I Dream of Zombies
So today starts zombie week here at the League. And, of course, my brain decided to turn that little fact into a nightmare of epic proportions last night. Now, you might be thinking, "Wait, don't you write about vampires and demons?" Yes, I do, quite happily in fact. But there's the rub, I don't find bloodsuckers scary and the demons I write are heavily cloaked in sarcasm and humor so my innate Catholic fear of all things demonic is mollified.
But zombies? Crikey. Take my dream, for example. I was alone, driving at night through a strange town. Up ahead, I see emergency vehicles scattered across the road. I hear a radio report of strange goings on. I check my gas gauge and, finding I have half a tank, get the hell out of dodge. But then I get lost, missing my exit. And then things get really weird. My perspective shifts from one character to another each being chased by family members or friends who were infected. Each alone and terrified and literally running for their lives. And each, eventually, being bitten.
It was one of those cinematic types, full of convincing detail and fully fleshed out characters. You know the kind. They seem so real, almost palpable, and you wake up in the morning not quite sure where it leaves off and reality begins. I specifically remember waking up at 4 am wondering if I'd locked all the doors.
So all morning I've been trying to figure out why zombies scare me. Certainly, the bulk of fiction dedicated to the carnivorous bastards have been horror. With the exception of Mark's books, I can't actually think of any form of zombietainment I've encountered that hasn't been scary. Granted, Mark's books are funny, which mitigates the fear factor. But there's more to it than that: Mark's zombies are sentient.
So here's my hypothesis. Zombies are scary because they lack reason. Vampires and demons (at least the ones I enjoy writing and reading about) are thinking monsters. And anything that thinks can be outwitted. But Zombies are animalistic, driven totally by the instinct to consume. There's no talking a zombie out of their goal. Zombies, in short, represent chaos.
And isn't that something we all fear: lack of order. Our society balances precariously on the razor's edge of order. Those who threaten to shake up that order are punished for the most part. There's an inherent need for trust in our fellow humans in order to function. Take driving, for example. We all stay within the lines, follow the laws (mostly) and generally take for granted that everyone else will too. But imagine a drunk driver. Suddenly you've injected chaos into order, and the results are often tragic.
It's the same with zombies. And because we don't usually think about one lone zombie, but an exponentially expanding horde of them, it's even scarier. Imagine being one of the few remaining sentient beings on earth. Suddenly, you're not at the top of the food chain any longer. And that plump, active brain in your head is now a scarce and very valuable resource. The zombies literally want to consume the source of your reason. For me, it is not fear of death (literally losing my mind) by zombie that scares me, but the terrifying thought that if one gets me I'll lose my mind in the figurative sense.
What scares you about zombies?
But zombies? Crikey. Take my dream, for example. I was alone, driving at night through a strange town. Up ahead, I see emergency vehicles scattered across the road. I hear a radio report of strange goings on. I check my gas gauge and, finding I have half a tank, get the hell out of dodge. But then I get lost, missing my exit. And then things get really weird. My perspective shifts from one character to another each being chased by family members or friends who were infected. Each alone and terrified and literally running for their lives. And each, eventually, being bitten.
It was one of those cinematic types, full of convincing detail and fully fleshed out characters. You know the kind. They seem so real, almost palpable, and you wake up in the morning not quite sure where it leaves off and reality begins. I specifically remember waking up at 4 am wondering if I'd locked all the doors.
So all morning I've been trying to figure out why zombies scare me. Certainly, the bulk of fiction dedicated to the carnivorous bastards have been horror. With the exception of Mark's books, I can't actually think of any form of zombietainment I've encountered that hasn't been scary. Granted, Mark's books are funny, which mitigates the fear factor. But there's more to it than that: Mark's zombies are sentient.
So here's my hypothesis. Zombies are scary because they lack reason. Vampires and demons (at least the ones I enjoy writing and reading about) are thinking monsters. And anything that thinks can be outwitted. But Zombies are animalistic, driven totally by the instinct to consume. There's no talking a zombie out of their goal. Zombies, in short, represent chaos.
And isn't that something we all fear: lack of order. Our society balances precariously on the razor's edge of order. Those who threaten to shake up that order are punished for the most part. There's an inherent need for trust in our fellow humans in order to function. Take driving, for example. We all stay within the lines, follow the laws (mostly) and generally take for granted that everyone else will too. But imagine a drunk driver. Suddenly you've injected chaos into order, and the results are often tragic.
It's the same with zombies. And because we don't usually think about one lone zombie, but an exponentially expanding horde of them, it's even scarier. Imagine being one of the few remaining sentient beings on earth. Suddenly, you're not at the top of the food chain any longer. And that plump, active brain in your head is now a scarce and very valuable resource. The zombies literally want to consume the source of your reason. For me, it is not fear of death (literally losing my mind) by zombie that scares me, but the terrifying thought that if one gets me I'll lose my mind in the figurative sense.
What scares you about zombies?
Comments
Zombies are scary because they're us as seen through a dark mirror. Werewolves are more beast than human, vampires have a ridiculous amount of superpowerz, but zombies are usually merely people with bad skin and strong jaws. It's just that, unlike werewolves and vampires, when the zombies rise they usually do so in Costco amounts, dozens or even hundreds at a time.
The classic slow shambling horde is scary because it's an inevitable death that you takes its time getting you. With a werewolf or vampire, it's quick. With zombies, you get to hide in your abandoned house or mall or whatever as the horde keeps growing and growing. You can't stay where you are at, but there's no way you can leave, and you know it is just a matter of time before a door or window gives and the zombies start pouring through.
I think it's being eaten alive. Losing my sense of self is scary now, but once I've become all zombified, I won't have the presence of mind enough to know anything else but my need for tasty human flesh. The literal horror of being eaten alive, though, by people I know ups the squick factor considerably.
While most pre-Dracula vampires were considered mindless, decaying ghouls, modern incarnations have personality. They can be reasoned with. In general, they want something besides blood, whether it be redemption, a cure for their condition or love. You were exactly right, zombies can't be reasoned with. They are a mindless, ravenous horde only capable of destruction.
And there are a whole lot of ways to kill vampires. Zombies keep on ticking even if you dip them in holy water, drag them into the sunlight, set them on fire or stab them in the chest with a handy wooden object.
Zombies combine two things that push my primal fear buttons, an indiscriminate, infectious killing force and the breakdown of "the system." You cannot hide. You cannot find a safe place. You cannot trust anyone because they are one hidden zombie bite from crossing over and devouring your brain. I think my "zombie-related anxiety" got worse after I had kids and thought about what I would have to do to keep them safe in that sort of situation. It taps into that "what would I do" fear associated with our post-terrorist culture.
Zombies represent the breakdown of the system. And personally, I dig the system. The system provides police protection, medical care, heat, light and the safe delivery of Ben and Jerry's to my local Wal-Mart. I don't want to see the system shut down.