For some time, I have been a voice in the wilderness trying to warn the nation of the growing problem of zombies in confrontations with police and traffic accidents. Now, at least one academic is with me. Arnold Blumberg at the University of Baltimore is offering a course on Zombies. Designated English 333, Zombie studies could produce a small cadre of Zombie-ready graduates to deal with the undead.
Blumberg is the author of “Zombiemania,” a book on zombies in culture and the curator of Geppi’s Entertainment Museum. Students will watch 16 movies on zombies and read zombie comics. Sweet. They can then skip a final and instead draw storyboards for zombie flicks.
My God, this idea is the type of thing that would only be thought of by a brain-dead, aimlessly walking . . . Zombie!
Source: Yahoo
Jonathan Turley
Blouise,
Eh, I get icked out dealing with raw chicken, so who am I to judge?
Buddha,
Like I said, they each were influenced by Romero (who, aside from “Monkey Shines,” was a great director), just different Romero flicks. Also I really liked some of the camera work.
Elaine,
Think about the spacing of your examples. Love of vampires is cyclical, every 10-15 years or so they become popular again. It’s much more analogous to comic book movies (let’s be honest, most vampires are just Superman, but evil). The base characters are always pretty established as pop culture, they’re just waiting to be snatched up by the latest generation of writers\directors.
Zombies on the other hand had always belonged to subcultures. Sure there was the occasional successful movies here and there, but nowhere near as consistently as vampires.
Gyges,
“You want to know how stories and archetypes are spread through modern culture, you look at zombies.”
I disagree. You look at vampires! It’s vampires–not zombies–that have become the rage. Think Anne Rice’s vampire books. Think “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”–and what’s kept the vampire craze going recently is Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series of books for young adults, the “Twilight” movie, and the “True Blood” TV show–which was based on books by Charlaine Harris.
Vampires are the way to go!!!
🙂
Gyges
1, September 8, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Blouise,
I liked Zombies before Zombies were cool. Heck I even knew about those weird online communities devoted to surviving the zombie Apocalypse that were really devoted to surviving the zombie Apocalypse (read race wars). No I’m not kidding.
But in the end, I’m just a fan of a well told story. Modern Zomsploitation flicks annoy me just as much as any other gimmicky horror movie.
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I wish I could appreciate your fondness for the genre but Zombies, Werewolves, Vampires, scare the livin’ crap out of me. I don’t even watch horror flicks … ever.
… even Zombie Halloween costumes scare me.
I’ll back away so as not to impede others from enjoying the discussion.
Would you hit the side of your computer in disgust if I told you the only vampire movie I enjoyed was Love At First Bite?
Gyges,
The “28” movies are an odd example of where I actually like both the original and the sequel equally. Different kind of zombie movies, but both worked well. Due in large part I think to the casting. Cillian Murphy is a good actor and I’m a long time fan of Robert Carlyle (since his days on Cracker from the BBC).
Blouise,
I liked Zombies before Zombies were cool. Heck I even knew about those weird online communities devoted to surviving the zombie Apocalypse that were really devoted to surviving the zombie Apocalypse (read race wars). No I’m not kidding.
But in the end, I’m just a fan of a well told story. Modern Zomsploitation flicks annoy me just as much as any other gimmicky horror movie.
Damn and I thought everything was settled with food, cigars, liquor and after dinner brandy sniffers.
And anybody that would eat those mud bugs would eat anything. Louisiana Lobster, yummy…..
Yes, I heard about the tornado….did they per chance smash the living hell out of Hicks and Dubya’s houses? Just hoping…
Gyges
1, September 8, 2010 at 7:31 pm
Can we get back on topic, Zombies is serious stuff.
Incidentally, I was watching “28 Weeks Later” while posting most of my comments. People who thought it shied away from the Romeroesque qualities of the first one just never saw “The Crazies.”
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I HATE ZOMBIES … (I really do)
Can we get back on topic, Zombies is serious stuff.
Incidentally, I was watching “28 Weeks Later” while posting most of my comments. People who thought it shied away from the Romeroesque qualities of the first one just never saw “The Crazies.”
Anonymously Yours
1, September 8, 2010 at 7:13 pm
Blouise,
You and Buddha used to live closer together until he decided he wanted to be a bug suckin, dirt eatin coonass. Now he lives to far away from you to be that close.
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Ha … shows how much you know … we’re moving closer to YOU! You can run but you can’t hide!
lol
You have hilariously missed the point of Blouise’s response, AY.
And I’d thank you to leave my dining habits out this.
AY Tornado touched down in downtown Dallas. Now it is at Preston and Royal.
Blouise,
You and Buddha used to live closer together until he decided he wanted to be a bug suckin, dirt eatin coonass. Now he lives to far away from you to be that close.
Buddha,
We move closer with each decision.
Blouise,
I just posted that to the Corrections page for the Prof’s consideration.
What a joke. A bad joke, but a joke nonetheless.
Hail Caesar!
For anyone who hasn’t heard … CIA ruling:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/09/us/09secrets.html?_r=1&emc=na
Elaine,
I disagree. Zombies are a perfect example of how basic story elements can resonate with the culture of the time. I mean Romero filmed “Night of the Living Dead” in 1968. The sudden explosion took 40 or so years ago, and the idea didn’t just gradually grow.
You want to know how stories and archetypes are spread through modern culture, you look at zombies.
Maybe there is a link between the zombies and the vampire shows the students watch like “Trueblood” on HBO and the “Twilight” movies.
Elaine M.,
I can think of a lot better course to take than linguistics as an elective. But a fool suffers if they don’t read the course description.
Typing too fast;
Spelling correction: Shuld SHOULD have been spelled s-h-o-u-l-d.