Horror and Comedy have both been genres that stray very far from one another. In the last few years, many movies have starting appearing that combine the two, into a subgenre called comedy-horror. Two films in particular that use this subgenre are Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead. Zombieland is a film focusing on a young guy called Columbus who is in search for his family, and meets a few people along the way through the zombie apocalypse. Shaun of the Dead focuses on a middle-aged man called Shaun who lives a boring life and is now faced with the zombie apocalypse and losing his girlfriend. This essay will explore the similarities and differences between these two films.
The first film of this essay is Zombieland by Ruben Fleischer, this film focuses on the adventures of an awkward and quirky guy called Columbus as he tries to get back to his parents while surviving the zombie apocalypse.
The purpose of this film is the purpose that any big hollywood film has, which is to make money for the crew that created it, and to entertain viewers of the film. The audience of this film would most likely be people who are in their late teens and over. This is because of the nature of the film, it’s quite graphic and could be too much for people who are younger than this. There are several scenes in which zombies are seen eating people, and are also seen being shot, both of which are extremely graphic and could be found as quite disturbing.
A comedy-horror film such as Zombieland or
Shaun of the Dead follows a version of a horror film with codes by consisting blood, gore, zombies and isolation. Instead of Vladimir Propp’s character theory(Propp) the lead character of a cool and strong male lead, there is an average lead age thirty-something, who works at an electronic shop with his best friend who plays video games all day on their couch. The average lead also doesn’t want to take some responsibility, so this makes him the anti-hero. This adds another element of humor in the film because of not having characteristics of typical hero.
In the story Max Brooks tells the reader about the different things that the zombies have been involved in such as movies, video games, and books. This shows that the author was really fascinated by the zombies
Shaun Of The Dead is constructed like a horror movie postmodernism as a combination of two of the opposition - the horror and comedy genres. It can be seen to the postmodern also turned against structured and rigid thinking of the horror movies. Shaun Of The Dead is a postmodern because it consists of all the elements of a horror movie, but in fact is a comedy, Shaun of the Dead was written by Edgar Wright and co-author Simon Page, the film is a hybrid romantic, coma, and comedy, and this type contradict thus each other than the film led to be seen as a comedy, as traditionally is not a combination of these types usually opposed to each other. Shaun of the Dead is a contemporary version of the horror film because it still follows the laws and conventions of the horror film, which consists of blood and gore, zombies and isolation this whole iconography of popular horror movies. Another way Shaun Of The Dead contrasts with the horror and the theory of character Propp films is by replacing the main character to lead the male cool and strong ordinary boy who works in a shop selling electronic devices with slacker him from a friend who adds initially Another element of humor in the film due to lack of The presence of the typical characteristics of a hero.
The article “Dead man still walking: Explaining the zombie renaissance” by Kyle Bishop is about the revitalization of the zombie genre. The article talks about the inception in the late 1960’s, the category of zombie films has had its roller coaster ride of ups and downs, starting with its decline in the early 1980’s with the release of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video. Furthermore, during 1990’s, due to the shift in the cultural consciousness that came with the Clinton Administration and the countries isolation from global tragedies, the popularity of these films continued to decline. Cultural consciousness refers to the understanding and awareness a shift in feelings, sensations, thoughts, of not only our own culture, but adjoining cultures.
In this essay, I will be focusing on the analysis of the opening scene in Shaun of the Dead, specifically for the media language techniques used and how the film uses an interesting combination of genre as well as narrative to appeal to a target audience. Shaun of the Dead intriguingly merges the conventions of horror and comedy, and this is especially apparent in the opening scene that I will be analysing.
There has been a resurgence of zombie films in the last decade, ranging from Danny Boyles 28 Days Later to Paul W.S. Andersons Resident Evil. This renaissance of zombie cinema has resurfaced in response to the cultural, political, and social volatility experienced in today’s society, much like its predecessors. A zombie film, unlike other monster movies, plays more with the real-world fears and anxieties, presenting the audience with inescapable realities. However, to understand why this subgenre has been brought back into the mainstream cinema, a comparison is needed across generations of film. This paper will focus on the comparison between George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead and Danny Boyles 28 Days Later; in an attempt to show how zombie cinema is a reaction to cultural shocks.
Today, the new movie "Zombieland" has just been released into theaters so the zombie is still going strongly through culture. Night of the Living Dead was a serious horror look at zombies but society has turned a once terrifying genre into some humor. Spoofs like ‘Shawn of the Dead’ and ‘Zombieland’ “has fun messing around with the rules of the post-apocalyptic zombie movie genre” (Machosky). However the reason the undead have survived so long is because they have broadened their publicity range. Not only does the world see zombies in movies, but mankind must “watch out for Nazi zombies rising from the grave in videos games like ‘Dead Snow’ and ‘Call of Duty: World at War’” (Greene). Zombies have been expanded into music as well with the Kingston Trio’s release of the song “Zombie Jamboree”. Even books have been used to spread the disease, such as “at Borders zombie literature runs the gambit from Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to Zombie Haiku” (Greene). In addition, David Lubar has just recently expanded the zombie craze to elementary school children with his newest novel, My Rotten Life (Lauer-Williams). This is a children’s book about a middle school student who is also a zombie. Zombies, once a scary menace only for the brave at heart, have become a friendlier topic for everyone.
The name of the article is Our Zombies, Ourselves written by James Parker. In this article Parker discusses the historical backdrop of zombies and talks about where it is that they started from. Parker additionally raises exceptionally fascinating point on the notoriety of zombies and a short timeline on zombies. He also talks of different sorts of popular cultures which incorporate zombies and are utilized, for example, the movies Night of the Living Dead, White Zombie, the books The Zen of Zombies, Zombie Haiku, and the television series The Walking Dead.. By utilizing these references Parker helps demonstrate to us how zombies appear to ceaselessly draw our interest. The article additionally educates the reader about how zombies came
In the essay “Humankind’s Ouroboros”, J. Reagan Tankersley discusses about zombies in the horror genre and how over time they have evolved with society’s fears through evidence from big name zombie films of the time. The original publication of this essay was in a college classroom, though the audience was directed towards someone that understood or had basic knowledge of the zombie films Tankersley chose to use as evidence. So, if someone that picked up his work and had no knowledge of these films, they would already become lost. That is what makes this essay great. Instead of using the space he had to explain every little detail, he pulls towards an advanced audience; that would mean he would only have to slightly touch on the subject and
The film handle humor and horror sides by Gang Do character. The conversations between Gang Do and other characters are often funny. There are multiple scenes that Gang Do make audiences to go for a laugh even there are serious scenes. For example, when the family was at a memory for the monster’s victim, they were crying at her picture. That scene makes audiences to feel sorry or terrible, but it also makes audiences to laugh. The point of blending humor and horror is dialogues. Zombieland by Ruben Fleischer is one of the movies that blend the two
The foundation of horror genre was set by monsters that not only haunted your dreams but also conveyed rich themes found deep beneath the surface. Vampires are considered a symbol of seduction and sophistication while Frankenstein monsters represent misunderstanding, oppression, and rebellion. Some of the strongest symbolism is found in standard films of the horror genre does not come from the frequently updated relics. Utilizing fear and horror as mechanisms for subtext, social commentary, and symbolism, George Romero created a new horror genre, one that scares and shines just as much as great horror classics. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead revolutionized the once stagnant zombie film and made into something unstoppable, still to this day zombie movies rake in millions of ticket sales at the box office while remaining culturally relevant.
Is it possible to kill an idea when it is undead? Classic movie monsters tend to fade in and out of popularity as audiences grow bored and move on to fresher concepts. But there is one that has risen up and does not seem to slow down: zombies. Zombies have gone from being a small subgenre of horror film to a staple of popular culture across various media. This paper will explore the rise of zombies in popular culture and why it continues to remain relevant.
Reading through the whole essay, there are many appealing strategies found in order to strengthen the essay academically. Brooks attracts the audience with a pathos-style strategy, giving specific movie examples to straighten up the essay. The movie Night of the Living Dead resonates the viewers with an image of a flesh-eating and harmful zombie figure instead of a harmless voodoo-created zombie, which makes the notion of zombies transformed into a horrifying figure, provoking the sense of fear of audience with emotional appeal. The revolutionary creation of zombie film was led by George A. Romero, the father of the entirely new horror genre. In his work, zombies are characterized as a form of undead
George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead is a part of the trilogy while still being a perfect example of the social issues during the eighties. It was the Reagan era and therefore most horror filmmakers at the time were dealing with oppressive nature. Romero successfully portrays the social issues in his movies of the respective times of their releases. He shows the domestic racism and the Vietnam War in the movie Night of the Living Dead (1968), he also comments on the society’s obsessions with consumerism in the seventies with his movie Dawn of the Dead (1978). The movie is not different when it comes to criticizing the social issues. The Day of the Dead concentrates on societal concerns and humanity in general, although Romero’s main fight is amount of power and control given to military and judging if this is a good idea. This film is regarded as one of the most political zombie movie. Day of the Dead is the most gore cinema when compared to the previous two in the trilogy saga, but the humor is mild in this film compared to others. The audience also witness the evolution of zombies. The film is a direct address to the nature of human emotions and prejudices that tear the society apart.
Shaun of the Dead is a 2004 British-French-American horror comedy film directed by Edgar Wright. Throughout the movie many characters are introduced which are, Shaun of Shaun, Ed, Liz, Pete, David and Diana, Parents Barbara and Phillip and Zombies. Shaun is an electronics store manager whose life is going nowhere. Shaun is not very unique but gets placed in unique situations throughout the movie. He has a mission he must accomplish. Ed is Shaun best friend, and his partner, he acts as a helper making sure Shaun achieves his goal. Liz is Shaun ex who Shaun is still in love with. Pete is Shaun co-worker .David and Diana are Liz friends who tag along and helped throughout the journey.