The first part of the movie revolves around Jim and a couple of other survivors attempting to make their way to a supposed army sponsored safe zone. As they make their way cross country, they are confronted by blood thirsty zombies and must beat them senseless in order to get a way. This plot is definitely your classic "art-horror," as Carroll would describe. The characters in 28 days later are disgusted by the zombies, but I think that there is a deeper emotional response to zombies. Every zombie on the face of the planet was at one point a human being with a life and a family. Now, they have been transformed into this revolting creature who only has the sole desire to feast on the body of a human being. Jim has an issue at first with killing zombies (unlike Selena who is head to toe in armor and weapons) because he realizes that zombies were at first humans. However, he quickly learns that there is a difference, so he loses that emotional connection.
The second half of the movie is what I find to be most interesting and definitely highlights Cynthia Freeland's concept of realist horror. When the survivors make it to the safe place, they are introduced to a group of rowdy soldiers. There are two girls in the group of survivors who quickly realize that they have taken the role of "hot piece of meat." Soon, we realize the intentions of the soldiers as they give the girls long gowns and oogle them. Jim realizes that these people are not good people and soon attempts to leave with Selena and Hannah. The soldiers, however, have a different plan. A chase ensues and the soldiers try their hardest to protect their warm bodies. Eventually Jim, Selena, and Hannah escape the grasps of the soldiers.
The fact that the entirety of the second half revolves around human beings as being corrupt and evil sends an interesting message. Of course, the entire zombie outbreak was really started by human beings as well. According to this movie, there is certainly a good amount of evil within the human race. The horror truly revolves around human stupidity, corruption, greed, etc. Danny Boyle, the film's director, makes a point by saying that people can be even more monstrous than terrible zombies. While the movie is about zombies, the real terror is seen in what human beings can do to one another. Thus, 28 days later is a hybrid between classic and realistic horror.
I agree with your classification of this as a hybrid between a classic and realistic horror. More interestingly enough, is how most zombie films (that aren't centered solely around violence), after establishing the relative safety of the group or separating them from mere survival instincts, focus heavily not on the zombie outbreak itself, but rather the breakdown of moral systems and human nature in an apocalyptic world. I think 28 Days Later, especially in the scene you mentioned (trying to escape "safety" when getting away from other humans) demonstrates this breakdown of society and how the movie focuses not on the zombies themselves, but the human interaction that arises from their existence.
ReplyDeleteI find that zombie movies are almost always at lease somewhat separate from the rest of horror. The simple fact that zombies used to be regular people adds a layer of both familiarity and disgust to the movies. In such movies, the characters almost always have to turn on what used to be friends, which is not something anyone wants to be forced into. As a result of the chaos, there's usually an interesting mix of people turning into both literal and figurative monsters. Though I don't think zombie movies are particularly horrifying, in fact, I'd argue they are some of the least, I think this is why they have become so popular in current society.
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