#think abt it. it's unclear whether humans actually count as apex predators. but population-wise we don't actually have A Specific Animal

[unusualshrimp]

hey sorry i can't come to work today im thinking about the various implications of zombie horror and the way it affects people

#saw the post the other day about horror movies reflecting the greatest fears of society at the current time #..... it was so ouuugh #anyway zombie movies. fear of infection and pandemic type situations obviously #but also. a running thread in all Zombie Media ™ since forever has been like. someone you love got bitten and now u have to kill them etc #i think that's really interesting because it also ties into another thing about zombies: fear of being changed‚ involuntary #does the zombie know what it used to be? is the hunger filling an otherwise blank mind? #or is it just strong enough to override everything else? #what would that feel like though. both possibilities are unsettling because in case 1 you Die by most definitions #and something else looks like you and pilots your body around #actually that is very similar to imposter horror innit. ''guy in the team who got bitten but doesn't tell anyone until its too late'' #and in case 2.... ooooihhhhhhh that's so much worse <3 you're alive you just can't do anything about it. just hungry #and now onto the third fear associated with zombie horror (and my favourite): the fear of being hunted‚ on a wide scale #think abt it. it's unclear whether humans actually count as apex predators. but population-wise we don't actually have A Specific Animal #- that hunts us #and that's not because we are fast or have sharp teeth or are adapted hunters. that's just because we're great at living in a society #and zombies are A Predator on a significant scale and we are NOT prepared for it #beecaaauusee--- [dramatic crescendo] they will exploit the *very* thing that made us so invincible in the first place!! 💞 #one of the first signs of civilization is healed bones. cured sickness. #a human seeing another human looking sick/injured and immediately rushing to help. is a big part of why we've made it this far #zombies have our faces!!! they know how to walk and unlock doors and climb the stairs to our buildings #AND. AND. they're people you think you know. back again to the killing a loved one thing #that's so BRILLIANT as a tactic because the societal tactics that make people group together will now make them reluctant to kill zombies #WHICH IS WHY most media tries to dehumanize zombies in some way to make it easier. ohhhh they grunt and can't talk. they're slow. #they don't feel anything. they are not the person they look like. they're not even people. the alternative is much much worse #and i need it explored. what if they can run. what if they beg and plead that they're still the same person. what if they scream. #what if they say ''sorry i love you so much im sorry'' at the end. etc