OK folks, we’re going a lot lighter than my last two entries. A LOT.
I mean, you might leave your seat feeling dumber than when you got there.
I don’t know why, but zombie movies fascinate me. Probably because deep down, even though I know the idea is preposterous, something about people becoming shells of their former selves and suddenly having an insatiable hankering for brrrrraaaaaiiiiinnnnsss just captivates me. Why the bloodlust for humans, though? Why don't they crave, say, squirrels or rabbits or pigeons? Oh wait, those aren’t zombies, those are rednecks.
It seems over the last decade, these flicks have certainly been in abundance. But more recently than that, this new genre of comedy-infused horror is what has me hooked. Shaun of the Dead? Bloody loved it. Insert British accent - “She’s got an arm off!” I just think this fairly new film genre is brilliant. Who’d have thought that comedy and horror would fuse together so nicely? It’s the ultimate dichotomy really. I would imagine that the LAST thing one feels when being chased by the ravenous undead is, “what would be an appropriate witty outburst?”
But that’s the beauty. Take Zombieland, which Dan and I just watched last night. Woody Harrelson is dynamite, and the rest of the cast really made the movie fantastic. But the style of throwing in humor at the most seemingly inappropriate time just WORKS. It’s like the unexpected humor takes the edge off the absolute horror of the situation. Because in all honesty, if somehow zombies WERE to take over the world, I know laughter isn’t the best medicine. A sawed off shotgun is.
I’m definitely a little crazy because I go into these movies knowing FULL WELL I will have bad dreams and check every corner for a lurking zombie for the next several weeks, er, days. I’m almost 32. I know zombies aren’t real. But woe to the gal with the overactive imagination because I actually find myself thinking that I might be in danger at 6AM when I’m in the shower and at my most vulnerable. I can picture it now, I’m bent over shaving my legs and next thing I know, my foot is being gnawed through the shower curtain. It will only take 5-10 minutes for the transformation to be complete, then I’ll be mortally hungry and will most likely have the guilt of devouring my husband hanging over my undead head.
Please. I don’t really think any of this, I’m just telling you the effect these movies have on me. I think about them for days afterward and isn’t that the a redeeming characteristic of a great flick, regardless of the genre?
Suddenly, I want a cheeseburger. But before I go, let me just check under the desk and around the corner, because if it’s the apocalypse and there’s a zombie getting in the way of my very last cheeseburger (hey, for Woody it was a Twinkie), that zombie’s GOING DOWN!!!!!!!!!
“I just read this great science fiction story. It's about how machines take control of humans and turn them into zombie slaves! . . . HEY! What time is it?? My TV show is on!!!!” – Calvin & Hobbes
So here's an interesting little thing about me: I am 100%, absolutely terrifed of zombies. Yes, I know they aren't really real, but the idea of them, a virus, a rage, an apocolyptic senario and suddenly it doesn't seem so far fetched, ya know? 28 Days Later, for example, is the perfect example of how I see things. So, I don't watch the movies, because, unlike other horror flicks, they really, really, really freak me out. For days.
ReplyDeleteYou are awesome! I am so happy you have a blog and I can read your writing! YAY! My genre that I LOVE is end of world movies. The scenario of what would happen should the world end, or only one person survives. I was hooked on the History Channel's Life Without People. I don't know what appeals to me-but that Will Smith movie about the end of the world and zombies-that would be a good one for the both of us!
ReplyDeleteYour second paragraph was wonderfully hilarious.
ReplyDeleteSometimes when I lie awake at night because I can't sleep for all of the horrifying images in my head, I think of you. And not because you are horrifying (which you are not) but because I have never forgotten the time you and I sat in my sister's bedroom at her Christmas party talking about the most distrubing things that haunt our minds. It made me feel so good to know I was not alone in my fears of ridiculousness and now every time I pull up my covers to hide my ears (in fear a bug will get in there), I think of how you do it too (some stranger might whisper in there). So I completely understand the fear that horror movies instill in us and I whole-hearily agree that horror and comedy should always be mixed.
Great post!