Monster Theory And Shaun Of The Living Dead

Monsters are symbolic representations of a specific cultural moment – when people or institutions act in a way that puts them outside their cultural comfort zone – a period in time when society is forced to reexamine its cultural values. Monsters are created by society to fit moments of upheaval – an upward displacement – and exist within that society until they are obsolete; until that which created them no longer exists. Monsters play on the fears, anxieties, and desires inherent in that moment. Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, an English professor at George Washington University published a book “Monster Theory” which explores concepts of monstrosity in Western civilization. In the first chapter, “Monster Theory (Seven Theses),” Thesis I states

Although the undead plays an important role in pop culture today, the zombie culture is not a new phenomenon. The macabre images and stories of the zombies have been retold for the good part of the century. The zombie films by George Romero are some of the most analyzed films of the zombie genre, more specifically The Night of the Living Dead. However, the evolution of the zombie is constantly changing, just as it has in Edgar Wrights 2004 (zom-rom-com) film Shaun of the Dead. It will show that important cultural movements surround and influence each film to become a representation of that time socially, politically and economically. And to further understand why these flesh-eating ghouls could never be killed in our minds and hearts, we must consider why humanity has the need to create them as an outlet for our fears and disquietude. By examining zombie films, such as the 1968 Night of the Living Dead, and the 2004 film, Shaun of the Dead, not only can we begin to track the evolution of the undead, but use these analyses to better understand the correlation between the zombie evolution and the movements and progress of the

According to James Westheiders, a history professor at the University of Cincinnati and author of the book “Fighting on Two Fronts: African Americans and the Vietnam War,” racial discrimination did not admit many blacks to attend colleges and therefore were not eligible for draft deferment. Westheiders further explains that; “for black soldiers, all of this translated into disproportionate drafting, an increased chance of military arrests and court-martials, more likelihood of serving in combat units, and a much greater possibility of being killed or wounded” (Westheider, 45) the biggest example of systemic racism. The zombie apocalypse in Night is seen as a society on a verge of collapse, with the undead gaining more power and with authorities too incompetent to eliminate the threat to humanity. The tragedy employed by the bullet on Ben’s head was administered by the same society whom he risks his life to protect, the people who never bothered to recognize him as human. By reading Benn Huss as fighting two wars, Night of the Living Dead becomes relevant to Black-Americans and the Civil Rights