Zombie Apocalypse . . . what the?

I have a kid in class this year--he loves zombies. He's also really clever too, manages to fit zombies into almost all of his journal entries. One of the best was on the topic of Romeo and Juliet. I'd asked on whom can blame for the tragedy me set? My horror loving kid went through all the usual suspects, analyzing their part in the tragedy to dismiss them and eventually settled on the real culprit--a time traveling, zombie Mitt Romney! I was in stitches! Needless to say, he didn't get that journal back. I kept a copy.

I was also on a panel at CapriCon in February about zombies and vampires--why are they so popular? We had a lot of theories and great discussion. We came to no real solid conclusions, but overall believed that both zombies and vampires represent aspects of humanity that we fear and crave. The vampire--the allure, the predator and prey . . . The zombie--everything the vampire is not, mindless hunger, the loss of humanity. It was a lot of fun.

I also read a news article on zombies. Apparently, the prevalence of zombie stories rises when the economy tanks. There's also the meme going around Facebook. A line of people walking down the sidewalk, their eyes on their devices--who needs to fear the zombie apocalypse when it's already happening?

I don't know. I like a good vampire book. My favorite is SUNSHINE by Robin McKinley. Zombies, though. Not really a fan. They're just so gross! If I had to pick a favorite zombie book I'd have to pick THE MAZE RUNNER trilogy by James Dashner. Though, his zombies aren't undead monsters, but the results of a plague released by a government facility.

Whta's your favorite zombie offering? We've seen "Warm Bodies" and "World War Z" will be shuffling into theaters in a matter of weeks. "The Walking Dead" is soaring in TV popularity and many still have warm  feelings over "Shaun of the Dead" and other such cheesy horror flicks. Additionally, have zombies gotten scarier over the years just as vampires have been getting less and less frightening?

Just some food for thought. Brainz!!

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