From its humble beginnings in 1968, the zombie film has flourished into an international phenomenon. In the hands of its inventor George A. Romero, the films were full of social commentary. Whether those themes were racism, consumerism, military infiltration, terrorism, or simply the bleak nihilistic vision of humanity; Romero made his voice heard through the grunt of the undead. Now, the popularity of the sub-genre carries its own commentary about us.
George Romero and John Russo’s partnership took the concept of the controlled undead (akin to voodoo rituals) and placed them at the top of the food chain. Throughout Night, Dawn, Day, Land, Diary, and Survival the closest we come to learning the cause of the epidemic is “a space probe.” This invites our own interpretation, though in the end, it doesn’t matter. Life as we once knew it has ended. Groups of stragglers band together in order to survive the dead and each other. The concept of family is mutated: once your husband, wife, mother, father, brother, sister, son or daughter turns they must be killed again. Governments become obsolete and our primal drives for survival are triggered. This becomes life after the dead have risen.
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