HS - Task 1 - research into Horror and Thriller

Horror source material 3 - Zombies

Zombie faces: Why are we afraid of them?

Psychologist from the Open University Stephanie Lay conducted a research project which has suggested that humans have a particular fear of "near-human faces". The psychologist says a study of 3,000 people found widespread "repulsion" at near-human faces, which explain why things such as blank eyes and masks are commonly used to instil fear into horror film viewers.

Mrs Lay's research is examining this "uncanny valley" effect from a psychological perspective. The effect was discovered in the 1970s in research into whether giving robots human features would make them more reassuring to humans working with them or using them in the home. The research found that people were initially more receptive to robots which were made slightly human looking, but if they began to imitate humans too closely, people were repelled. It was found that the most disturbing faces where the ones that were convincingly human but with lifeless eyes or where eerily human eyes appeared in a non-human face. This is because when people begin to interpret something as a human face, they are left with a sense of confusion when they come against something that does not match their expectations. Being able to "read" another person's eyes is particularly important in this process of interpreting faces, she says.

Why people love the zombie apocalypse

There are many factors in the way the idea of a zombie apocalypse is presented to us that make the idea sound appealing. The main factor of any apocalypse scenario’s appeal is: Can I survive it? And then what will I be looking forward to in this new future? It has been presented to us in such a way that anyone can survive if they use their head, and when necessary, their weapons. It takes no lucky genetics, no special previous skill set, no preparation, just an awareness of the indisputable fact that you are facing zombies.

No one wants to fight zombies they can’t beat.  Slowness, poor coordination and terrible reflexes on the part of zombies is key to human survival in the most popular and long running zombie franchises such as The Walking Dead. If the zombies are overwhelmingly fast and agile, as in the movie version of World War Z, it’s harder to outrun or outwit them, hence harder to survive and hence less attractive as an apocalyptic fantasy.

Humans also see appeal in the idea of being a hero. A leader. A survivor! This fantasy does not care that most of us do not actually posses the physical and mental strength and discipline that it would take to survive, long-term, against hordes of the undead.  It only thinks about the first couple of days or a week at most, which is why the idea of an apocalypse sounds appealing.

The idea of being able to get away with crimes with no consequences is also an appealing factor of an apocalyptic situation. Be it being able to steal food and supplies or a car without being persecuted, or being able to use a deadly weapon on someone with no consequences, strangely this idea seems appealing to audiences and is one of the factors that makes the idea of a zombie apocalypse appealing.

Why do We love Zombies?

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