Cover of The Serpent and the RainbowSo yesterday I decided that I would challenge my
PTSD (through "
Desensitization") even further by watching more
zombie movies.
A while back I started with "
Shaun of the Dead", funny but gross and it did give me nightmares. Then I tried "
Zombie Land" with
Woody Harrelson. Again, the same results: funny, gross, nightmares. So I put that on hold for a while and went back to my old stand-by: Alien
Sci-Fi Horror. But good ones are few and far between.
I hate
Zombie movies. Number one, because they are based in reality:
Haitian Voodoo practices where, generally, Black Magic Witch Doctors drugged people into appearing dead (actually fooling doctors).
They then buried them, only to dig them up later (still alive). Certainly a traumatic experience in and of itself. But these Black Magic practitioners took it a step further by convincing their victims that they actually
were the "walking dead".
I imagine the drug they used is somewhat Rufi-like... allowing the "Maker" free license to direct the victim.
The drug was featured in the fantastic Wes Craven film "
The Serpent and the Rainbow"... and is now used in American medical practices. The movie was inspired, apparently, by a "true documentary", a book written by, ethnobotanist, Wade Davis, 1985.
From Wikipedia:
"The drug named in the film is
tetrodotoxin. In the actual "zombification" case of
Clairvius Narcisse
of Haiti, the poison that caused the appearance of death was reported
to be tetrodotoxin. After he was unburied, he was given a brew derived
from
Datura stramonium, which he claimed had
mind control properties." So... for full effect, there were two drugs?!
Anyway, the number two reason I hate zombie movies is that they involve cannibalism, another really dreadful thing that has actually occurred in history. Ironically, in most zombies movies, people develop into zombies because of some apocolyptic virus that infects them. But the fact of the matter is, that that theme is entirely backwards.
It was actually a virus that did in cannibalism. You might remember something called "
Mad Cow Disease".
Apparently, beef were fed beef which resulted in a catastrophic event.
An animal cannot devour its own kind due some kind of enzymatic process
that results in... well, Mad Cow Disease.
But, even before that, there was a human-originated virus that did in the New Guinea population (known cannibalists).
Cannibalistic cultures have existed throughout time, from New Guinea to the Caribbean with cases reported well into the late '70s, I might add. Most were due to the ceremonial practice of eating the remains of one's relatives (AFTER they passed away)... for spiritual union.
But, in some cases, they munched on their enemies. In the Caribbean, the last known cases were those of a Catholic Jesuit Priest and his nuns.
For my first foray back into the world of zombies, Netflix suggested the Classic "
Night of the Comet"( "Hey, I'm sorry if the end of the world makes me a little nervous"). Of course, I was creeped out right away and put it on hold (even with all its 80's charm), and I wondered 'What was the first
Zombie movie? A search pulled up this gem: "The White Zombie" from 1936, starring none other than
Boris Karloff.
If you put aside all the early over-acting, it's actually a lot of fun. I was hooked. So today I'm after the first
horror movie ever made. I'll let you know how it goes. I found "The Golem", 1920. Can't wait to check it out. First written in 1914!
What was interesting about the lead into this one was that it was a monster set out to destroy the Jewish population. Think about it... Hitler came shortly thereafter.
Later: Got side-tracked and found another zombie film with a humorous, campy slant: A 2009 New Zealand release called "
Last of the Living". I found it just precious and it's probably my favorite so far. If you like this genre, I think you'll really enjoy this one... three fraternity buddies enjoy post-apocalyptic reign until...
However, although I LOVED the soundtrack... I hated the ending. Still, it's worthy a watch.
My favorite line:
"Well, STUFF YOU!" (after one of them is razzed for wearing too much zombie protective gear).
My Gratitude Statement for Today:
I am grateful that zombies are slow, dull-witted, and are only impervious to bullets until you chop their heads off. ; )
Image by wvs via Flickr
