After Halloween, more zombies
Last week, ghosts, superheroes and zombies walked our neighborhoods in search of treats. But the holiday for dwelling in the possibility of the spooky is a fleeting thing. Halloween has come and gone.
Yet the zombies remain. They shamble on in our popular culture all year long. These monsters are dominant figures in film, fiction and television. The season four premiere of The Walking Dead pulled in an impressive 16.1 million viewers, annihilating the entertainment competition of broadcast networks. This gritty drama about human survival in a time of zombies has a dedicated fan base that turns in every week to find out who will survive the post-apocalyptic landscape.
What appeals to viewers. Is it the escapism? The grotesque horror? Or the ubiquity of violence? What do viewers learn from zombies and The Walking Dead? What does this supernatural fascination suggest about American culture?
