Zombie and Pandemic Films Analysis Essay

Traditionally, zombie and pandemic films revolve around darker themes such as survival. They can highlight social ills in modern society. The recent Covid-19 pandemic has imitated many social ills previously seen in outbreak horror. Contagion has provided a very realistic depiction of viral illness and its effect on society. This includes a distrust of medical professionals as well as resource hoarding. This genre of horror can also push the viewer to reconsider what it means to be human. The film Girl With All The Gifts, revolves around human-zombie hybrid children that display more empathy than that of their human keepers. However, when the mood of these disaster-inspired films is changed from horrific to light-hearted, these themes are often lost on the viewer. The genre of horror-comedy zombie films do not depict the societal ills their serious counterparts do, and often focus on themes of romance and self-discovery instead.

Zombieland was an incredibly popular horror-comedy zombie film when it was released in 2009. It encompasses both genres perfectly-the zombies are guttural and move quickly inspiring fear within the viewer. Several jokes and instances of situational humor are encompassed throughout the film, taking the edge off. While this film is incredibly entertaining, it is still just an incredibly unique story of self-discovery and romance. In the beginning of the film, the protagonist, Columbus, was a self-proclaimed loner.. In fact, his seventh “rule” out of many is to “travel light in regards to other people.However, he makes it clear that he wishes this was not the case, and even goes as far to say “I kind of miss people…it would be nice to see a familiar face, or any face that doesn’t have blood dripping from its lips and flesh between its teeth.” Very shortly after this proclamation, he joins forces with another lone traveler who claims to be disagreeable, and therefore, not in search of friends. However, their friendship is proven to be long-lasting. This in itself marks Zombieland as a “road movie.” Columbus is unsatisfied in his current state and wishes to change. He is given the opportunity to form connections with others and is able to heal. However, Columbus is not the only character that experiences such a change. He and his new friend are able to become acquainted with two sisters that join them in their travels. Tallahassee, Columbus’s previously mentioned friend, uncharacteristically opens up to the group about how he lost his very young son to the apocalypse. This seems to be therapeutic for him. Unlike most zombie films, the conflict that these characters grapple with is not solely the apocalypse but their own personal issues surrounding loneliness and loss. Because of this there is not a focus on society, and therefore no room to criticize human nature. 

Not to mention, there is a focus on the relationship between Columbus, and the older of the two sisters, Wichita. He is given the opportunity to go off on his own, but stays because he wants to remain with Wichita. The two share an intimate scene, and in the end, he rescues her from a horde of zombies. However, after Columbus’s romantic gesture, Wichita reveals that her real name is Krysta. This is incredibly revolutionary, as the characters used cities in place of names to prevent emotional attachment. This being one of the last scenes in the film, shows that ultimately, the goal of the film was to bring these two together. Thus making the setting of a zombie apocalypse, just a backdrop for a romance film. While Zombieland does not reflect on social ills, it does, however make one point that is profound. At one point, Tallahassee tells Columbus that he should “enjoy the little things.” Columbus finds this to be so meaningful that he writes it down as one of his rules. This is incredibly similar to the “Survival is Insufficient” slogan used in Station Eleven. Both stories take place in an outbreak narrative and both stories encourage those in the apocalypse to find something to keep them grounded. For the characters in Zombieland, it is community.

The film Warm Bodies is classified as a horror-comedy film.. Like Zombieland, there are clear elements of horror and humorous situations. Warm Bodies also uses the zombie apocalypse as a setting for an interesting romance The film follows a zombie protagonist who falls in love with a human. The feelings he experiences are what reverses him from zombie to human. The appeal of this is a parody of Twilight in that it is based on a forbidden love. Unlike Zombieland, however, the film does make an attempt to redefine humanity through the use of zombies. First of all, the film uses levels of zombies to emphasize human traits within the zombies. The super zombies, also referred to as bonies, are entirely savage and incapable of reason.

 However, the protagonist, a regular zombie, is conscious and displays self-control. He does, however, eat people with little remorse. Through the ability for zombies to return to their human-like state, however, the film does not explore this topic as deeply as it could. In contrast to Girls With the Gifts, which places more of an emphasis on traits such as empathy and morality that mark humanity, Warm Bodies places more emphasis on physical aspects, such as a beating heart as what makes someone human. The film itself also fails to point out any social ills within society, as the antagonists are the bonies, which are meant to not even resemble people.

However, this is not meant to say that horror-comedy in the context of a zombie apocalypse is not incapable of addressing social ills. The sketch-comedy series Key and Peele has featured a segment in which white zombies during the apocalypse are shown having a distaste for and even a fear of black people. It is incredibly funny but is meant to address the issue of racism. What makes this possible, is the intent. Conventional horror-comedy films that are set during a zombie apocalypse do not share this intent. Both Zombieland and Warm Bodies are centered around white characters. There is no difference in class or anything else that could potentially make a statement about inequality.

The genre of horror-comedy is diverse with many subgenres. The subgenre of horror-comedy that uses the setting of a zombie apocalypse often emphasizes things like love or self-discovery, rather than the social ills presented in most conventional zombie horror films. This is not to say that these films focus on purely shallow topics. These films typically focus on an individual’s personal conflicts, rather than the effects of the apocalypse on society as a whole. However, like all forms of art, the genre is malleable, and with proper intent can be used as social commentary on society.