Introduction
Cinema is a significant part of modern culture, as films are replicated in millions of copies, and cinema influences the imagination, forming images of reality. The research question of this essay can be formulated as follows: «What are the main characteristics of the zombie movie image, especially its modification in modern sociology? ». The problem of consciousness and self-consciousness in philosophy is one of the most controversial topics. Modern philosophers are trying to understand the nature of this phenomenon. In this regard, the zombie movie image is indicative not only of cinema but also of philosophy. Zombies are viral in modern cinema because they reflect basic public fears.
Zombies Symbolizing Death
It is necessary to apply zombie concepts and theories to formulate a cohesive, coherent, and original argument regarding society’s role in the fears that zombies represent. The concept of zombies was introduced into the humanities by anthropologists, was popularized in the cinema, and then fell into the field of criticism of analytical philosophers. The zombie movie image, being modified, has found its particular reflection in literature, music, philosophy, and other segments of culture (Sarakaeva 143). The popularity of zombie films has the following reasons. Death is one of the most frightening phenomena for humans, and zombies are the personification of death.
At the same time, the image of a zombie reveals a modified version of death. Scholars, answering why zombies are so popular, expressed that a zombie might represent different cultural phobias (Sconce 102). Among them, for example, is the loss of individuality due to the homogeneity of the global consumer society. This fear is demonstrated in Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead (2004) and Romero’s Dawn of the Dead (1978), wholly filmed in a shopping mall and symbolizing the destruction of the consumer world.
In one of the scenes, the manager, who has gained weight from speculation and impunity, is drinking seagulls with his mistress on the terrace when suddenly bloodthirsty dead men, hungry for meat, burst into his measured life (Romero 01:19:00). This scene is a critique of capitalism and the ever-expanding consumerism. In each Dawn of the Dead frame, Romero uses Marxist teachings and hints about specific political and social problems (Filho 255). People, fleeing from the biting nightmare, lock themselves in the supermarket, where they can continue to eat chocolate bars in peace (Romero 01:23:00).
At the same time, zombies, which are the metaphoric depiction of hungry proletarians, are forced to stand at shop windows and look at the white elite, who have taken possession of benefits inaccessible to ordinary hard workers (Romero 01:07:00). Romero turns his films into anti-capitalist pathos, step by step bringing court the vices of the credit card and hamburger society (Krautkrämer 5). He turns his zombies into a marginal class of this world, despised by everyone commune, united by a single goal of cadaver revolution: to fill one’s stomach (Sarakaeva 151). The zombies in Romero’s film foreshadow the end of earthly life and existence; they are the finale of the society of the victorious ringing coin.
Zombies Symbolizing Routine
Social fears symbolized by zombies also include the numbing, devastating impact of monotonous daily work or the destruction of the planet due to thoughtless, excessive consumption of its resources. In addition, there is also a public fear of the destruction of the human race through a worldwide viral pandemic that cannot be stopped (Krautkrämer 10). Examples of this fear are the films 28 Days Later (2002), where an epidemic begins in Britain due to the bite of an infected chimpanzee, and Train to Busan, where a young woman infected with an unknown virus enters the train (2016).
Various researchers have given considerable attention to the functions of affect in horror films. At the heart of these discussions is the concept that affects and gives depth to human existence through self-awareness and intersubjective relationships (Filho 254). Because affective experience tends to accumulate, it is possible to develop and use complex affective strategies to interact with our social world (Krautkrämer 3).
Zombie movies, however, are based on the possible destruction of this social world. Since zombie films focus on bodies that transform and become monstrous – once human, but no longer – they generate fear and guilt in characters who, albeit temporarily, have escaped zombification (Filho 257). On the other hand, some of the characters turn into altruists. For example, the hero Sang Hwa sacrifices himself and bravely kills zombies while friends and comrades-in-arms are trying to break into a relatively safe carriage (Sang-Ho 01:15). This transformation is especially evident in the film as the character manages to overcome his selfishness.
At the movie’s climax, 28 Days Later, the main character kills all the antagonists and saves those dear to him (Boyle 01:10:00). This climax is because the hero changes. He learned to use his instincts and do everything for survival and protecting loved ones. This helped him come up with and execute a plan to free Selena and Hannah and destroy the enemies (Boyle 01:13:00). It should be noted that a group of military men failed to survive because, just like zombies, they just could not cope with their instincts (Boyle 01:52:00). Until some point, instincts helped them, but then the sexual instinct and the instinct of power took over, which played a cruel joke with these characters.
At that time, Jim, on the contrary, trusted his nature. He revealed in himself something strong, strong-willed, and, just the same, instinctive (Krautkrämer 9). Unlike the military, he did not become an egoist; a similar situation occurred with Selena; the human and humane were added to her natural selfish instincts (Sconce 109). Accordingly, the governing social idea of zombie stories sounds like this: the one who managed to cope with his instincts and find a balance between the natural and the humane survives, which zombies failed to do.
Zombie Images
Hollywood and Traditional Zombies
From the listed examples, it is clear that understanding the refraction of the zombie movie image in modern film culture clarifies the definitions of the concept of zombies. Scholars state that zombies come in three main varieties (Filho 254). In some ways, they are similar to individuals, lacking a crucial component each needs. There are Hollywood zombie movies, the distinguishing feature of which is that they were reanimated once they were dead (Shaviro 99). As a rule, they eat human flesh (Shaviro94). Such zombies are the zombies from Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, learning and evolving (Romero 1978, 48:00). They come to the mall not because they are hungry but in search of answers.
There are Haitian-looking zombies that do not have free will or a soul. Such are the zombies from Train to Busan: they do not think but only mechanically react to moving objects and loud sounds (Sang-Ho 04:00). If one sits quietly and stays out of their field of vision, the monsters will pass by and will not notice a potential victim (Sang-Ho 19:00). It follows from this that the zombie movie image is multidimensional. A zombie is not always a body without a soul and mind.
Thus, initially, zombies were understood as a phenomenon of traditional culture. The scientific community believes that the existence of zombies in their classical sense is impossible. The thesis is that the zombie movie image is relevant to cinema and philosophy (Shaviro 100).
The concept of zombies in its modern sense appeared a little later. Where precisely this concept came from is unknown. Philologists claim the word zombie, which means the living dead, in translation from the Congolese language (Krautkrämer 4). However, this statement is controversial because it does not have sufficient evidence. The surge of interest in zombies in cinema continues in America (Filho 253). As a result, the image of zombies is fixed in the cinema.
Two modifications of the zombie movie image can be distinguished based on the links with cultural traditions. The first is a modification of the traditional form; it is connected with the traditions of primitive societies (Filho 254). Voodoo culture has served as an inspiration for many filmmakers. These are the dead from 28 Days Later, who became so due to human interaction over them: the trials of the Rage virus (Boyle 07:00).
The second is the author’s modifications, in which cinematographers use the film image as a metaphor, a way of designating one object through another. There are many examples of metaphor films in the horror genre. Various epidemics, viruses, and, in particular, zombie apocalypses are metaphors for human fear (Shaviro 104). The emergence of a zombie culture using the image of a zombie as a metaphor would not have been possible without the American screenwriter, director, and producer Romero. Due to his zombie horror series, he popularized the image of the risen dead.
The film Dawn of the Dead (1978) became a horror revolution of American cinema. In connection with the complex foreign policy situation of the 60s in the USA – the Vietnam War – Romero put forward his version of zombies as a protest (Krautkrämer 5). His zombies are a metaphor for law-abiding Americans who unthinkingly follow orders without questioning who is giving them or why (Sarakaeva 146). He compares them to the Vietnam War soldiers who carried out their orders even if they required them to consume human flesh.
The same film raises the problem of zombifying society through video games and television. Dawn of the Dead (1978) is not just a horror but a philosophical parable reflecting the problems of modern society. The film begins with a break-up in a television studio (Romero 01:25:00). Romero wanted to show in this way that life had turned into a talk show in which people stopped hearing each other.
Television is increasingly destroying rather than creating, and despite all the disadvantages, it continues to play a significant role in the lives of ordinary citizens. Despite all the adverse effects, television still plays a significant role in the lives of regular people and is rapidly destroying rather than building. In addition, it is no coincidence that Snyder shot the movie Dawn of the Dead at the mall (Snyder 01:03:00). The living dead has become the personification of a consumer society person.
Philosophical Zombies
Philosophical zombies are thought experiments’ representations of beings whose behavior is identical to that of humans. Zombies are comparable to the latter in that they can navigate space and time, travel by automobile and eat in establishments, and converse about any subject, including philosophical ones (Snyder 56:00). For example, the zombies in Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead are witty: in one scene, zombie pounces on survivors shouting “Who lives under the sea?” using a witty Sponge Bob reference (Snyder 01:10:00). From this it is clear that the image of a zombie is one of the ways of understanding a person in modern philosophy.
At the same time, other authors occupy somewhat different positions. For example, scholars claim that zombies do not have conscious experience, lack intentionality, and do not have self-awareness. Zombies from Dawn of the Dead are trying to get into the house only because their hunger instinct seizes them (Snyder 30:00). The film’s director, 28 Days Later (2002), saw zombies as fast and hardy creatures. For this reason, most of the zombies were played by professional runners capable of running at the same high speed in each take (Boyle 01:36). However, they did not have high cognitive abilities and acted mechanically.
At the same time, according to experts, intentionality is one of the main signs of conscious activity (Sconce 106). The zombies from Dawn of the Dead have it: they come to the mall for answers (Romero 01:48:00). Monsters are trying to find something meaningful, to put together the remnants of consciousness, to return to their usual way of life (Romero 01:47:00). From this it can be seen that the image of a zombie allows starting a discussion about human nature.
Conclusion
Therefore, it is possible to trace the modification of the zombie movie image as part of the discussion of social problems. The zombie movie image serves as a metaphor for revealing the problem of understanding a person within the framework of the philosophy of consciousness. All of these theories personify the movie image of an intelligent zombie. A philosophical zombie is no different from a human, but a zombie lacks such ability as the intentionality of consciousness.
The zombie movie image is a concept with a vast field of applications. After the zombie movie image became popular, it became a role model in specific segments of culture, such as literature, video games, psychology, and philosophy. The zombie movie image has influenced social philosophy, demonstrating the significant role of everyday life in modern culture. The zombie concept image is generated by the philosophy of understanding rationality and human nature and the mass culture of consumer society.
Works Cited
Boyle, Danny, director. 28 Days Later. DNA Films, 2002.
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Krautkrämer, Florian. “Mobilizing the Undead: Zombie Films and the Discourse of Otherness from the 1930s to Postmillennial Cinema”. Atlantic Studies, vol. 4, no. 1, 2023, pp. 1–15. Web.
Romero, George, director. Dawn of the Dead. United Film Distribution Company, 1978.
Sang-Ho, Yeon, director. Train to Busan. Next Entertainment World, 2016.
Sarakaeva, Elina A. “Zombies in the German-Speaking Space. Review of the Collective Monograph “The Undead – Zombie Film Theory” Edited by M. Fürst, F. Krautkrämer and S. Wiemer.” Corpus Mundi, vol. 4, no. 1, 2021, pp. 143–151. Web.
Sconce, Jeffrey, et al. “Dead Metaphors/Undead Allegories.” Screening the Undead: Vampires and Zombies in Film and Television. edited by Lee Hunt et al., Tauris & Company, 2013, pp. 95-111.
Shaviro, Steven, et al. “Contagious Allegories: George Romero.” The Cinematic Body, University of Minnesota Press, 2023, pp. 82-105.
Snyder, Zachary, director. Dawn of the Dead. Metropolitan Filmexport New Amsterdam Entertainment, 2004.