Editorials
Humanizing the Undead: Are Murderous Zombies Passé?
This weekend Maggie, a film about a father who stays by his daughter’s side after she becomes infected by a zombie virus, received a limited theatrical release. It has received mostly positive reviews, with many of the positives pointing out the unique take on the zombie genre. This is mostly a true statement, but it’s not the first film (or television show, for that matter) to take one of its zombie characters and put them at the forefront of the narrative. With films like Warm Bodies and Life After Beth, and TV series like the CW’s iZombie (which just scored a second season), the humanization of zombies has become the new trend. Are the murderous zombies of some of the best horror classics a thing of the past?
Ever since George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead was released in 1968, zombies became synonymous with undead flesh-eating cannibals. Though it was hardly the first zombie movie ever made (that would be 1932’s White Zombie), it redefined the term “zombie” in the horror genre.
Nearly 50 years later, Romero’s undead zombies have arguably lost a bit of their luster. We saw a resurgence in the genre back in 2004 with Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake (running zombies!), and AMC’s The Walking Dead is the most-watched show on cable television. Other than 2013’s World War Z, which grossed $540 million worldwide, zombies in film haven’t made much of a splash.
What we have seen recently is a trend in making a zombie the main characters of their own vehicles. In Warm Bodies, we actually get to hear R’s very human thoughts. He’s just incapable of vocalizing them. This was taken one step further in Life After Beth, as we were able to slowly witness one girl devolve from a human being to a full blown zombie (very much like Maggie, but from a comedic point of view). Now, with iZombie, we have a “living,” breathing, talking zombie (named Liv, no less) who is the heroine of the show!
It’s an interesting trend, to be sure. After decades of watching countless imitations of Night of the Living Dead, something new had to come along at some point. My question to you is this: do you think the zombies of old have run their course? Sure, all of the movies I have mentioned have also had murderous zombies, but as time goes by, the level of “goodness” in the zombies has increased. The zombie sub-genre has always been one of my least favorite (don’t hate me!), so I actually appreciate this change of direction.
My reason for writing this is not to say that the classic zombie narrative has no originality left in it; but seeing as how more and more films are being released embodying this new trend, it doesn’t seem like Hollywood wants to backtrack. Do you even want to see anything “old school?” Or are you enjoying this new trend in the zombie sub-genre? Let me know in the comments below!
Maggie is currently in a limited theatrical release but also available to rent on iTunes and select VOD services.
“Elevated Horror.” Of all the combinations in the English language, that one is the most insufferable.
It represents almost a decade of scary movies that, for the most part, took themselves too seriously. Horror responds to the moment, so its “why so serious” lean makes sense as we scuttle through the “worst of times” equation of Charles Dickens’ famous opening lines. But there’s still an opening and a need for a lighter approach; one that not only has fun with its audience but takes the piss out of a genre that is seemingly letting its newfound “respectability” go to its head.
Wes Craven believed devotees see horror films to let out their fears one primal scream at a time. At their core, these movies are roller coasters; they bring us as close to the edge as possible before pulling us back into a safety net of reality. The need for a bigger and badder coaster increases during times when the size of that net decreases.
There’s a thrill that comes from imagining being in a foot race with a madman, or outthinking the hordes of zombies on the other side of the door, plus the scavenger humans coming behind them. There’s even a rush that comes from imagining how one might deal with possession to see good triumph over evil in the end. It’s all about building tension and releasing it through catharsis. That cathartic release usually sounds like screams followed by laughter, which signals relief. Genre heavy hitters over the past 10 years offered very little of that respite when the credits rolled. Films like Hereditary, The Witch, Talk to Me, and even Smile (pick one) keep that tension going after the screen fades to black.
Hereditary
As the genre became obsessed with creating trauma metaphors, that lack of release made sense. Anyone with even a small sample size of traumatic experiences knows those emotions don’t magically resolve themselves in an allotted run time. But how much trauma can one take? Especially when there’s a mess going on outside that few of us can escape from. Movies offer that off-ramp, no matter how short.
Everything can’t be, nor should it be, “elevated.” Audiences need thoughtful explorations of life’s ills via monsters as much as they need murdering masked maniacs with kitchen knives. And no, it doesn’t have to go any deeper than that. Sometimes, a knife is just a knife, and it’s still worth our time and respect. As weird as it sounds, that simplicity is comforting not in spite of the trauma but because of it.
The worst of times should manifest more than just anguish. People need to laugh just as much as they need to think seriously about this moment in time. Even the Scream franchise forgot the meta rock upon which it built its church when the latest foray sacrificed the subtle comedy for serious drama. Scary Movie returned at the perfect moment. It provides the necessary laughs, but it’s not a cure-all.
This isn’t a call for Scary Movie imitators but a return to a mainstream landscape where Killer Klowns from Outer Space sat with The Serpent and the Rainbow, nestled neatly with the latest Nightmare on Elm Street, which took nothing away from The Vanishing.
They Live
Even They Live, John Carpenter’s horror sci-fi satire sandwich, kept its tongue firmly in cheek while discussing serious ideas still relevant in 2026. Yes, a film about aliens taking over the world through subliminal messaging only visible through coded sunglasses is, in fact, a tad silly. Carpenter understood that mainstream horror can’t become so self-important that it never looks itself in the mirror and laughs at that inherent silliness.
The thing is, horror historically excels at poking fun at itself. Most of the Scream franchise, The Cabin in the Woods, or The Blackening show adoration without kowtowing. They recognize tropes and trappings but invert them for an audience already in on the joke, but one that also finds solace in said conventions. This keeps the genre on its toes; once something gets parodied, it’s usually time to evolve. That breeds new ideas and fresh filmmakers, which not only strengthen the genre’s collective voice but also amplify it.
Get Out, as “elevated” as some critics want us to believe it is, is a cathartic, populist scary movie that spoke to an untapped audience rather than speaking down to them. Backrooms is one of the biggest horror hits in years, partially because it’s fine-tuned for modern-day teenagers instead of their parents. Movies like these tell everyone the genre is open for business; open for innovation and, yeah, open for new ways in which people can lovingly poke fun at with a wink and a nudge.
Horror needs dread as much as it needs laughter.
Catharsis is just as important as tension, and pulpy populism has the same merit as more high-brow material. Respectability shouldn’t come at the expense of an experience akin to walking through a haunted house. At a time when joy seems in short supply, horror should look to its past to map out its future, and make things just a tad brighter for audiences.
Backrooms
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