Why is zombie apocalypse a thing?

[Orangade]

Where did it come from?

Why do we not talk about a werewolf apocalypse? Or a giant spider apocalypse? Or a man-eating lizard apocalypse?

The Bible believe it or not. Jesus died and was resurrected. It's evolved since then.

It’s been a popular trope in comics/film for decades. I think the reason it’s seen as more ‘scary’ than werewolves etc is the speed at which the ‘virus’ spreads and it becomes horrifying hordes in a few days. Werewolves and spiders just can’t multiply at those speeds!

Also I think the concept of a virus or parasite that infects people and turns them into solely their base instincts (hunting/feeding etc) feels more ‘believable’ than other horror tropes. Think about what rabies does to people, it’s not a completely out there concept in the same way as werewolves or giant monsters.

Ooohhhhh. See I thought zombies were reanimated dead people, I didn’t realise it was a disease / pandemic scenario!

Also, humans in general, are shit at dealing with death.

@Sparklesocks

It’s been a popular trope in comics/film for decades. I think the reason it’s seen as more ‘scary’ than werewolves etc is the speed at which the ‘virus’ spreads and it becomes horrifying hordes in a few days. Werewolves and spiders just can’t multiply at those speeds!

Also I think the concept of a virus or parasite that infects people and turns them into solely their base instincts (hunting/feeding etc) feels more ‘believable’ than other horror tropes. Think about what rabies does to people, it’s not a completely out there concept in the same way as werewolves or giant monsters.

Yeah rabies is a good example really. It's not far off from being a similar disease as to one of the ones used for zombie apocalypse. And as they say in most zombie films or series, a virus wants to spread, it wants to multiply and infect more hosts, it's how they work. Gives it more of a chance to survive. So it's more likely to occur than werewolves breaking out. Plus werewolves are specifically only a threat once a month, so it wouldn't exactly be difficult to stop that kind of pandemic before it started. Difficult when it's just quick successive mayhem.

I did like that film where all insects suddenly became larger though and can't remember it's name now!

I think we part of the reason it's so popular in horror stories is the idea that you can't always tell who the 'monsters' are- someone who has been bitten could look normal and then a few seconds later 'turn' and be a zombie. There's also the idea that someone you care for could become the 'monster' and be a danger to you and others around you, even though they look the same and your instinct is to protect them.

It gives us a very definite 'monster', but is much closer than something like giant spider to the reality that other humans are our biggest threat and it's usually not until it's too late that we see that we are in danger.

The Christianity bit made me laugh. Meanwhile ancient Hinduism invented the principles behind mindfulness, athiesm, mathematics, surrogacy, IVF and spacecraft. I wonder how different the world might have been had the advanced ancient civilisations of Iraq-Asia and Africa had been allowed to develop without interference from the relatively far less advanced civilisations of the near Middle East and Europe.

@Orangade

Ooohhhhh. See I thought zombies were reanimated dead people, I didn’t realise it was a disease / pandemic scenario!

Technically yes! A zombie is a dead or reanimated person. But normally in the apocalypse type scenario - the way it spreads - at least in popular media - is by bite or contagion etc.

There are also zombies in Haitian folklore which are the dead brought back by voodoo etc, that might be the type you are thinking of.

The idea of the undead and the threat coming from those you care about and trust is much more abhorrent. Its about the sense of losing everything you hold dear and yes very much has its roots in real life.

Zombies = like me and mine
Whereas werewolves and other monsters = other and separate

Think about it this way - the prospect of killing a werewolf isn't as hard to deal with as the prospect of having to kill your own child or mother to protect yourself.

Zombies go back for hundred of years, especially in places like Haiti.

I find it fascinating and terrifying.

At least in reality they couldnt speed chase you like on the modern zombie films as their ankle ligaments would have rotted away

At least in reality they couldnt speed chase you like on the modern zombie films as their ankle ligaments would have rotted away

Yeah it's evolved into infected rather than Zombie. 4th gen zombie films grind my gears a bit. They aren't zombies.

I think it's a lot cheaper for filmmakers to create zombie outfits than werewolf ones so loads more zombie films got made.

Plus most of the werewolf stories aren't about mindless ravening beasts; they are almost always unfeasibly attractive men who seem to lose their shirts a lot & only have to change at the full moon.

Not quite as scary as your mum trying to eat your brains while you hit her over the head with your brothers leg.

I love zombie films etc.....
The slow moving ones don't scare me, but the fast ones like in '28 days later' really do!

“Not quite as scary as your mum trying to eat your brains while you hit her over the head with your brothers leg.“

hahaha yes I do now see the unique horror of zombies

Thanks!

We did a whole lecture at uni about how unrealistic the 28 days later zombie apocalypse was using examples of known viruses and their epidemiology. It was the most interesting thing in my whole degree!

Horror films seem to have popularity cycles. Before zombies, we had vampire films (90s/early 00s) and before that we had werewolf films (80s)

@Pedalpushers

We did a whole lecture at uni about how unrealistic the 28 days later zombie apocalypse was using examples of known viruses and their epidemiology. It was the most interesting thing in my whole degree!

Oooh any titbits you can share? I love stuff like that!

Zombies are a more all occasions monster so I think they fit the apocalypse idea better.

A werewolf apocalypse wouldn’t work because you only have werewolves at full moons. Vampire apocalypse finishes at sun up every day and so on. Zombies are one of the few monsters who aren’t affected by anything like that.

The lizard idea wouldn’t work because we’ve hunted plenty of animals to extinction so we’d see ourselves as superior to a man eating lizard and therefore it’s not an apocalypse scenario. Plus the man eating lizard tropes sit in a different horror genre really, along with Jaws and Lake Placid.

Ugh, thanks for putting this monstrosity of an idea in my head OP

FFS, the giant spider apocalypse I mean, quote didn't attach.

I always think it’s an excuse to see massive violence perpetrated on other human beings with none of the associated guilt. They may look like people and their bodies react to weapons like people but they’re not actually people. They’re the baddies so it’s ok.

Interestingly the modern concept of zombies started popping up in popular culture after the Spanish flu pandemic.

I’d like to hear more about Hinduism and space travel.

Zombies were originally a metaphor for commercialism and capitalism, with hordes of mindless consumers all shambling about with no independent free will or thought, the original "sheeple" I guess.

The horror film genre that's most popular in any period is quite a good window into what the prevailing fears were at that time - you can see all the "asteroid / flood kills us all suddenly!" films really start to pick up around the millennium when the millennium bug and global warming were really starting to get a lot of air time.

Didn't the zombie legend originate in Haiti as part of voodoo culture? I thought it was a specific concept from the experiences of enslaved African populations. It has its roots in ancient fears of being buried alive and the dead returning - much more powerful and central to the human experience than werewolves or giant spiders.