If you enjoyed our zombie episodes, you are going to *LOVE* our one-hour special that covers over 200 years of zombie history. EXHUMED: A HISTORY OF ZOMBIES premieres Friday, October 30 at 10:00 p.m. CT on your local PBS station. It will also be will be available to stream starting Friday on PBS.org and the PBS Video App. We can't wait to share it with you!-*Dr. Z*
I was surprised that you didn’t discuss how zombie media in the last decade has shifted the focus from the zombies to the living ppl dealing with the collapse of society
Yeah, the breezing over Walking Dead entirely was frustrating. Literally the point of the comic and show are about "When faced so bluntly with death, what does it mean to be alive?"
The Last of Us does this too. It's less about the actual monsters (zombies/infected), and more about the monstrosity that is brought out in humanity when they're backed into a corner.
I feel where y'all are coming from, but there's also a time limit for the video, and I'm sure there's a lot of stuff that was either cut out for editing, or saved for future discussions. Knowing Dr. Emily's content and track record, she's got a lot more to say about all this :^)
Hades: One wife! One wife- count 'em - ONE! Mistresses? ZERO! And I'm DAMN good at my job! Poseidon: And where's the proof of that? Hades: Has there ever been a real zombie apocalypse on Earth? Poseidon: No. Hades: YOU'RE WELCOME!
What I really like is the different interpretations of Resident Evil. In Japan, the Corporations are terrible at stopping outbreaks, but pretty good at containment. It's why every game ends with a self destruct, and we usually only lose about a city or two. Meanwhile, in the States, those movies are like "Oops. All zombies". All within 3 or 4 movies. They took the narrative, and had two VERY different understandings of the situation presented in Resident Evil.
I think two essential parts of zombie horror are 1) the implication that death will not bring us peace - and we might even become harmful to others, instead; and 2) the horror of simply bring overwhelmed by zombies' sheer numbers, which Dr. Zarka touched on.
This was a great end to the trilogy! I can't wait to see exhumed. I was about to comment about how you guys need one more episode bringing it all together and you guys are already doing it. The guests you have talking about it have some interesting ideas and make me really excited for the next wave of zombie cinema. I kinda wish I could have a conversation with everyone on here about world war Z and how it can apply to this pandemic and the state of politics in the country. I love this series.
@@ianfarr-wharton1000 if you know any good stories about the undead from other cultures, especially if they are different and very recent, ancient historical myths, or stories that were metaphor for the political landscape of their society I'd love to know more.
@@johnfunk8086 The eastern European Nachzehrer and Strigoi as well as East Asain entities like certain breeds of the Aswang and Jiang-Shi are really interesting. The Asanbosam is hard to classify being more of an 'unliving' being, I kind of classify wendigo in the same vein personally.
I've read WWZ many times, is one of my favorite books. I like how puts the zombies as a background to tell the characters's stories. The movie WWZ is just another zombie movie.
Listen to the audiobook if/when you get the chance. Much more interesting than the movie adaptation, although the latter does have some impressive visuals.
My sister and I just watched the South Korean zombie film 'Alive' on Netflix. What scared me the most about it is how the zombies there retained the capacity to do actions that were common to them when they were still humans such as opening doors.
In recent years, I have come to appreciate the impact zombies have had on pop culture. There are 3 in particular that I truly enjoy. The aforementioned World War Z. Asylum's Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies. The Lost Tapes episode Zombie. And the series finale of Deadliest Warrior. Vampires vs Zombies. (My favorite episode.) And I also have a few books on zombies. Most notably, The Zombie Combat Manuel.
@@gear.6815 Yeah, but Kingdom is set in 17th/18th century Korea. I want to see knights in plate armour fighting zombies with zweihänder, Romans using greek fire against them or phycisians in Andalusia trying to find a cure. And castles being surrounded by them, the way religion, politics and society in Europe, Asia and Africa is shaped by this, etc.
You sort of get that with high fantasy monster mobs. A lot of necromancer-type evil lords. I think I've even seen cases where the heroes' own fallen army was immediately used against them. It would function much like the orcs in Lord of the Rings with some added drama of fighting familiar faces. What would be interesting is a medieval take on the pandemic zombie. Mutate a strain of the Black Death and have them combine monster hoard fighting on top of the usual efforts to combat the disease in a pre-virology era. What could be done to stop it at borders? How long would infected cities survive? Entire towns were wiped out by the disease even before it could get up and walk again. That's all putting aside actual medieval beliefs of the undead, which sometimes played heavily into burial traditions. Since this series didn't really touch on them, I assume they're being categorized as distinctly different monsters.
I know right? I too want a movie where a knight ot a peasant is trying to survive a new disease that causes corpses to rise. Blame is put to different factions. Witch hunts. Cults. Bandits that take advantage of the sickness. Imagine the potential.
This mini series has been great. I took a college course last year that focused on zombies in popular culture and this series has basically been a whistle stop tour of the topics and works we covered. It's been great. There are two zombie variants I'd love to see an analysis of that were missing in both the class and this series (which, fair. Zombies are really prolific and theres no way you could hit all their permutations). Namely, the fantasy necromantic zombies which I think bear the closest resemblance to vodou zombies, but with the quantity and aesthetic of Romario zombies and possibly some influences or associations with creatures like Ghouls, Draugor, and weights (as seen in D&D, or Game of Thrones, and a fair few fantasy novels). Also, the (usually science fiction) hive mind zombie which is usually traced directly to Invasion of The Body Snatchers and reflects a lot of interesting anxieties (specifically, I find it fascinating that they are so often used to directly address the Ferni paradox). Examples of these include the borg from Star Trek, the flayed from Stranger Things, the husks from Mass Effect, the proto molecules "vomit zombies" (actually what they're called in the text) and proto molecule hybrids from The Expanse, the flood from Halo (I like how they draw such a direct parallel to a galactic zombie armageddon and the biblical flood), and honestly, a ton more.
I see you've come to a similar conclusion re ghouls, because I think modern zombies resemble those more (albeit with scientific rationalisations etc) than traditional zombies who were slave labourers.
I've always been freaked out by Zombies. Now, thanks to you, I'm.seeing this as s conduit in my own writing as a discussion of identity. A discussion of a new way of identifying ones reality, if you will. Thanks for making me think outside of my experience. You're brilliant.
I don’t know if there are a lot of French people watching Monstrum, but THANK YOU FOR THIS SHOW! To Dr. Zarka and everyone involved, you’re doing an amazing job. As a horror fan and an aspiring horror screenwriter, I’ve learnt so much watching Monstrum: it gives us context, symbolism (and the artwork is always so gorgeous). THANK YOU! Can’t wait for the one-hour special, I’m hoping you’ll mention In The Flesh and Dominic’s wonderful social take on zombies as a minority struggling to fit in society after being partially cured.
Enjoyed the video series, thank you. I’d add that 28 Days Later spoke to the frailty of human nature-that rage and violence is merely a flicker away. Look at how the protagonist is portrayed toward the end, animalistic and bloodthirsty as the zombies but he wasn’t infected. The Walking Dead is as much-if not more so-about the breakdown of human society, as the zombies themselves.
Might I recogmend the South Korean Zombie period piece Kingdom. It takes the zombies as a metephore for the spread of desise becouse of political corrution and greed. Alteast thats what I got out of it.
And the best part is the first season was well before the pandemic and the second started just around when it hit. This was an on-point topical metaphor that wasn't even intended.
This is the best series ever! I love that monstrum is about history and culture but at the same time it's like bringing these monsters and creatures to life by describing them and their history. Its like a historical horror show
One of my favorite zombie stories was 2009’s “Blackest Night,” a DC comics event series in the Green Lantern comics. The zombies are the Black Lanterns, heroes and villains reanimated by black power rings. They target the livi to rip out their hearts.
One zombie movie I'd highly recommend is Blood Quantum, which poses the question of what would happen if a zombie virus were to break out that Indigenous people were immune to. It's just an incredible movie with really cool themes, made by Indigenous creators and actors.
I can almost hear Other Joe saying "want to play another zombie game?" Also, I wish you would have mentioned The Last of Us, arguably the best narrative video game ever made which also happens to be a zombie game.
Zombies be like hive mind flesh nuggets while there's a webcomic that poses the question "What if we made zombies tragic... and eldritch? Oh, and animals are not immune." Check out Stand Still, Stay Silent y'all.
Zombies have always been so fascinating! I love how versatile they are, and how they can be adapted into other genres, like sci-fi (e.g., the Cybermen from Doctor Who, who are in many ways the sci-fi equivalanet of a zombie). This series has been wonderful! I gleefully watch every new video as soon as I see it! Dr Z: I'd love to hear your thoughts on the monsters in Scooby-Doo, and what they represent regarding our fears of corporate greed, conspirarcy, and the supernatural in general.
There are some people that theorize that the zombies in Last of Us represent the wrath of nature, with the imagery of nature reclaiming the land that humanity took from it, along with the zombie nests being fungal farms rotting out the man-made buildings from the inside.
Already being obsessed with Monstrum, imagine how hard I geeked seeing my favorite video game franchise make an appearance. Resident Evil was my gateway to zombies
OH. MY. GAWD! this ep was sooooo good. I can’t believe you get to talk monsters & supernatural for a living! You are truly living the dream or nightmare as it were, Dr. Z!!!
I started watching Monstrum on You Tube. It popped up on my feed so I thought I would check it out. I do really enjoy the educational recourse, philosophic, and scientific histories, and the inclusion of concept and or personal speculation intermixed with relevant historical / mythical resource material. The art that is used is not bad either. I am also working on a graphic novel titled Sovereign: The Eclipse Stone, and unknowingly, I had already incorporated several different elements that you have created episodes on. I found Monstrum to inspirational and educational.
Hi, Dr. Z! I really like how in depth you go into the lore of the different monsters you research! I will say, I am not a big fan of zombies, but it's interesting to see the history of something behind them. There is a type of zombie that did catch my attention that stick out from the types you mention in you videos. Primarily in the first season of the TV series Transformers Prime, they show a kind of zombie called Terricons that are made from the corpse of a dead Cybertronian infused with Dark Energon and they act much like the Romeo version, but can possibly be controlled by a living Cybertronian infused with Dark Energon. And it seems that size for the zombies affect their speed as shown in the episodes "Darkness Rising: Part 1 & 2" and "Shadowzone". If you get the chance, it's an interesting take on the classic monster that's worth a look at.
The Last of Us "zombies" aren't even technically zombies, as they're not undead. They're more like infected people, similar to the ones in 28 days/weeks later.
Hey, here's a fun fact: one of the first Zombie Apocalypse in fiction is mentioned in what is also one of the first Rom Cons, Ereshkigal's second wedding with Nergal. There the queen of the dead is enraged when the young war god leaves her after their first date, and threatens to raise the deceased to devour the living.
@@kaamn1829 it‘s alternately called ”Nergal and Ereshkigal” or “Nergal’s descent to the Underworld”. There are two different versions: a 14/15th century bc version from Tel El Amarna and a 7th century bc version from Uruk and Sultantepe.
“PRIMAL” plague of madness. I’ve never been afraid of zombies until I seen this. The virus in the episode turns a gentle giant into a murdering machine!
There's just something terrifying about herbivorous animals turning into carnivorous flesh-eating monsters for example, the zombie deer from train to busan and state of decay
Well, the Resident Evil zombies didn’t move fast at first. I believe the first time they moved fast was in the remake of the first game where a downed zombie would eventually turn red, grow claws, and sprint at you.
Mass Effect has basically cyber-zombies (among other things) esp. third game - most enemy forces are cyber-zombies - not only humans but non-humans as well
Wouldn’t Frankenstein and Herbert West, Re-Animator also count as precursors to Pandemic/Virus Zombies due to them focusing on scientific research and Men with God Complexes that created their own destruction? Heck, Re-Animator has a Zombie going on a rampage!
I would argue with Frankenstein. The creature in Frankenstein is meant intelligent and calm. Even it’s rampage isn’t a rage filled game down, it’s more a slow calculated burn. Also, I don’t think it’s same as an undead, as it doesn’t have memmories of its former life, and Victor even says he wishes to create “new life”, the dead materials are just the base. He wants to be a new being. However, yes I would consider Herbet West to be a zombie story, as his living dead go on a rampage, and I would argue that’s where we get the whole science is the enemy idea from, for Zombies at least. You can’t get more anti science horror then H.P.Lovecraft.
Frankenstein's creature isn't really what I would call a pandemic zombie, although he is a scientifically created one. He can't infect people, although he is horribly dangerous on his own and he does represent, among other things, the dangers of scientific hubris. In the book he's a lot smarter but emotionally stunted and that too makes him more dangerous. I'm not sure if the ones from Re-Animator actually count as a pandemic either, as again they are dangerous but not really infectious.
I've always wondered why the English version went with "Resident Evil" when the Japanese name is "Biohazard." It seems like an odd choice to make it appear more supernatural rather than because of human scientific folly when they aren't changing any of the core storyline.
The Marketing Team of the US Division of Capcom thought that "Biohazard" was a little too plain and stupid as a name and wouldn't sell well in the West while named like that, so the head of marketing held a company-wide contest to come up with a new name for the game. The winner of that competition was "Resident Evil", as it was vague and could be interpreted as "an evil residing inside you" just like the virus ingame does.
You've addressed the various cultural effects and origins of Zombie films (masterfully, I might add). I am curious, where do you guys think that "The Last of Us" fits in that cultural narrative and zombies? (This question is open to any commenter as well as Dr. Z).
I honestly didn't know that there were so many modern zombie movies. Sure I've heard of "walking dead" and "resident evil". But the rest just went under the radar
Resident Evil is my all-time favorite zombie video game of all time. I am so happy that you touched on this topic in your video dr. Emily zarka. You're awesome chick✌🙌👊💢💥💪👍👍👍👍👍👏👏👏.
After every episode of Monstrum, I can't help but imagine Dr. Z as Evelyn from The Mummy. But instead of being an egyptologist, she is an intrepid cryptozoologist, prowling the world in search of myths and monsters. Or another idea; Dr. Z guest-stars in Supernatural as a fellow hunter. Wouldn't that be wild? If only Monstrum existed a few years earlier :(
What about Last of Us? The eco zombie was mentioned, and I would say a fungus that hijacks you’re body (and does do it with ants and snails in real life) is the most eco you can get.
@@dylantennant6594 Actually in ants it doesn't seem to control their brain but their muscles directly if I remember some research I read a while ago. Also in that game they are closer to magic than to anything in real life
I'm surprised 'The Girl with all the Gifts' didn't show up. And excellent book example of hive zombie like creatures being used as bioweapons. There are so many moral questions people can mess around with zombies and it's a joy
I think one particular idea of the modern zombie is the zombie as capitalism personified - a mindless beast that continues to consume everything, regardless of what it is, and its hunger is never truly satiated.
i was here to see if she talks about train to busan. i'm just happy to see she put a small clip of it at least. well, Train to Busan is the best Zombie movie i've ever seen.
It really disappoints me that the research presented here, specifically zombies appearing in video games in the 90's and 00's (honestly into the 10's as well), is so incredibly half-baked and feels like it was just added in last minute by someone who did a quick google search. The extent of the time spent talking about three games, while omitting several other genre-defining zombie games, is "these two games from '96 were important!" and the "amazing video game in 2012"... It feels like your research doesn't respect how much video games mold our culture, and that seems especially important with subject matter like this. It's a real shame when you spent an entire episode meticulously digging through the symbolism, intentional or otherwise, in a handful of movies for the Romero zombie episode, while giving truly iconic media a simple head nod in this episode.
Agreed. Though I suspect they left it out due to limits in episode length. I believe they covered the information they wanted to, in terms of the progression of zombies in modern films (which is kinda what this trio of episodes seems to be about. Not like they particularly discussed books or TV). That said, it would've been nice if an episode had been dedicated to the discussion of video game zombies. There is an old video by the channel Extra Credits that talked about the prevalence of zombies in video games if that tickles your fancy. But yes, it would be nice to see someone cover video game zombies with more detail and analysis.
I'm super hype for you cats to be on TV, but sad at the same time. I have no TV. I have no way to watch the episode. Please also host it on this channel once the show has aired. I love watching your content, Dr. Emily!
If you enjoyed our zombie episodes, you are going to *LOVE* our one-hour special that covers over 200 years of zombie history. EXHUMED: A HISTORY OF ZOMBIES premieres Friday, October 30 at 10:00 p.m. CT on your local PBS station. It will also be will be available to stream starting Friday on PBS.org and the PBS Video App. We can't wait to share it with you!-*Dr. Z*
Yeeeeeeeeeeesssss
Can you do werewolves?
Great zombie series Emily and it was well researched .
Oh thank goodness! I was gonna bemoan that I don't even have a working tv, but ya saved me. Woo streams! :D
Will the documentary be available outside USA ?
“And while it hasn’t turn us into zombies. Yet”
Emily. EMILY!?!?!! What aren’t you telling us??!
Well, the fact that COVID SAR-2 is continuing to mutate . . .
What if the virus doesn't turn people into zombies but instead turn into fairies or goblins?? 😹
@@bjgoodrich5864 Dean Winchester: Fight the fairies!!!
@kristian rikardsen and female fairies can turn men into Casanova😁
@@WarHawk- And it's been shown to attach to proteins in the brain.
This series was the best. Thanks Doctor Emily.
Was? It is the best!
@@varunnagrare9123 I panicked when I saw this comment. I'm glad it's not over yet!
was?
Not Monstrum you sillies. The Zombie 3 parter 🤦🏾♀️. Literalists you gotta love em...
Watch out, Dr. Z is gonna infect us with love for the Humanities :D
I was surprised that you didn’t discuss how zombie media in the last decade has shifted the focus from the zombies to the living ppl dealing with the collapse of society
Well this is a video more focused on the zombies. So for me, it's understandable that they didn't talk about it.
Yeah, the breezing over Walking Dead entirely was frustrating. Literally the point of the comic and show are about "When faced so bluntly with death, what does it mean to be alive?"
The Last of Us does this too. It's less about the actual monsters (zombies/infected), and more about the monstrosity that is brought out in humanity when they're backed into a corner.
I feel where y'all are coming from, but there's also a time limit for the video, and I'm sure there's a lot of stuff that was either cut out for editing, or saved for future discussions. Knowing Dr. Emily's content and track record, she's got a lot more to say about all this :^)
@@tripsplat Maybe the next video would be titled "Humans as the monster."
To quote Elvira: “You Can’t Keep A Good Monster Down!!!!”
And she could definitely produce a monster.
As Robin said Holy Nightstalker those zombies are after us...... Challenge of the Super Friends:Swamp of the Living Doom
Hades: One wife! One wife- count 'em - ONE! Mistresses? ZERO! And I'm DAMN good at my job!
Poseidon: And where's the proof of that?
Hades: Has there ever been a real zombie apocalypse on Earth?
Poseidon: No.
Hades: YOU'RE WELCOME!
Underrated comment
Lol love it!!
Minthi The nymph of that mint was named after. Was a almost lover in some version of the Greek mythological stories.
@@ceetiguilamoreno2550 "Almost" doesn't count.
@@ceetiguilamoreno2550 technically she was his lover BEFORE he married Persephone, just like Leuce
What I really like is the different interpretations of Resident Evil. In Japan, the Corporations are terrible at stopping outbreaks, but pretty good at containment. It's why every game ends with a self destruct, and we usually only lose about a city or two. Meanwhile, in the States, those movies are like "Oops. All zombies". All within 3 or 4 movies. They took the narrative, and had two VERY different understandings of the situation presented in Resident Evil.
Imagine the next movie with a asymptomatic zombies :)
THIIIIIS!
Maybe u can get years whidout knowing
This reminds me of 28 weeks later tbh... Asymptomatic zombies happen there
We kinda had that with TWD, didn't we? What the CDC guy whispers to Rick at the end of season 1 really changed it for me.
@@shockingheaven i don't remember :) ¿?
I think two essential parts of zombie horror are 1) the implication that death will not bring us peace - and we might even become harmful to others, instead; and 2) the horror of simply bring overwhelmed by zombies' sheer numbers, which Dr. Zarka touched on.
I wonder if dyslexic zombies run around craving 'Brians'...🤔
Brian get the hell over here-
Well done (executed?)
this might be the lockdown talking but who doesn't crave a Brian...
"hehhuhhueha,Brian o no?
"What,im not brian
"ehahahuehuahuehau,No brian no eat
*hides my dad*
Conclusion: Zombie is a term that isn’t defined analytically. It’s defined by family resemblances (cf. Ludwig Wittgenstein).
Yup. A lot of creatures, from the arabic ghoul to the french revenant are classified as zombies in some pages and books.
This was a great end to the trilogy! I can't wait to see exhumed. I was about to comment about how you guys need one more episode bringing it all together and you guys are already doing it. The guests you have talking about it have some interesting ideas and make me really excited for the next wave of zombie cinema. I kinda wish I could have a conversation with everyone on here about world war Z and how it can apply to this pandemic and the state of politics in the country. I love this series.
Zombies is just a USA copy of the undead which go's back 1000's of years, no just 1811..lol en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undead
@@ianfarr-wharton1000 if you know any good stories about the undead from other cultures, especially if they are different and very recent, ancient historical myths, or stories that were metaphor for the political landscape of their society I'd love to know more.
@@johnfunk8086 The eastern European Nachzehrer and Strigoi as well as East Asain entities like certain breeds of the Aswang and Jiang-Shi are really interesting. The Asanbosam is hard to classify being more of an 'unliving' being, I kind of classify wendigo in the same vein personally.
I've read WWZ many times, is one of my favorite books. I like how puts the zombies as a background to tell the characters's stories. The movie WWZ is just another zombie movie.
That book is amazing! Some (well, all) of the stories are so sad though. And it makes you really think.
Listen to the audiobook if/when you get the chance. Much more interesting than the movie adaptation, although the latter does have some impressive visuals.
My sister and I just watched the South Korean zombie film 'Alive' on Netflix. What scared me the most about it is how the zombies there retained the capacity to do actions that were common to them when they were still humans such as opening doors.
In recent years, I have come to appreciate the impact zombies have had on pop culture. There are 3 in particular that I truly enjoy.
The aforementioned World War Z. Asylum's Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies. The Lost Tapes episode Zombie. And the series finale of Deadliest Warrior. Vampires vs Zombies. (My favorite episode.) And I also have a few books on zombies. Most notably, The Zombie Combat Manuel.
Cockneys VS Zombies
@@DarkandStormyNight01 Trekkies vs Zombies
I completely forgot that the first Resident Evil film came out before 28 Days Later.
@Knightingale I love when that happens. Lmao
@Lenin Sanchez I’m talking strictly about the first RE MOVIE. I know the first two games came out before 2000.
I want a zombie apocalypse in the middle ages :( Imagine the potential.
Have you ever watched kingdom? It's very similar to that.
@@gear.6815 Yeah, but Kingdom is set in 17th/18th century Korea. I want to see knights in plate armour fighting zombies with zweihänder, Romans using greek fire against them or phycisians in Andalusia trying to find a cure. And castles being surrounded by them, the way religion, politics and society in Europe, Asia and Africa is shaped by this, etc.
You sort of get that with high fantasy monster mobs. A lot of necromancer-type evil lords. I think I've even seen cases where the heroes' own fallen army was immediately used against them. It would function much like the orcs in Lord of the Rings with some added drama of fighting familiar faces.
What would be interesting is a medieval take on the pandemic zombie. Mutate a strain of the Black Death and have them combine monster hoard fighting on top of the usual efforts to combat the disease in a pre-virology era. What could be done to stop it at borders? How long would infected cities survive? Entire towns were wiped out by the disease even before it could get up and walk again.
That's all putting aside actual medieval beliefs of the undead, which sometimes played heavily into burial traditions. Since this series didn't really touch on them, I assume they're being categorized as distinctly different monsters.
So what game of thrones season 8 should have been
I know right?
I too want a movie where a knight ot a peasant is trying to survive a new disease that causes corpses to rise. Blame is put to different factions. Witch hunts. Cults. Bandits that take advantage of the sickness.
Imagine the potential.
This mini series has been great. I took a college course last year that focused on zombies in popular culture and this series has basically been a whistle stop tour of the topics and works we covered. It's been great.
There are two zombie variants I'd love to see an analysis of that were missing in both the class and this series (which, fair. Zombies are really prolific and theres no way you could hit all their permutations). Namely, the fantasy necromantic zombies which I think bear the closest resemblance to vodou zombies, but with the quantity and aesthetic of Romario zombies and possibly some influences or associations with creatures like Ghouls, Draugor, and weights (as seen in D&D, or Game of Thrones, and a fair few fantasy novels). Also, the (usually science fiction) hive mind zombie which is usually traced directly to Invasion of The Body Snatchers and reflects a lot of interesting anxieties (specifically, I find it fascinating that they are so often used to directly address the Ferni paradox). Examples of these include the borg from Star Trek, the flayed from Stranger Things, the husks from Mass Effect, the proto molecules "vomit zombies" (actually what they're called in the text) and proto molecule hybrids from The Expanse, the flood from Halo (I like how they draw such a direct parallel to a galactic zombie armageddon and the biblical flood), and honestly, a ton more.
I see you've come to a similar conclusion re ghouls, because I think modern zombies resemble those more (albeit with scientific rationalisations etc) than traditional zombies who were slave labourers.
I want this woman to teach me a semester-long course on horror and how it comments on culture 😭
I've always been freaked out by Zombies. Now, thanks to you, I'm.seeing this as s conduit in my own writing as a discussion of identity. A discussion of a new way of identifying ones reality, if you will. Thanks for making me think outside of my experience. You're brilliant.
Never been a fan of zombie films/series, but the South Korean show “Kingdom” blew me away! I highly recommend it
I don’t know if there are a lot of French people watching Monstrum, but THANK YOU FOR THIS SHOW! To Dr. Zarka and everyone involved, you’re doing an amazing job. As a horror fan and an aspiring horror screenwriter, I’ve learnt so much watching Monstrum: it gives us context, symbolism (and the artwork is always so gorgeous). THANK YOU! Can’t wait for the one-hour special, I’m hoping you’ll mention In The Flesh and Dominic’s wonderful social take on zombies as a minority struggling to fit in society after being partially cured.
Great job Dr. Zarka and PBS at bringing smart horror content to TH-cam! Love it all!
"Zombies never die."
W-well...technically...
They already dead
undead means never die
What is dead can never die
But you can cut them into pices like in red harvest
Since their still a corpse they decay with time
Enjoyed the video series, thank you. I’d add that 28 Days Later spoke to the frailty of human nature-that rage and violence is merely a flicker away. Look at how the protagonist is portrayed toward the end, animalistic and bloodthirsty as the zombies but he wasn’t infected.
The Walking Dead is as much-if not more so-about the breakdown of human society, as the zombies themselves.
Might I recogmend the South Korean Zombie period piece Kingdom. It takes the zombies as a metephore for the spread of desise becouse of political corrution and greed. Alteast thats what I got out of it.
*Spoiler* *Spoiler* *Spoiler* *Spoiler*
I got the same impression since the baby was immune until he became the ruler.
And the best part is the first season was well before the pandemic and the second started just around when it hit. This was an on-point topical metaphor that wasn't even intended.
I feel the book Dread Nation provides a similar perspective.
and the Sweet Home movie too! it's out i guess.
Watch train to Busan too
Hey Dr. Emily, what are your Top 10 favorite Zombie Movies?
Ooo that’s tough! I’ll post my answer in Community Tab tomorrow to celebrate the broadcast launch.-*Dr.Z*
@@pbsstoried I'll see you tomorrow, Doc Emmie!!!👍👍💟💟🤓😎
Yay!
@@okaminokitsune So, what are your Top 10 favorite Zombie Movies of all time, man?
Zombies is just a USA copy of the undead which go's back 1000's of years, no just 1811..lol en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undead
This is the best series ever! I love that monstrum is about history and culture but at the same time it's like bringing these monsters and creatures to life by describing them and their history. Its like a historical horror show
One of my favorite zombie stories was 2009’s “Blackest Night,” a DC comics event series in the Green Lantern comics. The zombies are the Black Lanterns, heroes and villains reanimated by black power rings. They target the livi to rip out their hearts.
One zombie movie I'd highly recommend is Blood Quantum, which poses the question of what would happen if a zombie virus were to break out that Indigenous people were immune to. It's just an incredible movie with really cool themes, made by Indigenous creators and actors.
Quantum? Because of the "cat experiment"
I can almost hear Other Joe saying "want to play another zombie game?" Also, I wish you would have mentioned The Last of Us, arguably the best narrative video game ever made which also happens to be a zombie game.
My favourite game of all time!
Also the mushroom zombies being inspired by that fungal parasite that mind controls ants was super freaky.
Zombies be like hive mind flesh nuggets while there's a webcomic that poses the question "What if we made zombies tragic... and eldritch? Oh, and animals are not immune."
Check out Stand Still, Stay Silent y'all.
STAND STILL, STAY SILENT IS SO GOOD. I’ve been a fan since it started. 11/10 would recommend-*Dr.Z*
Kenshiro watching a zombi movie:
"They are already dead."
Zombies have always been so fascinating! I love how versatile they are, and how they can be adapted into other genres, like sci-fi (e.g., the Cybermen from Doctor Who, who are in many ways the sci-fi equivalanet of a zombie).
This series has been wonderful! I gleefully watch every new video as soon as I see it! Dr Z: I'd love to hear your thoughts on the monsters in Scooby-Doo, and what they represent regarding our fears of corporate greed, conspirarcy, and the supernatural in general.
surprised she didn't talk about the last of us.
Or black ops zombies
Or Left 4 Dead
Umm can we pleass realize that plants vs zombies is the real og
There are some people that theorize that the zombies in Last of Us represent the wrath of nature, with the imagery of nature reclaiming the land that humanity took from it, along with the zombie nests being fungal farms rotting out the man-made buildings from the inside.
@@Penguinmanereikelyes environmental horror 😂
Already being obsessed with Monstrum, imagine how hard I geeked seeing my favorite video game franchise make an appearance. Resident Evil was my gateway to zombies
OH. MY. GAWD! this ep was sooooo good. I can’t believe you get to talk monsters & supernatural for a living! You are truly living the dream or nightmare as it were, Dr. Z!!!
Thank you Dr. Z, I submitted the survey and had Monstrum as my favorite series (because it obviously is).
Keep up the brilliant work Dr.
it's so interesting how people can take the very real tragedies around them and turn them into monsters
This is a fantastic series Dr.Z. So much effort was put into this. Thank you for introducing us to the world of zombies.
I used to think a lot of zombie fiction was a bit too nihilistic, but covid taught me that fiction was actually too hopeful.
I started watching Monstrum on You Tube. It popped up on my feed so I thought I would check it out. I do really enjoy the educational recourse, philosophic, and scientific histories, and the inclusion of concept and or personal speculation intermixed with relevant historical / mythical resource material. The art that is used is not bad either. I am also working on a graphic novel titled Sovereign: The Eclipse Stone, and unknowingly, I had already incorporated several different elements that you have created episodes on. I found Monstrum to inspirational and educational.
Emily: Zombies can't die.
Me: Challeng accepted.
Loved this episode! With my favourite Resident Evil franchise as the centre piece! Thank you so much Dr Emily 👍
This series has been really really good! Kudos to everyone who worked their ass off just to entertain Is.
The prologue speech gives me chill, awesome series Dr. Emilya and team!
Great job w/ the history of modern Zombies (21st Century), Dr. Emily!!!!!!!
This series is excellent, thanks!
Hi, Dr. Z!
I really like how in depth you go into the lore of the different monsters you research!
I will say, I am not a big fan of zombies, but it's interesting to see the history of something behind them.
There is a type of zombie that did catch my attention that stick out from the types you mention in you videos. Primarily in the first season of the TV series Transformers Prime, they show a kind of zombie called Terricons that are made from the corpse of a dead Cybertronian infused with Dark Energon and they act much like the Romeo version, but can possibly be controlled by a living Cybertronian infused with Dark Energon. And it seems that size for the zombies affect their speed as shown in the episodes "Darkness Rising: Part 1 & 2" and "Shadowzone".
If you get the chance, it's an interesting take on the classic monster that's worth a look at.
I am delighted you discussed Resident Evil (the video game) and it's place in helping create the re-surge of zombies. Thank you!
21st century Zombie man.
(Guitar riff)
Cat guts hungry maws
Neurosurgeons sream in horror
Parasites sikness and gore
21 century zombie man
This three-parter was SO GOOD. Thank you.
Zombie video games still counts for the 21st Century!!!!!!!!!!
Like: Dead Rising, Black Ops and Last of Us series!!!
Don't forget Left 4 Dead, Dying Light and Dead Island.
The Last of Us "zombies" aren't even technically zombies, as they're not undead. They're more like infected people, similar to the ones in 28 days/weeks later.
Celestial Draconis I think we can all agree that an infected person that behaves violently and infect others can be considered zombies.
Literally the entire time i was like “when is she going to mention The Last of Us series?”
Ready for the new black ops zombie storyline/ soft reboot?
1 hour of Monstrum? Sweet. Thanks for the excellent history of zombies on TH-cam, too.
Fantasy zombies have really taken off as well. Evil warlocks or mad gods controlling armies of the undead is pretty standard.
This three part series was simply AMAZING!
Thank you!
Wait until you learn about the parasitic zombie.
You'll never eat mushrooms again.
Edit: Oh, and watch out for headcrabs.
I could listen to Dr. Z all day long.
Hey, here's a fun fact: one of the first Zombie Apocalypse in fiction is mentioned in what is also one of the first Rom Cons, Ereshkigal's second wedding with Nergal. There the queen of the dead is enraged when the young war god leaves her after their first date, and threatens to raise the deceased to devour the living.
interesting. what's it called?
@@kaamn1829 it‘s alternately called ”Nergal and Ereshkigal” or “Nergal’s descent to the Underworld”. There are two different versions: a 14/15th century bc version from Tel El Amarna and a 7th century bc version from Uruk and Sultantepe.
Great guest choice with Tananarive Due. I loved The Good House.
I didn't know Emily is a gamer too .She's the most coolest youtuber .
What a great video to end the trilogy. 28 days later is one of my favorite movies because of how creepily real it is.
“Ah! But what about DRAGONS!?”
Machicolations my friend!
Shad, is that you?
@@fredchallenger5278 no but the osp tropes video on dragons gave me the idea; there’s more to marvel at than Zarka’s previous 6min video
One word. SAVO rounds
Good thing i got some plants with me, these zombie video will be a breeze
“PRIMAL” plague of madness.
I’ve never been afraid of zombies until I seen this. The virus in the episode turns a gentle giant into a murdering machine!
There's just something terrifying about herbivorous animals turning into carnivorous flesh-eating monsters for example, the zombie deer from train to busan and state of decay
@@Man-qc1zl deer eat flesh all the time.
This show is awesome.
Well, the Resident Evil zombies didn’t move fast at first. I believe the first time they moved fast was in the remake of the first game where a downed zombie would eventually turn red, grow claws, and sprint at you.
Crimson heads!
Just as good as the history channel. Doc Z is the best.
13:14 *knocks on wood*
also all i'm hearing is there's gonna be a lot of zombie movies in the 2020's
train to busan deserved more than a brief cameo imo best zombie movie in decades
Cyber-zombies are my favorite intersection of science and zombie. The embodiment of the fear that technology will overtake what makes us human.
Romantically Apocalyptic
has some near the end
Mass Effect has basically cyber-zombies (among other things) esp. third game - most enemy forces are cyber-zombies - not only humans but non-humans as well
Well done Emily and Storied Crew! This whole series has been a blast!
Wouldn’t Frankenstein and Herbert West, Re-Animator also count as precursors to Pandemic/Virus Zombies due to them focusing on scientific research and Men with God Complexes that created their own destruction? Heck, Re-Animator has a Zombie going on a rampage!
I would argue with Frankenstein. The creature in Frankenstein is meant intelligent and calm. Even it’s rampage isn’t a rage filled game down, it’s more a slow calculated burn. Also, I don’t think it’s same as an undead, as it doesn’t have memmories of its former life, and Victor even says he wishes to create “new life”, the dead materials are just the base. He wants to be a new being.
However, yes I would consider Herbet West to be a zombie story, as his living dead go on a rampage, and I would argue that’s where we get the whole science is the enemy idea from, for Zombies at least. You can’t get more anti science horror then H.P.Lovecraft.
Frankenstein's creature isn't really what I would call a pandemic zombie, although he is a scientifically created one. He can't infect people, although he is horribly dangerous on his own and he does represent, among other things, the dangers of scientific hubris. In the book he's a lot smarter but emotionally stunted and that too makes him more dangerous.
I'm not sure if the ones from Re-Animator actually count as a pandemic either, as again they are dangerous but not really infectious.
Thank you for this series, Dr. Z!
I've always wondered why the English version went with "Resident Evil" when the Japanese name is "Biohazard." It seems like an odd choice to make it appear more supernatural rather than because of human scientific folly when they aren't changing any of the core storyline.
The Marketing Team of the US Division of Capcom thought that "Biohazard" was a little too plain and stupid as a name and wouldn't sell well in the West while named like that, so the head of marketing held a company-wide contest to come up with a new name for the game. The winner of that competition was "Resident Evil", as it was vague and could be interpreted as "an evil residing inside you" just like the virus ingame does.
@@UmbraBlades Biohazard is also the name of a minor rockband. I associate biohazard more with sewage and other unsavoury traits
Train to Busan is the best zombie movie I've ever seen
You've addressed the various cultural effects and origins of Zombie films (masterfully, I might add). I am curious, where do you guys think that "The Last of Us" fits in that cultural narrative and zombies?
(This question is open to any commenter as well as Dr. Z).
I honestly didn't know that there were so many modern zombie movies.
Sure I've heard of "walking dead" and "resident evil". But the rest just went under the radar
I'm not even sure I'd notice if the zombie apocalypse hit my city.
Resident Evil is my all-time favorite zombie video game of all time. I am so happy that you touched on this topic in your video dr. Emily zarka. You're awesome chick✌🙌👊💢💥💪👍👍👍👍👍👏👏👏.
Last time I was this early zombies were still an African tradition.
This series was so good!!! More than a normal video essay!
After every episode of Monstrum, I can't help but imagine Dr. Z as Evelyn from The Mummy. But instead of being an egyptologist, she is an intrepid cryptozoologist, prowling the world in search of myths and monsters.
Or another idea; Dr. Z guest-stars in Supernatural as a fellow hunter. Wouldn't that be wild? If only Monstrum existed a few years earlier :(
Thanks for the series. I think with the info provided, I think I can make a compelling zombie story.
So we are skipping Return of the Living Dead
It’s in the broadcast special!-*Dr. Z*
Send more paramedics
What about Last of Us? The eco zombie was mentioned, and I would say a fungus that hijacks you’re body (and does do it with ants and snails in real life) is the most eco you can get.
@@dylantennant6594 same w girl with all the gifts
@@dylantennant6594 Actually in ants it doesn't seem to control their brain but their muscles directly if I remember some research I read a while ago. Also in that game they are closer to magic than to anything in real life
I'm surprised 'The Girl with all the Gifts' didn't show up. And excellent book example of hive zombie like creatures being used as bioweapons. There are so many moral questions people can mess around with zombies and it's a joy
I think one particular idea of the modern zombie is the zombie as capitalism personified - a mindless beast that continues to consume everything, regardless of what it is, and its hunger is never truly satiated.
i was here to see if she talks about train to busan.
i'm just happy to see she put a small clip of it at least.
well, Train to Busan is the best Zombie movie i've ever seen.
It really disappoints me that the research presented here, specifically zombies appearing in video games in the 90's and 00's (honestly into the 10's as well), is so incredibly half-baked and feels like it was just added in last minute by someone who did a quick google search.
The extent of the time spent talking about three games, while omitting several other genre-defining zombie games, is "these two games from '96 were important!" and the "amazing video game in 2012"... It feels like your research doesn't respect how much video games mold our culture, and that seems especially important with subject matter like this.
It's a real shame when you spent an entire episode meticulously digging through the symbolism, intentional or otherwise, in a handful of movies for the Romero zombie episode, while giving truly iconic media a simple head nod in this episode.
Agreed. Though I suspect they left it out due to limits in episode length. I believe they covered the information they wanted to, in terms of the progression of zombies in modern films (which is kinda what this trio of episodes seems to be about. Not like they particularly discussed books or TV). That said, it would've been nice if an episode had been dedicated to the discussion of video game zombies. There is an old video by the channel Extra Credits that talked about the prevalence of zombies in video games if that tickles your fancy. But yes, it would be nice to see someone cover video game zombies with more detail and analysis.
Honey make your own and gives more knowledge. It's about zombies at the end of the day not video games
I loved the three videos of zombies!
Great job to everyone involved with Exumed!
I'm super hype for you cats to be on TV, but sad at the same time. I have no TV. I have no way to watch the episode. Please also host it on this channel once the show has aired. I love watching your content, Dr. Emily!
Really liked this series! Hope to see other topics covered this way!
Great work Doctor Z!! This series was awesome!!
This has been fascinating.
this is epic series.
I really enjoyed this series! Thanks Dr. Zarka! 🧟🧟♀️🧟♂️
Fascinating & -- in Dec 2020 -- uncannily prophetic
Fido, best zombie movie ever!
The date is June of 2021. The phrase "pandemic zombie" has sent me into a fit of weeping.