Is there a correlation between social unrest and zombie movies? The bloggers over at i09.com seem to think so. They produced this chart showing US and Canadian zombie movies over time and argue that social unrest, wars, and catastrophes cause spikes in the number of zombie movies produced.
Personally I think the argument is a little flimsy. As we all know from our “Zombie Movie or Not?” series on the ZRC, the very definition of a zombie can often be contested. The authors here include mummies, but not vampires or ghosts. I don’t think that any of our readers would claim that 1943′s Frankenstein meets the Wolf Man could be classified as a zombie movie. They also point out that the list is focused on American and European movies, but a several Asian movies are included. Was Pakistani Omar Kahn thinking of the Iraq War when he directedZibahkhana-Hell’s Ground?
Furthermore, the idea that zombie movies depict an apocalyptic mirror of current events is not always true, particularly for early works in the pre-Dawn of the Dead era. Movies like I Walked with a Zombie and Zombies on Broadway can hardly be called reflective of the social climates during World War II. Modern movies such as Fido, American Zombie, and Otto; or Up With Dead People are mold-breaking films that further muddy the waters on what is a “typical” zombie film.
I think the evidence for any correlation between current events is weak at best. Fads, the increasing accessibility of video equipment, and a combination of the two (creating a rush to cash in on zombie movie popularity) are the main reasons we see spikes in the number of zombie movies.
What do you think? Is there a correlation there or is it just a case of fitting the data to justify the statement?
