How would you survive in a zombie apocalypse, with a hidden traitor in your ranks?
We know that our answer is - we wouldn't...
But fret not! In anticipation of Torn Apart launching May 22nd we hooked up with the actual live(!) zombie expert Eva Kingsepp to give us some invaluable tips for survival.
So Eva, what is your relation to zombies anyway?
I used to watch lots of silly zombie movies in the 80’s, and when I began working on my PhD, which was about Nazi Germany/WWII in popular culture, I got into Nazi zombies, which became my niche regarding the undead.
Some years ago I had watched almost all Nazi zombie movies available, but after Overlord (2018) I really got bored…
Why are there zombies everywhere?
A good question! Why were they not that common in, say, the 1960’s? A simple explanation might be that since the 70’s the pop culture industry has grown to enormous proportions globally, not least through digital media - including games - and, of course, the internet.
Besides this, the figure of the zombie itself has several dimensions that contributes to its popularity, including its usefulness as a metaphor (more about that below). However, most people who like zombies would probably simply say that they are fun - and that’s a very good explanation as well!
What is your favorite depiction of zombies in fiction?
Hm, a difficult question. A good candidate would probably be the first Outpost movie (2008).
What do zombies stand for, are they a metaphor?
There is a popular idea about zombies being symbols, or a metaphor if you like, of consumer society.
This idea has its origins in Romero’s satirical Dawn of the Dead (1978), but it’s not the only explanation to the popularity of the zombie phenomenon. Zombies are simply really excellent as symbols for lots of things that people find problematic or scary in today’s society, from mindless consumerism to global pandemics, nuclear war and other means for more or less bringing the world as we know it to an end.
There’s an existential side to this as well: being undead, the zombie belongs to a dimension in-between life and death which challenges what we consider to be the natural order of things. The idea about the undead is found in several religions and cultures all over the world.
Moreover, the zombie brings the dominant ideology of rationalism and science in contemporary society into question. I could go on bringing up other aspects as well, these are only a few.
What are some of your best tips for working together as a group under severe zombie stress?
Keep calm and carry on.
Can you give any advice on strategies for exposing a friend that is actually working for the zombies?
See how the person reacts when offered a piece of brain.
Are the real zombies actually us? :O
Definitely!