One of the reasons that zombie films have endured for as long as they have is because they help people to get a glimpse of what the future may possibly hold. By obtaining such insight into a possible future, people are able to better prepare for it and to not fear it as much as they might without such movies. One of the implications of the zombie meme's tendency to portray an apocalyptic future that post 9/11 America might one day realize is a part of the future everyone will share: death. This aspect of zombie movies helps people to confront their ultimate fear in many ways. Zombies themselves are reanimations of the dead, and are actually still in the act of dying as they chase victims around movie sets. Again, the same concept that applies to notions of the apocalypse applies to those related to death -- by visually showing it and presenting death to audiences,...
It is for this reason that Bishops writes, "the inescapable realities of mortality ensure that every viewer could both fear and relate to the zombie" (p. 13).
The zombie meme has enjoyed a substantial amount of longevity for the fact that by embedding itself in one of the most sought after popular culture mediums, film, it has been able to replicate itself with a rate of fecundity that maximizes its low copying-fidelity, enabling these films to stay relevant with the changes of contemporary society. It allows viewers to watch images of possible, alternate futures that seem possible in the wake of disasters such as 9/11, and presents a post-apocalyptic landscape that allows people to acclimate themselves to such a possibility. People can confront…
