Brain Waves

Brain Waves Why Zombies? Why a web page on zombies? Why not a page on something uplifting or practical? For that matter, why does anybody watch zombie or other horror films at all? In pre-historic times, the horror stories were real. They were the rustlings in the darkness just outside the light of the tribal fire, or the poisonous snakes lurking in the tall grass. If you didn't have the necessary skills for dealing with these dangers, your life span would be shortened considerably. Being able to confront danger was a psychological trait that was bred into humanity over eons of time. As civilization developed and humanity gained more control of the surrounding dangers, that ability to face danger, and the need to exercise it, were still there. Since the dangers we knew were under control, we started making up new dangers, legends and myths. As our control over the world grew, so did the powers of the monsters we created. The thrill that these new stories made us feel took us back to the time when our only protection was crude weapons of wood and stone. Even today, that part of us still needs to be tapped into now and then. We need to know on some primal level that if the need arises, we still have the ability to deal with danger that we are not quite sure we can defeat. We need to know that we can still look death in the face and not be overcome. Horror films give us someone facing that kind of danger. By identifying with them, we can feel the fear and then still overcome it. The protagonists don't always win, or sometimes they win at the cost of their lives, but the important thing is that they still know how to face the challenge, and if they do, then so do we. This web page is on zombie films in particular because, of all the creatures on the silver screen, zombies manage to combine the most opposing traits at once. Zombies can be both horrifying and pathetic, humorous and saddening. Whereas other monsters are superhuman, these monsters are subhuman, yet collectively, they are something to fear. There is also an extra added bit of horror in the fact that these monsters are nobody special. They are Joe and Jane Schmoe, chosen at random to rise from the grave. They were not singled out by a vampire, or bitten by a werewolf, or anything exciting like that. They were simply resting peacefully until something went awry. In the wrong circumstances, that could be us shambling around looking for brains, and that is the creepy part. So, this web site was created to honor these films, these particular conduits to our primal feelings. Watch these films, and get in touch with your club-bearing self. Back to the Brain Waves