Brian Bass
Annotated Bibliography
Thesis: In Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later and in George Romero’s zombie films there lies a powerful message against violence and war. Through these films there is a nihilistic attitude about the fate of the world. Just how H.G. Wells warned the world about the rapid advancements in science, there is the same sentiment created by these filmmakers.
Beard, Steve. No Particular Place to Go. Sight & Sound. Apr. 1993.
This article reflects on the zombies in George Romero's `Night of the Living Dead.' Differences between Romero's zombies and those in Tom Savini's remake of the film; Romero's success resulting in an epidemic of zombie films; Romero's zombies as heterogeneous and representative of the post-Fordist masses; The Ritz as a synechdoche of the collapse of the Fordist system; Savini's film permitting explanations for the zombie plague.
Manning, Anita. Big Screen Horror. USA Today. 18 Sep. 2003.
This article is interesting because it talks about how horror films are related to events happening in real life right now. The author relates 28 Days Later to the SARS outbreak. This will be helpful when I am comparing the ideology of the zombie film genre to real life situations.
Novak, Michael. Society: The Experience of Nothingness. London: Willbury Press, 1999.
This article would be excellent for when I am applying the theory of nihilism to my essay. There is an excellent quote about Albert Camus and nihilism: For Camus, nihilism was first of all a personal problem. He also saw it as a political problem, involving incalculable potential violence. First, if human life-if the universe--is empty of meaning, then how ought I to live? (Can "ought" have any meaning?) Besides, if the universe lacks meaning, then aren't the Nazis just as right as anybody else? Why shouldn't they do as they please, with whatever violence it takes? If they could make Walpurgisnacht come to life, why not? If there is no right and no wrong, then anything goes. Power rules. The thugs decide.
Varmus, Harold. Virus as a Metaphor: Microbiology and 28 Days Later. New York Times. 6 Jul. 2003.
This article Reviews the motion picture '28 Days Later,' directed by Danny Boyle and starring Richard Dwyer and Tristan Matthaie. It goes further into how the virus in 28 days later is a metaphor for human existence. This will go well with when I discuss how nihilism pertains to the zombie film genre.
Wloszczyna, Susan. Zombies Rise to Conquer all Decades. USA Today 18 Mar. 2004.
For creatures nearly devoid of personality, zombies are resourceful horror mainstays, adapting to reflect the paranoia of the times.
"We see ourselves in them," says Sarah Polley, star of the Dawn of the Dead remake opening Friday. "So many parts of our lives are like living like zombies."
These quotes are the epitome of what my essay is about. In my essay I want to make the connection that zombie films are trying to warn us about the way we all treat each other as human beings.