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Finally, a class that covers the important stuff
I totally would have taken this class when I was in college.
Though I think I would have preferred one on vampires. (You know, "real" vampires and vampire lore. Not the pasty, waif-y, sparkly stuff that's going on now.)
My alma mater, Bowling Green State University, has one of the only Pop Culture departments in the country. The library has a Pop Cult floor (4th floor, iirc). As a RTVF (Radio/TV/Film) major, I was able to squeeze a pop cult class in here and there, and this class would totally have been on my radar.
The downside to that is that zombie movies freak me the heck out. Even a movie like Sean of the Dead gave me the heebee jeebeez. See, silhouettes coming to get me, breaking through windows, and UNLOCKING DOORS (ala "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid") is something my imagination runs away with. *shudder*
But it would have been awesome. (Particularly since, the first time I saw Night of the Living Dead, my first question to Geo was, "When was this made? What was going on in the world? 'Cause I'm seeing a lot of socio-political analogy going on here.")
(I also wonder if they'll touch at all upon real zombies, humans who are poisoned with something akin to puffer fish venom and turned into the "walking dead." But that sounds like it's beyond the purview of this particular course.)
The closest I came to something like this was the horror section of my "Film and Pop Culture" class, which was really interesting. I kinda wish I could revisit that class now.
Though I think I would have preferred one on vampires. (You know, "real" vampires and vampire lore. Not the pasty, waif-y, sparkly stuff that's going on now.)
My alma mater, Bowling Green State University, has one of the only Pop Culture departments in the country. The library has a Pop Cult floor (4th floor, iirc). As a RTVF (Radio/TV/Film) major, I was able to squeeze a pop cult class in here and there, and this class would totally have been on my radar.
The downside to that is that zombie movies freak me the heck out. Even a movie like Sean of the Dead gave me the heebee jeebeez. See, silhouettes coming to get me, breaking through windows, and UNLOCKING DOORS (ala "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid") is something my imagination runs away with. *shudder*
But it would have been awesome. (Particularly since, the first time I saw Night of the Living Dead, my first question to Geo was, "When was this made? What was going on in the world? 'Cause I'm seeing a lot of socio-political analogy going on here.")
(I also wonder if they'll touch at all upon real zombies, humans who are poisoned with something akin to puffer fish venom and turned into the "walking dead." But that sounds like it's beyond the purview of this particular course.)
The closest I came to something like this was the horror section of my "Film and Pop Culture" class, which was really interesting. I kinda wish I could revisit that class now.
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(I also wonder if they'll touch at all upon real zombies, humans who are poisoned with something akin to puffer fish venom and turned into the "walking dead." But that sounds like it's beyond the purview of this particular course.)
I almost think they would have to touch on it. Before Romero, there had been a long string of Zombie movies of the traditional Voodoo type. (White Zombie, I Walked with a Zombie, the cringeworthy blaxplotation flick King of the Zombies and even Zombie on Broadway) These movies were about an individual losing their personality (becoming the walking dead) and being controlled by someone else. The zombies were not the villains. Whoever was turning people into zombies and controlling them was.
It wasn't until Night of the Living Dead that Zombies became the menance themselves, a mindless hoard of flesh eaters set out to devour and corrupt everyone in their path. Incidentally, Romero never used the word "Zombies" in this flick. They were referred to as "Ghouls" (none of them were particularly "girly" however, heh)
The earlier zombie movies had been a product of the pre- WWII and into the Cold War era and a vague curiousity about Voodoo and other "strange and mysterious cultures". But by the time Romero came around, the U.S. was in full on revolution. Vietnam, Hippies, Race Riots- Big Cultural Change. Now suddenly we see a small band of regular folks holed up against an encroaching menace they don't understand and powerless to stop. They fight, not only to stay alive but to keep some level of normalcy and protect what's theirs.
So the goal in all zombie movies has always been that fight to keep one's identity and indiviuality- while the threat of who or what could take that away has changed.
Yeah... exactly why am I not taking this course? I just wrote my dissertation right there. ;-P!
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White Trash Zombie . . . Oh, yeah. I'm familiar. Have I mentioned Geo's re-write of that flick, White Trash Zombie?
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And I haven't seen Zombies on Broadway- I only know it existed. Heard it was made by folks trying to squeeze out a quick flick from the interest generated by I Walked with a Zombie (used many of the same actors, props, etc.)
Of all the early Real!Zombie flicks, IWWaZ is my fav. I don't know if you've seen it, but if not, that might be one for our elusive "movie night". You can definitely get through that one without having to peek through your fingers. I made a bunch of IWWaZ icons that I was saving for Halloween, but you've inspired me to stick one up now. (Show Geo, he'll probably get a kick out of it) ;-)
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He also says that if you want to see Zombies on Broadway, he has it.
He also asks if you've seen Tombs of the Bind Dead. If you haven't, he has that one, too.
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