Blogpost # 3: The Undead and the Widescreen

All of us love movies. Action movies, comedy movies, sci-fi movies and romance movies were just few on the list we used to watch. Titanic, Saving Private Ryan, Harry Potter, The Hangover on the other hand, were some of the popular titles who earned a lot from blockbuster, won numerous awards and even became popular worldwide. If I'm going to ask you for your favorite action movies, you can give me plenty of titles. If I'm going to ask you for a comedy movie, you can even rehearse to me your favorite jokes from the movie. If I'm going to ask you your favorite romance movies, you can almost fill up an entire paper, writing movies you spent your tears, emotions and heartfelt. But finally, If I'm going to ask you, "What is your favorite horror movie?" Some of you may refuse to answer the question or maybe not going to answer at all. It is because horror movie is considered the least favorite genre of all.

Entertainment is one of the main reason why we love movies. We also love them because we got hook on the story, on the actors, on the special effects and because of its shared popularity. But movies are not just for entertainment and fun factors. Sometimes, filmmakers use the power of film industry to express their feelings, to share their ideas and even to portray social issues and structures. Others just use it for business purposes and to earn fame and money.

By reading my recent blog entries, zombies according to its origin, the Haitian myth, are just simple, mindless and less dangerous reanimated corpse. But from our own knowledge, we've known zombies as cannibalistic monsters from the grave. As you can see, there's a missing link between how zombies were portrayed before from our present time. It's a bit confusing on how a mindless corpse from the myths turned into a horror icon. In order to answer our questions, me must go back from where it all started, invest a lot of laboratory research or explore Haiti itself as what Dr. Wade Davis did to gain evidences. But these are not really necessary at all. The answers are just in the movies.

This is also one of the purpose of the movies; it can be use to trace one's history. In an article entitled "On the Origin of Zombies," who generally tackles about zombie movies, from thesocietypages.org, stated that what makes zombie unique from other movie monsters is its unique place of origin. It has a very distinguishable diversion among its predecessors like Frankenstein, Dracula and Wolfman, who originated from Gothic literature.

After the motion picture emerged from early 1900, filmmakers started to look for a concept that will hit to the taste of the viewers, and in year 1932, the first zombie film, "White Zombie," took over the cinematic industry. Directed by Victor Halperin, White Zombie is all about a woman transformed into a zombie by a powerful evil voodoo priest. It became even more popular because of Bela Lugosi, known for his role as Dracula in 1927. Years later, it was then followed by a sequel entitled "Revolt of the Zombies" in 1936. As it gained popularity, more zombie-flick movie started to rise like "King of Zombies" in 1941 and "I Walked With Zombie" in year 1943. However, all these zombie movies doesn't engage any morbid and disturbing scenes. These were just movies were people put under a spell; the spell of Haitian voodoo and mystical tradition.

Let's be honest. Zombie movies like these are not really scary at all. Nothing is scary about a mindless, white-faced and traditional zombie. It's kind of boring to watch a reanimated corpse doing nothing especially if it falls under a horror movie genre. Until year 1968, director George Romero decided to create a different zombie flick movie, but this time, he took it to another and beyond imaginable level. The Night of The Living Dead, which is considered as the first cannibalistic zombie movie, changed the society's perspective about the undead. It even became the most successful horror movie at that time and it also created a big influence among filmmakers. As for now, it is preserved in the National Film Registry because of its originality, culturally and aesthetically significance.

The blockbuster success of George Romero's movie makes zombie movies genre the most in demand movie of all time. He also created a sequel of the movie entitled "Dawn of the Dead (1978)" which made George Romero gained the title, "The Father of Zombie Movies." Like Night of The Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead becomes a blockbuster success and because of it, Romero started his Living Dead Series.

On year 1990s, zombie movies become outdated as more genre also started to rise. Comedy, sci-fi, and romance flick movies made wave on the industry leaving horror genre behind. But in 2004, a zombie comedy movie , Shaun of the Dead directed by Edgar Wright, regained the zombie movies fame back. It became critically and commercially success in U.K and in U.S.

A scene from The Shaun of The Dead (2004).

David Paul Strohecker, the author of the article, says, "As we can see, the zombie has a unique cultural history and serves as a powerful metaphor for social anxieties. This movie monster might have come out of the Caribbean, but it became a powerful representation of modern fears when it met the silver screen."

I totally agree to the statement. As a person, I also do fear certain things. Gore and morbid as it is, but these kinds of movies represent my fear. I have a Necrophobia or fear of the corpses or dead people. I'm also afraid looking at them in a coffin. These movies represent my fear because the main antagonist and the main conflict were also dead people. Not just dead people, but a walking and flesh-eating dead people. Sometimes, these movies help me to overcome my fear because corpses were not just alive, but they're out of the coffin. For me, a corpse that's out of the coffin is less scarier.


80 years after the first zombie movie, White Zombie, was released on theater, and 44 years after the first flesh-eating reanimated corpse, The Night of the Living Dead, took over the box office, more versions of these movies appeared on widescreen. It also created a new kind of movie-goers, the gore hounds. These are the people who like seeing guts, bloods and flesh on movies. But the question is, why are there kinds of people like this?

Zombie movies are not just movies that generally kill and eat people. Filmmakers doesn't make it just for the purpose of money and fame. They're making it because they want us to realize something; something we don't commonly see in movies. In another article entitled, "Zombie Love: Why Are We So Obsessed with Things That Want to Eat Our Brains?" from nofilmschool.com, explains the three reason why we choose to engage to these kinds of movies.

First is because of too much technology. Even before the release of Romero's The Night of The Living Dead, technology have already been dominated the world; let us put the World War II as an example. As more as the technology blooms from generation to generation, the more we become dependent on them. The more they become hi-tech, the more we become reliant on letting them do our human stuff. Technology, even if we don't admit it, makes us feel like a zombie ourselves because it lessens our human ability like zombies. For short, zombies represent too much technology and not enough humanity.

Second is because of our too much consumerism. Living, on stone age eras, are less complex compare to what kind of living we have now. Today, in order to survive, me must have this, we must have that without realizing that we are now living on a materialistic generation. Did you ever wonder why most of the people go to malls more often? It is because they want to buy stuff that will satisfy their cravings. Now, did you notice any similarities from zombies on the movies from people nowadays? Both of them shows an act of consumerism. Like people who go to mall, zombies consume a lot too by eating and hunting flesh. They will not stop until it satisfies them.

World War Z (2013) - top grossing
Zombie flick movie

The third and the last one is because of conformity. We like to be recognized by our individuality but we can't avoid being grouped into specific set of people. You can do everything you want when your at home, but you can't do everything when your in school. In school, you were classified as a student. As a student, you need to act what a student does. With these systematic flow of the world, we are forced to act like someone we don't use to be. It loses our senses and identities much like a horde of zombies. In real life, we don't have a choice but to follow the flow of our systematic rule to survive. It is very similar to the zombies on the movies because them too, doesn't have choice. Even if they refuse it, they will eventually turn into a mindless corpse who eats flesh.

"To be a part of something means having a little more safety than not being a part of something," says V Renee, author of the article.

There is an old saying goes, "If you can't beat them, join them." This can be either positive or negative. Positive in a sense that, if you're on a situation where you don't have any choices anymore, joining your enemies has a big advantage for your survival. Negative, because sometimes, you will be forced to do something that is against your will. But to be in zombie apocalyptic world, to join your enemies is very much applicable. Not literally join the zombie horde, but to engage into a group of people even though most of them are your enemies. Whether you like it or not, I'll tell you, you will gain greater chance of surviving and moving on.


Personally, I didn't expect that movies will play a very special role to the influence of zombies on our modern culture. I thought movies were just for entertainment purposes only but there are still more from that. Let us take horror movies for example. Most of us can't stand watching them alone. It is because it brings out the creeps inside us. In result, we use to hate them. Others, ban them from their own countries. Horror movies, particularly zombie flick movies, need our understanding. Romance movies, comedy movies, and action movies may continue to lead the box office for a long time, but no other genre will ever beat the concept, the meaning, and symbolism that only a zombie horror movie can give.

Blogpost # 2: From Bite to Epidemic: The Zombie Virus

Everyone was impressed on how a little Magikarp can evolve into gigantic Gyarados in Pokemon. Everyone witnessed how a tiny plane destroyed the tallest twin tower in New York. Lastly, everyone was devastated on how a small cancer cell can destroy and kill the body. They maybe in different situations, but they were somewhat similar; three of them began from small and ended up big. These events just supported the saying, "Everything starts from small beginnings." It is really true that in order to accomplish big things, we must start from small beginnings and this doesn't exempts the issue about zombies.

  

Norman Reedus, from The Walking
Dead, zombie fan art

I was really a big fan of zombies. I used to watch a lot of movies and television series about zombies and I've found something in common about them; your sufferings will begin after you were bitten and eventually you will start spreading the virus by biting others as well. With just one bite, everything can turn devastating next. Even though you're a self-claimed vegetarian, this can turn you into a skin slasher and gut eating freak. How could you imagine that a tiny bite can cause such an epidemic?

Upon researching about this, I've found an article entitled "Diagnosis Zombie: The Science Behind the Undead Apocalypse" from livescience.com by Megan Gannon. According to the article, a scientist named Dr. Steven Schlozman, who calls himself as "Dr. Zombie," said that zombies are not real. They're just sick and ill of something. He then teamed up with Mayim Bialik, the actress who plays a neuroscientist in Big Bang Theory, who's actually a neuroscientist in real life.

As what I've mentioned earlier, one of the most common thing found in all zombie related movies is the bite. The worldwide phenomena, according to these movies, starts from a bite. These movies may look realistic for some, but these doesn't fool Dr. Schlozman. He believed that there's a mathematical way on how a zombie virus spreads, that there is a big difference on how the Hollywood portrays a zombie apocalypse to what kind of outbreak epidemiologist imagined in the real world.

A dog with Rabies Virus

In reality, there is really an existing virus that can be spread through bite, the rabies. We've already seen a lot of dogs drooling and sometimes bite a lot of people when it's their chance. This is the effect of rabies virus on animals. On the other contrary, we'll die once it enters our system. A lot of scientist believe that it is really possible for a zombie apocalypse to happen because of this virus. But for Dr. Schlozman, it can be isolated. Aside from rabies virus, he also considered airborne viruses such as influenza, as one of the many possibilities.

Meggan Gannon says, "If there were ever a zombie takeover that looked like one in the movies, it would probably have to be set off by some sinister man-made pathogen."

For me, the above statement is true. I've done a lot of research, then I've found out that a virus evolves from time to time. If this was the case, then the rabies virus, which is only compatible to animals, can evolve into something that makes it compatible for humans too. It is very possible for this to happen, but to turn a person into a flesh-eating corpse is what makes it really impossible. The evolved rabies virus can take over our body for a while, but it is curable unlike what shown in the movies. If we really wanted to have a zombie apocalypse, we must become a super evil genius as brilliant as mother nature.


As more the thread become popular, the more people came looking for an answer. In another article entitled "5 Scientific Reasons a Zombie Apocalypse Could Actually Happen" from cracked.com, Authors TE Sloth and David Wong said that it is quite possible to happen. To explain it further, here are the following objects that can trigger the apocalypse according to science:

The first on the list is the Brain Parasite. This parasite is very common especially on rats as it turns them into a mindless cannibalistic object once they are inside their predator, the cat. As we all know, zombies are somewhat mindless too. For scientist, this could be one of the possibility for the said apocalypse.





Second on the list is the neurotoxin. I've already mentioned about this on my first blog and as a recall, neurotoxins are kind of poisonous material that is commonly found on puffer fish, fugu (Japanese puffer fish), to be specific. This toxic material is so deadly that it can easily kill its victim in just seconds. As there was already been reported case of a zombie (Clairvius Narcisse) because of this, it became a controversy to the study of zombies. But remember, you can't make a zombie by the neurotoxin alone. You need the rituals as what was stated on the Haitian myth!

Angry Zombies

The third and the fourth are the Real Rage Virus and Neurogenesis. To fully understand both of them, let us first identify them one by one. Real Rage Virus, as what was stated on its name, causes rage on its victims and turn them into a mindless killing machine. It very similar to mad-cow disease that does the same effect on cows. The worst about this thing is that, if it really creates zombie, it will not just an ordinary zombie but a super and fast zombie. On the other hand, Neurogenesis is a scientific process where a dead body cell is replaced by a new one. It is kinda similar to the Haitian myth who uses neurotoxins, because the zombified human will work as a slave and not the monster we used to know.

Before we proceed to the last one, let us first have a review on what a virus is. Virus, according to an article entitled "What Is Virus?" from www.news-medical.net, are tiny organisms who prey on a living host. It can cause illness and flu to something more life threatening like HIV/Aids.

The last one on the list is not that much related to virus but it is a scientific invention that destroys the concept of a virus. I know, everyone is very familiar to the Nanobots as it appeared and mentioned a lot of times already in television, cartoons and movies. This technology are tiny robots which will be injected into a certain virus. As what was mentioned above, virus only affects a healthy living host. But with the nanobots, the virus can still function even though its original host dies. Can you imagine the fact that you will not the owner anymore of your own body after your death? Yes. This nanobot technology will going to control you throughout its lifespan. In order for it to continue, it will force you to bite another healthy host until it becomes a very drastic epidemic. What makes it more terrifying? It was already invented.

David Wong says, "Now, it should be more than clear by this point that our goal is to be responsible researchers. We don't want to create a panic here. All we're saying is that on an actual day on the actual calendar in the future, runaway microscopic nanobots will end civilization by flooding the planet with the cannibalistic undead."

Yes. They were already invented. Maybe some of you were scared after hearing this threatening news, but it is not the right time to panic. Panicking will not do anything progressive. It will just increase our fear for something that hasn't happened yet. But for now, it is very important for us to prepare. We don't know what future can hold. This can happen anytime now.


Imagine the world to end because of a bite. It's creepy but it is creepier if one of your loved ones will try to eat you just to satisfy their ravenous hunger. All the evidences and possibilities were already presented, but it still lacks information. I guess, what shown in the movie, will stay on the movie. Whatever what we do, no matter how much we try, nobody can make a fiction into a reality. No matter how stupid we are, no matter how evil we are to create such things as this apocalypse, we will not be as great as we expected to be. It is still the mother nature who will be the victor in the end. It is her who will decide what the world's fate will be.

Blogpost # 1: The Legend of the Undead: Science Vs. Mythology

Scary stories are our childhood's worst nightmare. Most of us used to cover our ears every time one of our family member started the topic. We even imagine that some kind of monster exists under our bed and worst, the horror still haunts us throughout our adventures in dreamland. It's kind of creepy to go back again from these experiences we had in our childhood days. As we grow up, we've been introduced more to the so called "horror industry," and even met a lot of monsters that are beyond our imagination; gooey monsters, giant octupi, boogey man, evil doll, evil clown and reanimated flesh-eating corpse popularly known as --, the Zombies.

Zombie eating human flesh

The idea of going back to life after you die is a very fascinating topic, but a dead eating a man's flesh is another story. "Zombies", as we call it, may look terrifying but they have this kind of charm that we can't even resist. As a part of the "sensation-seeking generation," I've found zombies a very interesting subject to look forward to because the idea of it was simply genius. But before exploring more about this phoenomena, it is very important to understand them. In order to do this, we need first to learn about their roots, their origin, and how they started.

In an article entitled "Zombies: The Real Story of the Undead" from the site livescience.com, it stated that zombies originated from the rural villages of Haiti around 1800. It even stated that the word "Zombie" was first used in 1810 by Robert Southney in his book "History of Brazil." Author of the article, Benjamin Radford writes, "the zombification was done as punishment, but often the zombies were said to have been used as slave labor on farms and sugarcane plantations."

An example of Haitian Vodou priest or the bokor.

In addition to the Haitian legend, zombies were created through the bokors, houngans or most commonly called as the sorcerers. They control and make the "zombified" human being to work for them that can last for years, before they return to their original state. To turn their victim as one of these things, they use specialized powdered formula made from dried leaves and ground animals. And right after the victim dies, the bokor starts their ritual until the zombification process is done.

As we go back to what the author had quoted, "zombification was done as punishment," it was then supported by an article, Zombie Facts Real and Imagine by LiveScience staff. Florida Musuem of Natural History says, "In Haiti, a zombi is someone who has annoyed his or her family and community to the degree that they can no longer stand to live with this person. They respond by hiring a Bokor, a vodoun priest who practices black magic and sorcery, to turn them into a zombi."

For me, being in prison and death penalty as punishment nowadays is already terrifying. What's more worse into turning yourself as mindless slave zombie? Whether a person committed large crimes, they still doesn't deserved to be controlled. Nobody does. From the moment we were born, we already have the right to live peacefully even after our death. The idea of this Haitian myth may be fascinating, but the concept of it is still under the line.

Clairvius Narcisse - claimed that he was

been zombified for almost 18 years.

The questions about the existence of zombies started to become mainstream especially when Science decided to step in. In another article entitled "How Zombies Work" by Tracy V. Wilson, around year 1980, a man named Clairvius Narcisse claimed that he was been "zombified" after he was been reported dead on May 2, 1962 in Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Deschapelles. He can even recall the doctor covering his face with a sheet and since the hospital has all the documented proof of his death and illness, scientists started what they called, the "Zombie Project" led by an ethnobotanist and anthropologist, Dr. Wade Davis.

Dr. Wade Davis - an ethnobiologist
and antrophologist

During Dr. Davis research and travels around the four regions in Haiti, he found out that the ingredients used on the powder contain deadly neurotoxin called the "Tetrodoxin." As I've researched about the said neurotoxin, I've found out that it is commonly found on pufferfish and it can cause paralysis once it enters the human system. That explains why Narcisse can still see the doctor covering his face with a sheet, because he was paralyzed during his presumed death.

But like all researches and theories, some scientist found flaws in Davis research. Here is a related excerpt from the article regarding on the issue:



Scientists have:

*Questioned Davis's ethics, since he observed the desecration of graves when gathering ingredients for the powder

*Questioned whether the initial experiments with the powder were scientific or controlled and whether other substances had been added to the powder being tested

*Alleged that samples of powder contained little to no tetrodotoxin. Davis counters that putting the powder into solution for testing may have destroyed the active ingredients

*Revealed that Davis repeated his topical applications of the powder using rats and saw absolutely no effect

*Studied several alleged zombies and discovered clear cases of mental illness and mistaken identity

To explain more about what he had found, Dr. Davis wrote a fictional novel based on his researches that was eventually adopted into a motion picture in 1988 under MCA and Universal Pictures entitled "The Serpent and The Rainbow". It was then followed by a second book, Passage of Darkness: The Ethnobiology of the Haitian Zombie, that was generally based on his adventures and travels across Haiti.

But the question still remains; how come zombies like to eat flesh?

Tracy V. Wilson says, "These zombies are mindless slaves. They are not self-aware and are not particularly dangerous unless fed salt, which restores their senses.

That explains most of our questions. According to what we've known, or what the Hollywood's trying to convey that once you turned into a zombie, you will be craving for meat whether if it is animal's or human's. In order to stop you from turning into this morbid monstrosity, you must be shot on the head. I guess, the idea of the Western culture and the native Haitian about re-animated corpses is somehow similar, it's just that, the Haitian myth was nothing gore and less dangerous.

Zombie Fan Art

Let's face the reality; whether the science invented a lot of technologies that can prove zombies doesn't exist, or even Haitian found a lot of evidences that zombies really does exist, they will left us hanging with more and complex questions. We will still look for an answer, we may even look beyond the possibility just to show which of the both parties were right or wrong. But the answer is within us. They left us a choice. How about you? Do you believe or not? If not, how come? And if yes, are you prepared?