Zombie Glamour: Era of the Hot Zombie

Ever since Dracula, people have been mildly suffering from necrophilia. Death, shrouded in all his mystery, has a certain allure for the living. When it comes to vampires, it's very easy to be attracted to their cold skin, outdated taste in novels and long fingernails, but zombies are a little too decomposed for most tastes. Most, but not all, apparently. Zombies are reinventing their image for more widespread appeal.

For a dead girl, Ghoulia sure knows how to live. The line of Monster High fashion dolls has brought us a series of undead Barbies that dominated the toy industry overnight. The next generation is hopping on board with the zombie fascination. Ghoulia, daughter of zombies, is the new face of the previously misunderstood monsters. But she's far from brain dead. Actually, she identifies as an intellectual. She has a creamy blue complexion and a vintage pin-up style.

In the video games Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2, there is a zombified woman known as the Witch. She sobs alone in a corner until someone alerts her with noise or a flashlight, at which point she goes berserk and slashes them to pieces with her long red claws. Fan art has created a more sympathetic image for the Witch, portraying her as a young woman or even a little girl.

She is some kind of mutant variation of zombie, and because she is scantily clad, slender and blonde, she has sparked the imaginations of artists and cosplayers.

Warm Bodies came out last February and introduced R to the silver screen. He mauls humans and eats their brains, but when he falls in love, we can't help but cheer him on. He has the full package: height, brawn, great hair and piercing blue eyes. I was not at all surprised when the film provided a makeover montage complete with a lathery, wet shower scene.

More dolls! Have you ever seen a zombie this adorable? Peggy Goo is a diner waitress on roller skates created for the Living Dead Dolls Series 22. Green skin and baby fat, Peggy is irresistible in her pressed uniform. She comes with a cute little prop: "your brains on a plate". If I met a zombie this cute, I would probably keep her around as the governor did in Walking Dead. Alas, Peggy Goo would be my downfall.

The notion of an attractive zombie is not a completely new concept. Ever since the bride of Frankenstein appeared in films for the first time, we have had an idea that reanimated corpses can be glamorous. I admire the stitching about her throat. Only the finest of ladies would have such dainty stitches.

So do not worry if you want to be a zombie for Halloween and still contend with vampires. Party City offers a Sexy Zombie option. In every popular horror genre, we inevitably make the monster visually appealing. Perhaps it is merely an effort to humanize our monsters. Doing so helps us understand or even conquer our fears.