Decline of the Zombie Fad?

[CreedNoir]

Zombies have hit mainstream enjoying popularity in a multitude of formats from movies, to games, to TV series, to even commercials. A quick stroll on Facebook can land you several zombie "clubs" to join. So the real question is, are people becoming tired of zombies?

[Kandarian Demon]

Well... I am getting tired of zombies, even though I used to be a huge zombie fan. But I can only speak for myself. It's just like the vampire trend... yes, I still like a GOOD vampire movie, but my first thought whenever I see something with a vampire theme is "oh god, more mainstream vampire crap!".

And I feel the same way about zombies now... I am no longer excited about new zombie movies, games or whatever, and often I don't even care to check it out. Because, as with the vampires, most of it is mainstream crap...

[realdealblues]

Well... I am getting tired of zombies, even though I used to be a huge zombie fan. But I can only speak for myself. It's just like the vampire trend... yes, I still like a GOOD vampire movie, but my first thought whenever I see something with a vampire theme is "oh god, more mainstream vampire crap!".

And I feel the same way about zombies now... I am no longer excited about new zombie movies, games or whatever, and often I don't even care to check it out. Because, as with the vampires, most of it is mainstream crap...

Yep, I'm pretty much on the same page. The market is over saturated with low budget crap or big dollar stuff that is just fluff.

Unless someone like John Carpenter or George Romero or someone whom I have enjoyed films from in the past says "Hey, I'm making a Zombie movie or a Vampire movie", I'm really not all that interested.

Occasionally you get something out of the ordinary, but it's pretty rare these days.

[metternich1815]

I was never a big fan of zombies, although there were a few that I really loved. I definitely agree that the market has been over saturated with zombies films. Consequently, as always happens in the history of horror, a crash occurs. This is what has happened with the zombie sub-genre. At the present time, demons are the sub-genre that is the most popular (due to Paranormal Activity), but, that too, I believe is about to experience a crash because there are way too many demon films. I believe that there are so many demon movies that Scary Movie 5 primarily spoofs demon films (just a note, I hate the Scary Movie series, I am just making a point). As always happens in horror films, these sub-genres will fade and then come back again One example would be the slashers of the 80s, which died by the end of the decade only to back a few years later, only to die again. Thus, a very quick death, recovery, and death again. Ultimately, zombie films have faded, but I am sure they will be revived again.

[CreedNoir]

I would totally love to see something different that the first moments of the zombie problem.

[Despare]

If something with zombies comes out and looks interesting I'll check it out, I love zombies ( vampires, werewolves, & giant monsters too) so a lot of mainstream dreck to deal with isn't a curse. I do love it when people always question why certain things aren't more popular and then when they become popular they complain it's all too mainstream. Nobody's ever happy... but I'll take a bunch of crap movies as long as the Shaun of the Dead and Fido flicks accompany them.

[_____V_____]

Too much of anything spoils it. But makers will churn out anything which is accepted by the masses. Gone are the days when a Fulci or a Romero made films on zombies which looked classy despite their cheap budgets, and subsequently became milestones in the genre.

Now, The Walking Dead is a runaway hit, Warm Bodies garnered enough interest, World War Z is on the way...the interest around zombie productions never ceases down. Add to all the mainstream stuff, the number of mini budget indies which are made every year as well.

As long as it's interesting enough to make some money and people are willing to spend some $$s on it, even if it is direct to video/DVD, they will continue to be made. It isn't on the decline for sure.

[Kandarian Demon]

I do love it when people always question why certain things aren't more popular and then when they become popular they complain it's all too mainstream. .

Hmm, I get your point, BUT you would not hear me complaining if we were talking about mostly GOOD releases. In the 80s/early 90s I LOVED slasher movies, and they were very trendy at the time - but so many good ones were made, probably because part of the appeal was still the sort of "forbidden" element to them, and at the time a movie like that would have failed if you could have watched it with your mom and your little sister. They were aimed directly at the horror audience.

But most of what we get now seems to be not only mass produced and unoriginal, but aimed at a different audience than the actual horror fans - as is the case with vampires, werewolves and so on. They are trying to get the majority, non-horror fans, interested - not us. That's what I mean when I refer to it as "mainstream".

I'd much rather watch one of those low budget 80s zombie movies with bad acting, because at least you could sense that they were made by people who loved the genre, and they had a certain charm to them... "bad in the good way" :D

It seems that all movie monsters, one by one, are being turned into something unthreatening that little can fall in love with, and that is not what I, as a horror fan, expect to see.

[Toadliquor]

Cashing in on the success of a sub-genre is what Horror movies is all about. How many slasher movies were made after the success of halloween and friday the 13th? How many shaky cam flicks were made after Blair Witch? How many Japanese remakes did we have to endure after The Ring?

The reality is, movie studios make films to make money. It's not about story telling, creating art, or any of that sentimental shit. It's all about cash. The zombie craze is good for the genre, because it proves to studios that Horror movies can make money, and are more willing to put up money to finance other horror movies.

One more thing, if you look at all of the zombie movies made before the recent craze, what percentage of them would you consider good? The zombie sub-genre was always shitty movies with some really amazing gems thrown in the mix.

[newb]

Cashing in on the success of a sub-genre is what Horror movies is all about. How many slasher movies were made after the success of halloween and friday the 13th? How many shaky cam flicks were made after Blair Witch? How many Japanese remakes did we have to endure after The Ring?

The reality is, movie studios make films to make money. It's not about story telling, creating art, or any of that sentimental shit. It's all about cash. The zombie craze is good for the genre, because it proves to studios that Horror movies can make money, and are more willing to put up money to finance other horror movies.

One more thing, if you look at all of the zombie movies made before the recent craze, what percentage of them would you consider good? The zombie sub-genre was always shitty movies with some really amazing gems thrown in the mix.

in a nutshell

[Despare]

Hmm, I get your point, BUT you would not hear me complaining if we were talking about mostly GOOD releases.

I get that but you have to expect that with anything. Hell, look at 50 Shades of Grey, that got popular with people and now when you go to a book store you see tons of clones, some that don't even TRY to be different. 12 Shades of Surrender... really? You see it in videogames and music too, how many bands tried to sound like Nickleback or Creed when they got popular? How many game companies try to make money off the newest CoD clone? YOU are responsible for finding the good stuff, you can't expect all of it (or even 60% of it) to be decent.

[Kandarian Demon]

One more thing, if you look at all of the zombie movies made before the recent craze, what percentage of them would you consider good? The zombie sub-genre was always shitty movies with some really amazing gems thrown in the mix.

It depends on what you think is "good", like I said earlier many were "bad in the good way". But I would say I used to enjoy around 75% of the zombie movies released before the craze, although obviously they weren't all great works of art. "Burial Ground" certainly wasn't great art, but it's one of my favourite zombie movies of all time.

I get that but you have to expect that with anything. Hell, look at 50 Shades of Grey, that got popular with people and now when you go to a book store you see tons of clones, some that don't even TRY to be different. 12 Shades of Surrender... really? You see it in videogames and music too, how many bands tried to sound like Nickleback or Creed when they got popular? How many game companies try to make money off the newest CoD clone? YOU are responsible for finding the good stuff, you can't expect all of it (or even 60% of it) to be decent.

That's true - and because something is mainstream or trendy doesn't automatically make it bad either.

However, they're changing, not copying, what certain monsters and genres used to be all about - and that is killing them for me. It might be the way things work, nothing ever stays the same - but that doesn't mean I have to LIKE it.

And you say "you are responsible for finding the good stuff"... well, I rent a lot of movies, and if I like what I watch, I buy. I haven't felt like buying any zombie movies in a very long time, but I HAVE quite often felt like I wasted my money on what I rented.

But, "my kind of zombie" is... well... dead for good. I never liked action movies or war movies, and I hate that every single zombie movie these days has a military theme and are more action than horror. Yes, I know... realism... and yes, I watched the original "Day of the Dead". But I actually prefererred the creepy, sloooow supernatural zombie that crawled out of it's grave... as much as I love and respect them both, I was always more of a Fulci fan than a Romero fan. So, the modern zombie genre has very little to offer me.

[Despare]

But, "my kind of zombie" is... well... dead for good. I never liked action movies or war movies, and I hate that every single zombie movie these days has a military theme and are more action than horror. Yes, I know... realism... and yes, I watched the original "Day of the Dead". But I actually prefererred the creepy, sloooow supernatural zombie that crawled out of it's grave... as much as I love and respect them both, I was always more of a Fulci fan than a Romero fan. So, the modern zombie genre has very little to offer me.

Serpent and the Rainbow over Dawn of the Dead then? haha

[Kandarian Demon]

Serpent and the Rainbow over Dawn of the Dead then? haha

I like both of them actually, but nah, I prefer Dawn :) I do love Romero's zombie movies, don't get me wrong. Well, except for "Land of the Dead".

[cheebacheeba]

I'm not becoming "tired of" any genre really...if I don't like it, I won't watch it...so I guess maybe in a way that DOES mean I get tired of certain movies, but not genres.
Yes, I've seen the rise in popularity of the zombie flick/game/show over the last 5-10 years...and while every time something like this happens there's bound to be imitators and crap entries, there's also some gems.
New Dawn, Shaun, the Covenant, VERSUS, walking dead (comic, shows ok too) and the more unique entries like "Fido", the series "In the flesh" and the recent zombie spin on Romeo and Juliette "Warm Bodies".
You ignore the shit, you keep watching what's good and you don't compromise by sitting through SHIT just because it falls under a genre you sometimes enjoy.