Since the mid-1900s, zombies have captivated America. The undead as we know them today were first seen in George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Here, the shambling mindless zombies attack a farmhouse with survivors holed up inside. Eventually, the zombies overwhelm the barricades and infighting between the survivors leads to all but one of their deaths. This movie set the standard for zombies. Since then, the zombie survival genre has spread into just about every other genre. Not only are there zombie horror films, but also movies such as Warm Bodies (a zombie romance) and Zombieland (a zombie comedy). That wasn’t enough for the living dead, though, as they have shambled into literature and video games as well. In the latter, they seem to dominate the industry. Whether they are the focus – like in the Resident Evil series – or simply an extra mode, such as the zombie modes in Call of Duty, people just can’t get enough of them.
There have been multiple versions of zombies that have appeared throughout the years since George Romero’s horde, each with their own charm. “Runners” make an appearance in horror media. They tend to be more animalistic than the standard zombie, almost seeming to have gone feral. Intelligent zombies have also made appearances in pop culture, most notably in Marvel Zombies. In this comic series, your favorite superheroes become zombies and take over the world using their intellect and superpowers. By working together to create human farms, they can constantly eat human flesh.
The zombie craze shows no sign of slowing down. In fact, zombies are steadily moving into the future. With the recent advances in virtual reality, zombies have been brought into a new medium. That isn’t all the undead has done in recent years. They have also become a staple of haunted houses and scare walk experiences. So, when the zombie apocalypse comes, just remember to aim for the head.
