sequels as examples. The undead have a significant role in mythology, religion , folklore, and literature. In the 1800s, the word zombie was used to describe reanimated corpses in the Caribbean who often worked on plantations doing long, arduous field work. The movie White Zombie was released in 1932 and exploited this folklore, but it ignored the fact that zombies represent one outcome in Vodou religious beliefs regarding death and the migration of spirits following death. The interest in zombies eventually led to sociological and medical investigations into zombification”. I chose to use this article because it goes more in depth about the word zombie and how it was used in books and writings for hundreds of years in different countries and cultures. “Normality Is Threatened by the Monster: Robin Wood, Romero and Zombies.” * This article goes very in depth about a popular film created by George Romero. George Romero is a director and film creator who’s famous for is very popular low budget zombie movies like Dawn of the Dead. This article is a critic diving into one of his films giving praise and criticism about the movie and its zombies. “One monster that directly responds to horror's potential ambivalence is the zombie, or, more specifically, George A. Romero's re-articulation of the zombie from voodoo slave to flesh-eating undead American, as depicted in Night of the Living Dead (1968), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Day of the Dead (1985), Land of the Dead (2005), Diary of the Dead (2007) and Survival of the Dead (2009). As such, it is no surprise that, for Wood, 'Romero's work represents the most progressive potentialities of the horror film, the possibility of breaking the impasse of the monster/normality relationship developed out of Gothic tradition”. This is a good source because it kind of describes George Romero’s progressive ideas towards zombies. This is showing an era of change for the zombie and its meaning about American culture during this time. “Top American Fears: Sharks And Zombies Or Corrupt Officials?” This article just highlights some of Americans’ biggest fears in recent years. Such as fear of zombies, clowns, not having enough money for the future, climate change and a few others. “According to this survey, twice as many of us fear that someone we love will die than we fear dying ourselves. We are collectively far more afraid of heights than we are of needles or flying, and we're apparently equally fearful of sharks and of computers replacing people in the workforce”. I like this article because it shows that people are fearful of more serious things like climate change instead of clowns and zombies. I will also be exploring the fear of losing a loved one in my adaptation which reflects on American fears. “How Zombies Became a Uniquely American Horror.” This article talks about the recent increase popularity of American zombie movies. It says how after 911 and the 2008 housing crisis the popularity of zombies jumped up. It also explains how foreign movies don’t have the same feel as American zombies “Zombie films and fiction have surged in popularity since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Particularly since the 2008 financial crisis, interest in living dead has far outstripped interest in other supernatural phenomenon such as vampires, wizards or hobbits”. I like this course because without realizing it, it has highlighted what current Americans are fearing most. Due to this it may affect what upcoming zombie adaptations may be about. “Zombies, Going Broke and Government Corruption Scare Americans.” This article talks about the most recent fear plaguing Americans in this day and age. This could create a new era of zombie adaptation or maybe we are in the middle of it. I think you can translate going broke to running out of resources like food and water in the zombie apocalypse. “Fear is among most basic human emotions. Many events in our life cause fear and make us feel unsafe. There are a number of things that scares us, but the biggest American fears are going broke, losing job because of robots, and sometimes zombie apocalypse”. I like this source because it gives me a good idea to add into my adaptation which would be the fear of running out of supply’s. Either by using them all or having them stolen by bandits.