Zombie Culture Here To Stay

When zombies start to gain popularity, it means that peoples' anxieties about the future are climbing. Fear overwhelms us with every news article and scientific prediction until we just want to grab an AK 47 and shoot our way out. Whether it's the economy or the sea levels, roving bands of displaced humans are inevitable.  Change is coming, and everyone wants to be prepared to defend themselves and their families. People are building their own produce gardens, stockpiling weapons and developing their own zombie apocalypse survival plans.  These plans are generally mentioned in jest, but the fact that we are thinking about them definitely exposes our fears. The future will be wrought with hardship.

There are so many zombie based masterpieces out there that I could dedicate my entire blog to it for a year. And I think I will. Each day, I will bring you the latest and greatest in zombie pop culture from around the world. The phenomenon deserves coverage, and what better way to conquer anxiety than to confront it head on with the living dead? Let me start you off with my current list of zombie favorites that came out relatively recently.

The Walking Dead - Playstation 3
This game takes place in the universe of the hit comic book series "Walking Dead" by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn. However, it has all new characters travelling through different parts of Georgia. The gameplay is not especially engaging as it mostly involves walking around, picking up items and talking to people, but the story is one that will keep you glued to the screen from start to finish.

Zombieland - Film
It was a while back, but this film exemplified good zombie comedy for me. If you can't stomach the scary movies, this is a much more enjoyable flick, and probably the best spoof since Shaun of the Dead.

Walking Dead - TV series
AMC brought us another high quality TV show in 2010 when Walking Dead premiered. I personally am not a fan of recent episodes, but as a devotee of the comics, I have continued to watch it. Season one is definitely a must-see. When you have great writing, acting and production value, you can't go wrong.

Les Revenants - TV series
This show is very spooky and very French. The creators aim to redefine the modern zombie. People come back from the dead, but they are more or less normal aside from an insatiable hunger for food, alcohol and sex. I plan to go into further detail in future posts.

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
It's an expansion pack on a great game, but I was absolutely dazzled by the well-crafted story line. In addition to an original western tale about zombies, the expansion gives you the opportunity to catch and ride the four horses of the apocalypse (without the horsemen): Death, War, Pestilence and Famine. The entire original map of the world has a brand new zombie twist. I felt like a was playing a completely different game.

Survival Tip of the Day
"In those moments where you're not quite sure if the undead are really dead, dead, don't get all stingy with your bullets. I mean, one more clean shot to the head, and this lady could have avoided becoming a human Happy Meal." - Columbus, Zombieland.