Monster Culture: Autopsies Of The Living Dead

As monsters in popular culture, zombies have become prevalent, appearing in movies, TV shows, video games, and literature. In recent years, zombies have even taken on new meaning in public discourse, becoming associated with societal ills like mindless consumerism and the threat of pandemics. But what do these walking corpses actually represent? Through an examination of scholarly texts and pop culture artifacts, this essay argues that zombies are a reflection of contemporary culture, specifically the anxieties around death, disease, and social decay. The first source, Zombie Culture: Autopsies of the Living Dead edited by Shawn McIntosh and Marc Leverette, is a collection of essays that analyze various aspects of the zombie phenomenon. One

According to Cohen, monsters are not just scary creatures but are also "meaning-making machines" that reveal the anxieties and desires of a given culture (Cohen, 1996, p. 4). In his fourth thesis, Cohen argues that monsters represent a "cultural moment" and that they are "always a displacement of anxiety and desire onto something else" (Cohen, 1996, p. 21). In other words, monsters are a way for a culture to express and work through its fears and desires in a symbolic way.

This is certainly true of zombies, which have taken on new meaning in the 21st century. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, zombies have become associated with the fear of global pandemics. The idea of a virus that turns people into mindless, flesh-eating monsters is a terrifying one, and it taps into our deepest fears of contagion and death. But zombies also represent other anxieties of contemporary culture, such as the fear of social collapse and the breakdown of civil

Advances in visual effects and computer-generated imagery (CGI) have revolutionized the way filmmakers depict zombies, making them more terrifying and realistic than ever before. From George Romero's breaking classic film and multiple tv series, zombies have become increasingly sophisticated and visually impressive.

The impact of zombie culture extends beyond the big and small screens. Zombie walks, where participants dress up as the undead and roam the streets in groups have become a popular phenomenon around the world. These events bring people together, fostering a sense of community and shared interest in the zombie genre. They also serve as a platform for social commentary, as participants often use their zombie costumes to make political or social statements.

Furthermore, zombies have found their way into video games, with franchises like "Resident Evil" and "Left 4 Dead" becoming hugely popular among gamers. These games immerse players in an apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, challenging them to survive and fight back against the undead horde.

The impact of zombie culture is not limited to entertainment and popular culture. However, as Jeffrey Cohen notes in "Monster Culture (Seven Theses)," monsters