a popular history of zombie movies and synopses and ratings for hundreds
ZOMBIE MOVIES - The Ultimate Guide by Glenn Kay, Foreword by Stuart Gordon. Chicago Review Press/An A Cappella Book, Chicago, IL; www.chicagoreviewpress.com; jen@ipgbook.com. 2008. 342+x pages. $22.95 trade paper, 7-1/2" x 9" ISBN 978-1-55652-770-8. photographs, illustrations, bibliography, indexes.
With a light style, yet with obvious expertise, Kay takes the reader through the highs and lows and the wide middle ground of zombie movies. The highs are when effects invoke the intended emotion (e. g., fear, revulsion), preferably within a sensible narrative. The lows are when effects are inane, useless, and comical, as in a Keystone Cops' skit. This is done with a decade-by-decade review of zombie movies from their beginnings in the 1930s down to the 1990s. Each decade is characterized by a particular, though not exclusionary development. In the 1950s, the "radioactive zombie" reflecting fears relating to the atom bomb made its appearance. In the 1970s, coinciding with multiculturalism, movies with Hispanic and black zombies came onto the scene. The 1931 movies Dracula and Frankenstein are pointed to as the classic, originating zombie movies. But the 1932 White Zombie more directly tied in with the idea of the "zombi" found in the practice of voodoo in Haiti which is the model for the zombie character. The "zombi" was a person whose body was supposedly reanimated by a "bokor," a voodoo priest. This zombi was characterized by "slow mannerisms, low intelligence, and a lack of willpower or soul"; hence the traits of zombie characters in the movies.
The definition of a zombie film cannot be given with finality. Reflecting the current social concern with diseases, recent movies usually seen as zombie movies (e. g., Dawn of the Dead) "have broadened the definition beyond the walking dead to include still-living characters infected with an incurable disease that extinguishes their personalities and turns them into bloodthirsty killers." Throughout the decades, the varied types of zombie movies mirrored both traditional artistic themes and new social developments. A group of automaton-like zombies could stand for a mindless mob against a few freethinking, nonconformist individuals; or an individual zombie could represent the return of a loved one, bringing with it all the psychological conflict
entailed in this for one of a movie's characters. Zombie movies have also been used to critique profligate scientific experiment and environmental destruction.
The author was drawn to zombie movies for their "depth and diversity." Reviews of every zombie movie he could find are in appropriate chapters. Fay's reviews are an extension of his historical, sociological, critical, and humorous text for each decade. The book's not only an entertaining overview of zombie movies, but also a comprehensive, informative reference for selecting zombie movies for viewing.
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Comments: 5
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