Talking about Zombie films in particular, one has to wonder at the whole concept. Over the centuries, we’ve turned the human body inside out and we still can’t figure out what makes it tick. Sure we can explain the mechanics of it–how the body works, but we can’t explain why it works, or why it keeps on working.
Until it dies, that is. Even then, we can’t explain why it can’t start working again after it dies.
Which is probably why zombie films are so popular. The idea of dead corpses reanimating is a fascinating one and doubly terrifying.
Reanimated bodies: can the dead move?
One of the most attractive elements of zombie movies is the plausibility of a reanimated corpse. With the exception of those of us who are actively involved in the medical fields, the average layman has absolutely no idea of the mechanics of a dead body. When you see a dead corpse shambling about in a movie, a small part of you wonders if there is some otherwordly force that may cause a dead body to reanimate, can the body itself handle movement anyway? Or might it simply break itself to bits attempting to do so.
Unfortunately (or fortunately as the case is for horror movies), the answer is an unequivocal YES! Skipping for the moment the debate on what exactly can cause a dead body to rise again (we’ll tackle that later)–assuming it has risen, it is actually capable of many of the tasks it was previously capable of while alive.
But what about rigor mortis? Doesn’t a dead body freeze up after it dies?
Well, yes and no.
A few hours after a person or animal dies, the joints of the body stiffen and become locked in place. This stiffening is called rigor mortis. Depending on temperature and other conditions, rigor mortis lasts approximately 72 hours. The phenomenon is caused by the skeletal muscles partially contracting. The muscles are unable to relax, so the joints become fixed in place.
Facial muscles are affected first, with the rigor then spreading to other parts of the body. The joints are stiff for 1-3 days, but after this time general tissue decay and leaking of lysosomal intracellular digestive enzymes will cause the muscles to relax. It is interesting to note that meat is generally considered to be more tender if it is eaten after rigor mortis has passed.
The effect of rigor mortis on zombie movies leads to more terror: freshly dead bodies amble and shuffle around stiffly, while those that have been dead much longer are capable of walking smoothly, or running. (The thought of dead sprinters after you…)
Of course we make a small assumption here that whatever biological or chemical process that has taken place that brought the damn thing back, has no other effect on the standard body processes that take place after death–such as rigor mortis and putrefaction.
So what exactly brings them back?
Now, this is an interesting question, and our favorite zombie movies are divided as to the causes for reanimation.
In the Evil Dead Trilogy, it is an ancient magic, unknowingly invoked by some dumb teenagers that brings the dead back. This is not completely without some basis however as many old traditions, especially African voodoo and related cultures heavily allude to reanimation of dead bodies through magic.
On a very related vein is the reanimation of dead bodies through demonic or spiritual possession. The premise is simple: if the soul departs the body upon death, then the presence of a new soul can bring one back to life.
Other movies have a more medical take on the reanimation puzzle. Taking inspiration from classic horror such as Frankenstein, movies such as The Reanimator, Dr. Evil, and Pet Semetary make use of a chemical formula that restarts the neurological functions of a corpse, consequently bringing the dead back. These movies always have a tragic bent to them and usually involves a scientist protagonist that accidentally develops the formula only to have a dear loved one killed by one reanimated creature, and then finally forced (out of any sense of mind) to use the formula in question on the dead loved one.
The highly successful Living Dead movies by George Romero has the dead coming back as a result of a highly contagious viral agent that reactivates the brain. The origin of the agent is not very clear–ranging from space fallout from a crashed satellite, meteor impact, accidentally unleashed military projects, etc. What distinguishes this particular genre is that the bacterial agent, while reanimating corpses, also infuses them with an obsessive bloodlust and craving for human flesh.
Other movies such as the Return of the Living Dead Trilogy and the recent 28 Days Later also play upon this notion of a contagious bacteria.
So what’s the big deal with walking corpses anyway?
In the movies so far, corpses reanimated through magic remain quite localized in the area they were reanimated in, and cause trouble only to the people unlucky enough to be around. These kind of undead appear to be little more than a terrifying nuisance, and seem to be concerned only with inflicting fear on the unknowing mortals that brought them back.
The same is said for those reanimated by chemical means–limiting their damage only to torment their creators, to punish them for disturbing their rest by bringing them back.
The virally animated dead, are a different matter altogether. These corpses, hungry for human flesh, tend to wander around seeking prey. In this scenario, the virus becomes the corpses themselves as they look for more flesh to consume.
A question I’ve always asked is: if the dead want to eat only living flesh, and we presume they would eat a living person down to the bone if they had the chance, then who is left to become additional zombies?
Ironically, the people who end up becoming zombies are either those that were already dead when the virus spread, or those living people who, in their attempt to escape the clutches of the dead, were careless or unlucky enough to have been wounded by an undead, thereby infecting his or her bloodstream with the virus. Thus, you could say that any act short of offering oneself to the marauding dead hordes, such as defending oneself or fleeing from the dead, directly contributes to the zombie population.
Whew, what a concept.
So I’ve got a dead thing in my basement. How do I kill it?
Simplicity is arguably one of the most alluring aspects of the zombie genre. Unlike killing a vampire, or werewolf, or Jason in a hockey mask, or Freddie Krueger, zombies are pretty much a cinch to clinch.
Magically animated zombies can’t be killed in the traditional sense, but since a spell brought them up, there’s always another spell to bring them down.
Chemically animated dead can be de-animated using an antidote. Presuming the mad scientist who developed the original chemical is still alive to reveal it.
As for the virally activated dead, since the virus activates the body (and resultant bloodlust) neurologically, any significant damage to the corpse’s brain–a shot to the head is best–is enough to put them back to rest.
No sweat right? At least you got rid of the thing in your basement. Hopefully the fifty other things banging on your front door are just as simple…
Does the walking dead have any social implications?
Most zombie films focus on witnessing the horror of the living dead for the first time. In the opening scenes of the latest remake of Dawn of the Dead, a young couple is awoken suddenly by their little daughter, who little do they know, is already a reanimated corpse. The stomach turning truth is shockingly brought to light as the young girl, while being hugged by her father, proceeds to bite off a large chunk from the man’s neck, much to the terrifying chagrin of her mother.
In these scenarios, there is much initial confusion in human society, which later gives way to desperation to survive and hope, then later paranoia, as society learns to live with the fact that there are corpses around that won’t stay dead.
The resulting dystopia is highlighted in some zombie films. Fuel and transportation are suddenly the most important commodities, followed by food, guns and ammunition. Traditional organizational structures begin to collapse, along with governments, trade and currencies, and other things that people study in college. It’s back to basics: survival.
However, I am not going to go as far as call zombie movies a social commentary, or even hint that this is what the writers of horror fiction had in mind. But you might wonder for a while upon this point at least.
Besides, better you wonder upon it now while it’s safe to do so.
Later on, when you’ve got twenty corpses chasing you around after your brains, you might have more pressing things to worry about.
Have fun. Don’t get bitten.
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