The Great Zombie Copout

There are certain things that are staples in zombie films and you can not or should not change. Zombies eat people, people run away from zombies and there should never ever be a zombie hamster.

One aspect of the zombies that can and should change is how they come about. Divine intervention, chemical spill, spellcasting, etc., the reasons why a zombie starts chomping on your neighbor are numerous. Alas, many writers have fallen into the trap of the zombie virus. I admit it’s easy to tailor a virus to do whatever you want. Whether it simply reanimates the dead flesh or makes the brain control everything, the zombie virus has become the preferred choice for horror writers and filmmakers.

My problem is not so much with the virus. During its initial use, it was not only the best option, but plausible as well. Scientists are constantly finding new side effects, etc. to drugs placed on the market. A recent drug used to cure restless leg syndrome has possible side effects of intense gambling and sexual urges. Sign me up for that one.

I am tired of hearing about the zombie plague, it’s overdone. Why can’t writers change it up a bit? Better yet, why list what created them at all. The zombie virus obviously never has a cure, neither does the chemical spill or even spell casting half the time. Why not just leave it up to the imagination of the person watching the movie.

I personally always liked the movies that didn’t list what raised the dead. You aren’t so hung up on it and don’t have to write in anything to the script or draft. You have more time to focus on the real meat of the story, whatever that may be.

In Diary of the Dead, Romero does a great job of characterization and delving into the thoughts and fears of those survivors after the rise of the undead. He never mentions what brings them up. It doesn’t matter because they are already there.

Leave it up to the viewer so they can use their imagination to hopefully come up with a better answer than the dreaded zombie virus.