Zombie Apocalypse, Then and Now.

The other week I read Monster Island, a chilling narrative written in blog format, which you can read here, http://www.davidwellington.net/books/monster-island/. I loved every thrilling moment of it; except for a few parts that I felt were a tad untrue to zombie mythos. (I’m a zombie realist kind of guy.)  Tonight I watched Night of the Living Dead. As I sat there with a Stella and popcorn so buttery my fingers felt like Land O’Lakes I realized something, I kept repeating one word over and over in my mind…BRAIIINNSSS! (I jest, the word was different.)

            Currently, zombies are back in Vogue and it’s astounding how they have aged. From radioactive miscreants to plague bearing savages. 40 years is a short amount of time for things to have changed so much. The zombies in Night of the Living Dead had a mission; they were less instinctual and a bit more methodical about their approach to killing. They only wanted the flesh of the living. The zombies in Monster Island were more visceral, doing what an animal would do to survive. Even going as far as eating the bark off of trees to get what little supplements they provided.

            Another thing different about the two is the lapse in time in which the events occur. NotLD happens in the heat of the attacks while Monster Island happens about a month after the zombie apocalypse. I tend to favor Monster Island because I find most aspects of the story are more realistic and more conceptually interesting than Romero’s vision.

I’m sure it’s personal opinion, but I grew up in a time when zombies moved fast. Left 4 Dead, DayZ, 28 Days Later. These are the zombies I am familiar with. I even have a copy of How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse under the seat of my motorcycle!  This isn’t a bash on NotLD, just a stimulated young adult’s point of view. I enjoyed NotLD and found it to be a very sad film. It was also great to see one of the very first film adaptions of zombies. The mythos of the undead has changed drastically, from voodoo to a mysterious virus; I’m excited to see where it will be going next.

-Jack

Here’s a link to Night of the Living Dead. A movie worth watching if you haven’t seen it yet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRkrQZ0A1SU