ZOMBIE, reanimated corpse driven by an insatiable hunger for human flesh. Originating from folklore and cultural mythologies across the globe, zombies have evolved into a prominent figure in popular culture, appearing in literature, films, video games, and various forms of media.
Traditionally, the concept of the zombie traces back to ancient folklore and religious beliefs, with roots in African and Caribbean cultures. In Haitian Voodoo, for example, zombies are believed to be reanimated corpses under the control of a sorcerer through dark magic and rituals. The popular portrayal of zombies as flesh-eating harbingers of the apocalypse emerged in George A. Romero’s seminal film Night of the Living Dead (1968).
Zombies are often depicted as decaying, mindless beings relentless in their pursuit of living humans as sustenance. They serve as metaphors for societal fears of contagion, mass hysteria, and societal collapse. While traditional zombies were reanimated through supernatural means, modern interpretations often attribute their existence to viruses, toxins, or scientific experiments gone awry. Zombies have become a staple in popular culture, spawning numerous films, television series, novels, comics, and video games. The success of franchises like The Walking Dead and Resident Evil has cemented the enduring appeal of the zombie genre, and other recent zombie adaptations include Zom100 (2023), #Alive (2020), One Cut of the Dead (2017), Train to Busan (2016), World War Z (2013), and Shaun of the Dead (2013).
Zombies have also been used to explore themes of consumerism and the dehumanizing effects of modern society. Artist Mateo Tannatt explains that in a contemporary context, zombies are mindless individuals conforming to societal norms: they are “unconscious participants in society; they may not know why they are doing things, but they still have a shared memory of cultural behaviors.” Ultimately, for Tannatt, this notion represents a profound existential truth: that true freedom and authenticity may only be attained by confronting the reality of our own mortality and embracing the complexities of human existence.