Tell me what I am missing about Zombie movies/shows? I don't get it?

I am not averse to a bit of horror, seen several slasher movies, and a HUGE fan of Stephen King, vampire movies, monster movies, etc. etc. are all well in my wheelhouse (so to say) but when it comes to zombie movies I am stumped/totally not in to it.

What is the attraction of these kinds of shows (walking dead, z nation, etc). I am missing something that I am not into this or is it just too crass and not "thinking material" (as I am a big fan of NCIS, CSI, crime shows, English detectives etc).

Or is it not horror but just simply gore and killing/slashing zombies and an obsession with defeating "the world" and being better prepared than others? Ad is it about the darkness that is inside those who survive, as it is a threat that evil warlords or such come out of the woodwork?

Peter King said:

I am not averse to a bit of horror, seen several slasher movies, and a HUGE fan of Stephen King, vampire movies, monster movies, etc. etc. are all well in my wheelhouse (so to say) but when it comes to zombie movies I am stumped/totally not in to it.

What is the attraction of these kinds of shows (walking dead, z nation, etc). I am missing something that I am not into this or is it just too crass and not "thinking material" (as I am a big fan of NCIS, CSI, crime shows, English detectives etc).

Or is it not horror but just simply gore and killing/slashing zombies and an obsession with defeating "the world" and being better prepared than others? Ad is it about the darkness that is inside those who survive, as it is a threat that evil warlords or such come out of the woodwork?

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Have you read World War Z?

Not the movie (which sucked in comparison) but the actual book.

I highly recommend it.

Peter King said:

I am not averse to a bit of horror, seen several slasher movies, and a HUGE fan of Stephen King, vampire movies, monster movies, etc. etc. are all well in my wheelhouse (so to say) but when it comes to zombie movies I am stumped/totally not in to it.

What is the attraction of these kinds of shows (walking dead, z nation, etc). I am missing something that I am not into this or is it just too crass and not "thinking material" (as I am a big fan of NCIS, CSI, crime shows, English detectives etc).

Or is it not horror but just simply gore and killing/slashing zombies and an obsession with defeating "the world" and being better prepared than others? Ad is it about the darkness that is inside those who survive, as it is a threat that evil warlords or such come out of the woodwork?

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Good zombie movies/show are more of a social commentary. The zombies are more of a distraction to the real evil which is other living humans as they battle for dwindling resources.

Nap said:

Good zombie movies/show are more of a social commentary. The zombies are more of a distraction to the real evil which is other living humans as they battle for dwindling resources.

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You mean like in most Stephen King novels where the real baddies are the humans in the story.

Still do not see it as a really fun tv series concept. But then again I have also not watched game of thrones LOL. And people are mad about that one too.

Peter King said:

You mean like in most Stephen King novels where the real baddies are the humans in the story.

Still do not see it as a really fun tv series concept. But then again I have also not watched game of thrones LOL. And people are mad about that one too.

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Walking Dead is really good (however it gets rather repetitive which is why I am several seasons behind)

Game of Thrones is easily the best show ever made. Oddly enough it would be even better if they would have dropped all the supernatural stuff and kept it straight medieval politics as that part of the story is truly epic.

Nap said:

Walking Dead is really good (however it gets rather repetitive which is why I am several seasons behind)

Game of Thrones is easily the best show ever made. Oddly enough it would be even better if they would have dropped all the supernatural stuff and kept it straight medieval politics as that part of the story is truly epic.

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I have started watching the Outpost, reasonably pleasurable.

Game of Thrones I just never got into too. I have watched costume drama before but other than Lord of the Rings/the hobbit, I think I have watched too many medieval cartoons to get exited about medieval drama LOL.

Peter King said:

I am not averse to a bit of horror, seen several slasher movies, and a HUGE fan of Stephen King, vampire movies, monster movies, etc. etc. are all well in my wheelhouse (so to say) but when it comes to zombie movies I am stumped/totally not in to it.

What is the attraction of these kinds of shows (walking dead, z nation, etc). I am missing something that I am not into this or is it just too crass and not "thinking material" (as I am a big fan of NCIS, CSI, crime shows, English detectives etc).

Or is it not horror but just simply gore and killing/slashing zombies and an obsession with defeating "the world" and being better prepared than others? Ad is it about the darkness that is inside those who survive, as it is a threat that evil warlords or such come out of the woodwork?

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The fundamental difference between the American Right and Left is that the Right has an "Individualist self reliant mind set"and the Left has a "Collectivist reliant on authority mind set." Zombie movies are very popular because they are the ultimate self reliant survival action adventure stories. Despite what most media claims that is what most Americans are.

Casca XV said:

The fundamental difference between the American Right and Left is that the Right has an "Individualist self reliant mind set"and the Left has a "Collectivist reliant on authority mind set." Zombie movies are very popular because they are the ultimate self reliant survival action adventure stories. Despite what most media claims that is what most Americans are.

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But humans mostly are not individualists, from the earliest day of man we have grouped in tribes, troops, groups, nations, kingdoms, etc. etc. etc.

That is true of most Americans too, they might not want a lot of government but most Americans live in towns, cities, huge metropolitan areas. That is the average US citizen. Almost 81% of Americans live in Urban environments and whether you want them or not, they rely on some sort of authority to keep the peace and regulate things. That is the average American, someone living in a city/urban area.

Zombie movies are sort of a post-apocalyptic genre- an end of the world scenario so to speak, where civilization collapses and either anarchy or a new order comes about. In a quality movie or show, zombies are just a catalyst for it and shouldnt be the focus, instead its about how humans cope.

If you want a good zombie movie, you have to go back to the beginning. I would suggest Romero's Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead for starters.

Also, a good recent zombie movie is a Korean one: Train to Busan. Its marvelous.

Peter King said:

But humans mostly are not individualists, from the earliest day of man we have grouped in tribes, troops, groups, nations, kingdoms, etc. etc. etc.

That is true of most Americans too, they might not want a lot of government but most Americans live in towns, cities, huge metropolitan areas. That is the average US citizen. Almost 81% of Americans live in Urban environments and whether you want them or not, they rely on some sort of authority to keep the peace and regulate things. That is the average American, someone living in a city/urban area.

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I think part of the horror is the Terminator like aspect. They don't sleep... They won't take no for an answer. They just keep coming. Wave after wave.

The scene plays out in many horror and sci-fi stories. The bugs in Starship Troopers. The already mentioned Terminator. A number of Star Trek episodes.

It's all that and slow mo plus deterioration....

Peter King said:

Still do not see it as a really fun tv series concept. But then again I have also not watched game of thrones LOL. And people are mad about that one too.

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If you're only judging by the current TV shows, I'd recommend you check out the classic zombie films before you decide.

The original Night of the Living Dead is high art. Also, a good remake on that one in 1990. Most of Romero's other stuff is pretty good, if a tad slow paced. The 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake is a personal favorite. Sean of the Dead is an easy pick for "funny" zombie movie. If you can't get into any of those, then it's probably not for you.

I'll echo that World War Z is a wonderful zombie-based book. The documentary/interview style of the book was brilliant, showing a world-wide outbreak from dozens of different POVs. The movie was complete trash.

There's also a truly creepy comic series called Crossed that is the most disturbing and gory rage zombie story I ever hope to read. You were warned.

Peter King said:

Game of Thrones I just never got into too. I have watched costume drama before but other than Lord of the Rings/the hobbit, I think I have watched too many medieval cartoons to get exited about medieval drama LOL.

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GoT saved fantasy literature for me back in 1996. The books are something special, though George R.R. Martin hasn't been kind to his earliest fans.

Peter King said:

I am not averse to a bit of horror, seen several slasher movies, and a HUGE fan of Stephen King, vampire movies, monster movies, etc. etc. are all well in my wheelhouse (so to say) but when it comes to zombie movies I am stumped/totally not in to it.

What is the attraction of these kinds of shows (walking dead, z nation, etc). I am missing something that I am not into this or is it just too crass and not "thinking material" (as I am a big fan of NCIS, CSI, crime shows, English detectives etc).

Or is it not horror but just simply gore and killing/slashing zombies and an obsession with defeating "the world" and being better prepared than others? Ad is it about the darkness that is inside those who survive, as it is a threat that evil warlords or such come out of the woodwork?

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Yes, you are missing something.

"Zombies" is a meme for an unnamed threat. The best zombie shows are not about zombies at all, but the survivors. The show is about the people, and zombies are nothing but a backdrop or hazardous environment.

Peter King said:

I have started watching the Outpost, reasonably pleasurable.

Game of Thrones I just never got into too. I have watched costume drama before but other than Lord of the Rings/the hobbit, I think I have watched too many medieval cartoons to get exited about medieval drama LOL.

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Game of Thrones is like Lord of the Rings for adults. Give it a season or two to really get into the characters and the political intrigue. It gets really good and some of the story lines are actually inspired and are parallel to actual historical events.

Fledermaus said:

I think part of the horror is the Terminator like aspect. They don't sleep... They won't take no for an answer. They just keep coming. Wave after wave.

The scene plays out in many horror and sci-fi stories. The bugs in Starship Troopers. The already mentioned Terminator. A number of Star Trek episodes.

It's all that and slow mo plus deterioration....

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It seems an easy fix for the zombies to surround your living area with razor wire and any zombie that tries to push through, is cut in half.

That never occurs to the characters though.