The Subversive Zombie

Zombies have changed dramatically in the new millennium. They are no longer the comical, shuffling, mindless monsters of George Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968). In works such as 28 Days Later... (2002) and World War Z (2013) they are fast, rabid, and absolutely terrifying in large hordes. In Warm Bodies (2013) and In the Flesh (2013-2015), they are thoughtful, sensitive, and capable of ethics and empathy. Audiences of this modern cinematic monster have changed, too, from teenaged camp and gore enthusiasts to broader and more diverse populations around the globe. Zombie stories are continually shifting and evolving to meet fan demands, to challenge genre expectations, and to raise critical questions: What happens when society collapses? What does it mean to be human? What makes a monster? Who survives the zombie (post)apocalypse, and why? What can we learn about gender, genre, and historical context, from the protagonists of zombie films and television? Explore these critical inquires and more, through the close examination of classic and current screen narratives and their often radical representations of the living and the undead, with the support of leading theories from film, genre, and zombie studies.