Diary of the Dead & A World of Terror

Like every great zombie and survivalist film fanatic, I am eagerly awaiting George A. Romero's upcoming horror, Diary of the Dead. Set to release on Feb. 15. 2008, at first glance this is certainly a clever viral marketing effort; however, beyond that, I'd like to offer up my own homemade conspiracy theory.

POLITICAL MONSTERS
Credited as the first alien horror movie ever made, Howard Hawk's 1951 classic "Thing from Another World" begins when a spacecraft crashes into the tundra and the vessel's savage humanoid pilot thaws and begins killing scientists. Essentially, this story is about the human enemy, or the enemy within. However, at the film's release date, the House Un-American Activities Committee had just re-instituted the Hollywood Blacklist and American Business Consultants Inc. had just circulated a pamphlet listing 151 suspected communist sympathizers in show business. Coupled with the fact that the space race had just begun, many film critics believe that the "Thing from Another World" represents the red menace and it's threat to America from within.

WHAT ARE ZOMBIES?
Perhaps zombie movies are more relevant today than ever. Ever since Sept. 11 the public has flocked to zombie movies and I cannot help but wonder, is the zombie just the modern day version of the red menace? As a viewer am I funding terror-based propaganda? Look at the facts. How many big budget North American studios are making tongue-in-cheek zombie movies? Look at 28 Weeks Later and I Am Legend. These are scary films, not satirical social commentary. People are actually meant to be afraid...and it looks like George A. Romero's new film is more Cloverfield than it is George A. Romero. What ever happened to Hare Krishna zombie? Bandana mall rat zombie? When did we get so scared of ourselves?

I IS ZOMBIE - RARR
When is it okay to declare martial law and hit someone on the head with a shovel? When they are a humanoid alien? When they are the walking undead? When they are a suspected terrorist?

I like zombie movies because where they came from and where they are going is great record of who we are. This last clip gives you a good idea of where both myself and Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror came from.

(Next week I'll delve into why vampires represent Linux users.)

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Diary of the Dead & A World of Terror

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