Neuronarrative

As much as I love zombie lore, vampires are more dynamic. I just got done reading The Strain by Chuck Hogan and it depicts a post-9/11 Recession-bound New York City being overran by zombie/vampire hybrids. The political commentary itself is lean and it plays out like a big budget action flick but it's nonetheless a good read.

I think you underestimate the liberating release of zombie horror. While it's true that the traditional slow zombie is a rampant metaphor for all our problems, what happens to this type of zombie? The humans blast them away! Every head shot is like another goal achieved, another boss rebelled against, and another cubicle slave set free!

There's also the fact that the slow zombie is a symbol for the power of teamwork. Individually, a single ghoul is far inferior to a survivor, but when you've got thousands of them they can overcome any obstacle.

Then there's the fast zombie. A mild-mannered nobody, perhaps mired in a dead-end job, struggling to feed his family and pay his bills is suddenly transformed into someone whose only activities are to eat, run, and reproduce. Who wouldn't find that at least a little appealing?

You see, whether you're a zombie or a survivor, the zombie apocalypse represents a return to simplicity. There's no email to check or reports to file. You never need to catch up on your favorite tv show or worry about the news. Everything is suddenly simple. Unless our lives suddenly become less complicated, the lowly zombie will always be number one in our hearts.