Zombie Research Society
The late Charles Bukowski was a legendary modern American poet, novelist, short story writer, and barroom brawler. He once observed:
“The difference between life and art is that art is more bearable.”
Is there any other threat in modern horror that more closely echoes this sentiment than zombies?
Many argue that zombies are so popular today because they are the personification of our post industrial world that is designed to deaden the human spirit through a long, muddled process of bills to pay and obligations to fulfill. Zombie in film, literature and art allow us to dive into the abyss of total loss of humanity without an real risk. We are able to experience the terror of our own uninspired fate, not stretched out over an entire dull and plodding life, but in the course of a ninety minute movie, art show, or fast book read.
When applied to zombies, Bukowski’s seems to suggest that life in real-time is depressing. But speed it up a bit. Turn the intangible forces that torment modern man into a ghoulish, undead horde that wants to chew on human flesh, and you’ve got one hell of a ride!