Vampirism in Modern Movies - Essay Example

Modern Vampirism Zombie movies are the latest fad that appears to dominate the pop culture scenes although it is not the first time that it appears on the entertainment radar. The zombie theme firmly finds its roots on the traditional vampire figure albeit with significant variations in terms of the definition and form that they take. Traditional folklore propagates the idea that vampires were creepy blood-sucking creatures that exist albeit invisibly within the community. Although the zombies have maintained their vampire qualities over the centuries, their recent depictions show an increasing effort to align their identity with the many scientific innovations of the progressive ages. The three sources for this study that are The Omega Man, 28 Days Later, and The Day of the Triffids provide great reference points for the changing image and representation of the Zombie character. The zombies in this movies and novel appear to be victims of circumstances as though presupposing what the next evolution of human beings would proceed. The producers of the movies and the author of the novel blame certain afflictions as the root cause of the metamorphosis from a normal human being to a zombie. The metamorphosis ranges from issues such as rare genetic disorders, hallucinations or even sicknesses of the blood (Thompson 1). In The Omega Man, Boris Sagal presents a scientific explanation for the vampirism where one automatically turns to a zombie after getting a bite from a person who already has the “virus” infection. When one contracts the virus from a bite, he or she starts behaving like a zombie through exhibiting cannibalistic tendencies. The zombies take on new attributes such as albinism and an extreme sensitivity towards light hence they operate under the cover of darkness. The movie shows how Robert Neville constantly tries to protect himself from these vampire-like creatures that are baying for his blood. In 28 Days Later, the movie shows animal activists freeing up monkeys despite the warning from a scientist present that they monkeys had a contagious virus called “rage”. After they free the monkeys, the animals turn on them and bite them hence inflicting them with the virus. The virus soon becomes an epidemic afflicting anyone who comes in contact with the blood through any contact with the infected people. John Wyndham continues to spin the same post-apocalyptic tale although his zombies or vampires take on a rather an unprecedented form. The author presents the zombie character as plants called Triffids that have the ability to walk by upping their roots. However, the catastrophic attribute of these creatures is the lethal venom that they have in their sting, and it is often fatal to humans. The three depictions significantly differ from the traditional definition that almost teetered significantly toward a religious perspective. It is also clear that the directors and author imply that human beings were the cause of the entire affliction that they were facing. In The Omega Man, Robert Neville explains that the virus epidemic came about due to the germ warfare between Russia and China where both sides employed biological weapons (Thompson 1). In 28 Days Later, Jim is the main protagonist that makes a claim about the people responsible through his explanation of the events. He states that the activists had gone to set the monkeys free while the scientist were experimenting with a lethal virus capable of wiping off all trace of humanity from the face of the earth. It, therefore, suffices to say that human rights were over-zealous in their quest, and the scientists were equally guilty for summoning up the mother of plagues (Scott 1). It is, however, the close embrace of the Triffids by human beings that makes The Day of the Triffids such a remarkable depiction of the consequences of ignorant human behavior. The people of London did not know the exact origin or history of the plant but nevertheless went ahead to plant them in mass despite knowing that it was venomous, and the sting was fatal. The three sources also depict the struggle for survival in an extremely hostile environment where human beings have lost the control that they usually take for granted. In The Day of the Triffids, Bill Masen describes the realization that they had “lost a world that seemed so safe and certain” (Wyndham 93). He describes how it was hard for him and his friends to accept the reality of their predicament because they had also thought that it could never happen in their homeland. Dr. Vorless further affirms the death of civilization as the characters had known it and asked them to “have the moral courage to think and to plan for ourselves” (Wyndham 98). The people of London have encountered an adversary that they had neither seen coming nor prepared for it. In The Omega Man, Doctor Neville struggles to survive in terms of getting daily supply while at the same time he had to protect himself from the albino vampires. There were no delivery services that he would call hence he had to venture out of his safe zone everyday to go and find food and gasoline for the generator he was using to light up his house and ward off the zombies. 28 Days Later further expounds on the theme of survival in the face of acute adversary and challenges. The two major characters that are Selena and Jim have different views on the definition of survival, especially in a post-apocalyptic environment. Selena believes that those who had the virus would slow them down hence they should kill anybody that gets infected within seconds before he or she has a chance to attack. Jim, on the other hand, tries to cling to his humanity in the face of abnormalities telling Selena that they had to take everybody along even if they were so slow. There is no single human being that can stand existing alone in the entire universe because every human being is a social creature that performs best when he or she exist within a community. It is possible that Selena’s realization that they cannot simply exist alone informed her change of mind to a more accommodative mindset. The enlightenment moment is also true for Josella in The Day of the Triffids when she notes that all those that will manage to get through the ordeal will find it inevitable to have to be “nearer to one another, more dependent on one another like a tribe” (Wyndham 134). The new enlightenment of the power in the numbers rather than individuality applies to The Omega Man. Neville was reluctant about giving the vaccine to the members of The Family due to the many bad and evil things that they had done. However, Richie and Lisa remind him that they are human beings just like them except that the virus had turned them into very mean creatures that they cannot control. The deadly rage virus that had afflicted the zombies in 28 Days Later appeared to manifest momentarily Neville when he found Richie’s corpse hanging from a rope. Neville flies into a feat of rage and makes a decision to pursue The Family and wipe out all of them. He almost lost his life when he crashed his jeep showing that anger and rage do not help or redeem a situation. There are very may similarities between The Day of the Triffids and 28 Days Later and the most glaring bit is their movie introductions. The movies both start with a scene of the main protagonist in a hospital that looks deserted although they have a different explanation for being in the hospital. It is also remarkable that the protagonists survived the different afflictions because they were away locked up in hospital wards. As the key players in these stories change their perspectives on society, the two movies and the novel provide a glimmer of hope for a better humanity. During his speech, Doctor Vorless states that the conditions that had taught every one of them is gone hence they need to adopt new standards that suit their unique situation (Wyndham 98). In The Day of the Triffids, Bill, Susan, and the other survivors leave the military institution signifying a ray of hope and the re-establishment of a better humanity. Although the main protagonist dies at the end of the movies, Neville gives Lisa and her group the vaccine hence there were also survivors in this instance. The survival theme demonstrates that human beings can still have a second chance at correcting everything that is wrong with the society and adopting new and effective models. The three stories intertwine both structure and theme to jolt the audience into critical thinking about their deep reliance on things such as technology and civilization. There are various political undertones in the three stories such as the reference to Russia and China in The Omega Man. The kiss between Neville and Lisa had a further impact owing to the heightened racial politics and the civil movement at that time (Thompson 1). Overall, the movies and the novel adopt an internal structure rather than an external structure that was popular with past directors of zombie/vampire tales. An external structure implies that there were outside and invisible spiritual forces that controlled the actions of the zombie, and the force remained unexplained leaving people guessing on the internal workings of the vampire. However, the three sources in this study try to explain the internal working and motivations of the vampires through explaining the course of their action through afflictions. The movies and the novel were not merely concerned with the strength of their characters but rather with the human reaction in the face of calamity. The three sources demonstrate that different groups have different ways of restoring civilization hence there is always more than one way that can help to achieve successfully the goal. They depict specific real world realities that serve as cautionary tales against political and social malaise. The famous states that out of chaos arises order but it may also mean that out of order, chaos arises. Works Cited Scott. A. O. “FILM REVIEW; Spared by a Virus But Not by Mankind.” The New York Times. 23 Jun. 2003. Web. 20 October 2015. Thompson, Howard. “The Omega Man (1971) Screen: All Alone in L.A.: Charlton Heston Stars in The Omega Man.” The New York Times. 14 Aug. 1971. Web. 20 October 2015. Wyndham, John. The Day of the Triffids. New York: RosettaBooks, 2010. Print. Read More