Zombie films combine elements of horror and thriller, and have become hugely popular with many people. In recent years, the zombie genre has evolved into a diverse hybrid of genres, moving from B-movie culture to mainstream culture.

Why are zombie films so popular?

When you think of zombie films, you probably think of monsters, soulless creatures that are infected with something and walk the streets in grotesque forms, dying mercilessly. In a way, it seems like something that could happen around us, and the idea that we could be one of those monsters can resonate with us. That’s why zombie films are so popular with so many people. So, let’s take a look at why we’re so obsessed with zombie films.
The term zombie film can be a bit confusing. Are they horror or thrillers? We can’t help but wonder where they come from. You could say that it’s horror because it’s a film about something that doesn’t exist in real life, or you could say that it’s a thriller because it’s a film about a monster that looks like a person and is gory. In some ways, these horror and thriller elements go hand-in-hand, which is why they’ve become so popular these days. What is it about zombies that makes them so contagious and popular?

Zombie films have a huge fan base

A zombie is a dead person moving around as if they were alive. In addition to being scary because they’re dead, they also infect the living, making them their own kind, and the number of such infections grows. In the film, a family member or friend is infected and you have to kill them. In this way, zombies have become an object of fear. However, people love them and even go crazy about them. They don’t hesitate to cosplay them.
This is why the zombie character continues to be so popular. Zombie films can be a source of horror itself. It’s all about the code of death. However, the zombie element has a lot to offer the audience. It can be an object of fear, but it can also be a stress reliever. In crime films and action films, people are the evil. Because they’re human, you can’t kill them unless they’re a definite axis of evil. Zombies, on the other hand, are in the shape of a human being, but they are a definite axis of evil and can be killed with impunity. In some cases, you might kill a family member who is becoming a zombie to prevent them from becoming another infected, but we’ll leave that out of the equation. This is how slasher films generate a certain amount of pleasure. These elements are what made zombie films what they are today.

From B-movie culture to mainstream culture

Many people can’t say much when asked to talk about zombie films. However, there”s no denying that the genre has evolved over the years. The first zombie films just made the presence of the infectious agent very prominent, and the zombie film itself was just a spectacle. They were mindless films or just a source of horror.
But now, zombie films are no longer considered B-movies. The main reason for this evolution is that there are many different aspects to the genre. A prime example is the film 28 Days Later. 28 Days Later is such a solid story that a sequel is in the works. No one can deny that the zombies have been upgraded and the horror has multiplied. The story is about a chimpanzee infected with a rage virus that escapes from a lab during research. In a way, the story itself isn’t a solid plot, but it’s typical of zombie films. The story continues as people are infected by the apocalypse one by one. The scenario itself can feel clichéd as it continues in that way. However, there are elements that are unique to zombie films. People are running away from them. But it’s not just zombies all the time. If it was just zombies and people running around and killing more zombies, it would be a B-movie. But that’s not what happens in most films. What drives the scenario is that people in that situation, people from different professions in that group, working together to try to escape. One by one, they get infected, disappear, and encounter more powerful zombies as they try to make their way through this mess. This is how the story continues in 28 Days Later. The film has a lot of unique ideas. One is the idea of a family hiding their zombie status from the rest of the world. Another thing is that the quantity is not negligible. Also, from this film on, zombies don’t walk around creepily. In this film, zombies run around a lot, and while avoiding their pursuit, the protagonists meet, part ways, and die. There are always two or three people left in the end, and that’s what makes people fall in love with the story, and that’s what makes people watch horror films and think, ‘This could happen to us. And then one by one, two people seem to be attracted to the film.

Transitioning from zombie films to mixed genres

Now, zombies are not only seen as an object of horror. They’ve become a culture. In the U.S., we have such a culture as Halloween Day, so we seem to have no problem accepting zombies, and they are now infiltrating the codes of comedy, social representation, and melody.
A typical example is the film ‘Warm Bodies’. It’s a film about a zombie who sees a human and falls in love. When I heard about this film, I was skeptical that a zombie film could be melodramatic. In Korea, I don’t know if it was because it stirred girls’ emotions or because the male actor had a good image, but I think it was a hit at the box office. When I watched the film, I thought, ‘How could it have that element?’ But I was wrong, because it was a good mix of the zombie genre and the melo genre. It’s a shame that the horror imagery was abandoned in favour of a good mix of those elements. However, the different approach to the subject of zombies is a big deal for zombie enthusiasts.

Conclusion

As you can see, zombies can be used in a variety of ways, which is why the genre is so versatile and can be mixed and matched. However, the zombie genre is at its best when it’s used as a horror story, and I think it’s at its best when there’s a gory element to it, with blood gushing, heads being blown off by guns, and guts spilling out of stomachs.