What's our fascination with these walking corpses? Well, there are several reasons. My opinion is since they're already dead, you can't technically kill them. So you don't have any remorse over doing so. No guilty conscience. They're a faceless, soulless entity that society has no problem mowing down with shotguns.
Also, I think it's just simply the fear factor. Zombies have the potential (if done right) to be more scary than other monsters. Think of watching your family members being eaten by a werewolf. Not fun. Now think of your family members being torn apart and infected, then chasing after you themselves in their zombie form. Even worse.
I myself am not actually as much into the whole rotting flesh type of zombie, but I like the idea of "surviving the infected." The trailer for "Skyfall" that was shown in class today really also appeals to me. I think I might try watching some tonight. Video games also have some cool zombie genres. Halo, Half Life, Amnesia, and my personal favorite, The Last of Us.
I found an article a while ago that had the title "ZOMBIES ARE REAL!" So I clicked on it, and it turned out to be really fascinating. To sum it up, there's a fungus called the cordyceps that infects a certain species of ants. It takes over their brain and forces them to find a place that the fungus would like to grow. It then releases a toxin into the ant's brain and kills it. The mushroom stalk grows out of the ant's head and releases its spores to infect other ants in the colony. It's not actually animating a dead ant, but it is taking over its body.
The Last of Us picks up this idea and advances it, so that the cordyceps has evolved to infect humans. In class we mentionedThe Last of Us trailer how a zombie apocalypse means the end of the world, but the game takes place 20 years after the out break of the fungus. 60% of the world population has been infected, but the remaining people have built quarantine zones and remain mostly safe. Humanity is slowly regaining and rebuilding civilization.
I highly recommend looking into this game. It's played very much like a movie and it has better scripting and cast than 70% of the movies out there, in my opinion.
Wiki on cordyceps - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps
The Last of Us - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQpdSVF_k_w
I also really wanted to share this. It talks about whether humans really could be infected by the fungus and how fast it would spread. It's really entertaining and really makes you think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baOlT-1yY4A
Cordyceps growing on an infected ant.
Also, I think it's just simply the fear factor. Zombies have the potential (if done right) to be more scary than other monsters. Think of watching your family members being eaten by a werewolf. Not fun. Now think of your family members being torn apart and infected, then chasing after you themselves in their zombie form. Even worse.
I myself am not actually as much into the whole rotting flesh type of zombie, but I like the idea of "surviving the infected." The trailer for "Skyfall" that was shown in class today really also appeals to me. I think I might try watching some tonight. Video games also have some cool zombie genres. Halo, Half Life, Amnesia, and my personal favorite, The Last of Us.
I found an article a while ago that had the title "ZOMBIES ARE REAL!" So I clicked on it, and it turned out to be really fascinating. To sum it up, there's a fungus called the cordyceps that infects a certain species of ants. It takes over their brain and forces them to find a place that the fungus would like to grow. It then releases a toxin into the ant's brain and kills it. The mushroom stalk grows out of the ant's head and releases its spores to infect other ants in the colony. It's not actually animating a dead ant, but it is taking over its body.
The Last of Us picks up this idea and advances it, so that the cordyceps has evolved to infect humans. In class we mentionedThe Last of Us trailer how a zombie apocalypse means the end of the world, but the game takes place 20 years after the out break of the fungus. 60% of the world population has been infected, but the remaining people have built quarantine zones and remain mostly safe. Humanity is slowly regaining and rebuilding civilization.
I highly recommend looking into this game. It's played very much like a movie and it has better scripting and cast than 70% of the movies out there, in my opinion.
Wiki on cordyceps - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps
The Last of Us - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQpdSVF_k_w
I also really wanted to share this. It talks about whether humans really could be infected by the fungus and how fast it would spread. It's really entertaining and really makes you think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baOlT-1yY4A
Cordyceps growing on an infected ant.
OK, first of all, that picture is disgusting. Hahah.
ReplyDeleteBut your post got me thinking about infections. Do infections necessarily have to be physical? Or could we have a mental infection that creates zombieism? (Yes, I just made that word up.)
For example, I run marathons, so I go to a gym to train. What's amazing is how many people go to the gym to sculpt their bodies. I see the same people there every day working on the same muscles to get them to look just right. In fact, I am there too, not working on muscles, but working on trying to run faster and for longer times.
We've all been infected with this obsession over creating better bodies. We've become zombies, drawn to the gym every day. Instead of "Braaaaiiiinssss," we're probably saying things like "Weeeeiiiggghhhtttsssss..." and "Treeaaaaadmiiiiiiiilllllssss...."
And I think even a larger population has been infected with a media virus. We're addicted to movies (and YES, that's me at the front of the movie-addicted line), music and TV. We've become cultural zombies.
Your analogy is so apropos. We've been infected. And like the zombies of the movies, we don't even care. Heck, some of us are even proud of it.
That's so true! We're mindlessly chasing after whatever is the current hit or fad. Think of the crowds of people who swarm around famous stars and artists, desperately trying to get a picture or a handshake. Just like zombies who wanna eat your brains.
DeleteJust for that comment, I may make you read my paper on Twilight. HAHAHA (evil laugh).
ReplyDelete