The Subversive Zombie: Social Protest and Gender in Undead Cinema and Television

Historically, zombies have been portrayed in films and television series as mindless, shuffling monsters. In recent years, this has changed dramatically. The undead are fast and ferocious in 28 Days Later… (2002) and World War Z (2013). In Warm Bodies (2013) and In the Flesh (2013-2015), they are thoughtful, sensitive and capable of empathy.

These sometimes radically different depictions of the undead (and the still living) suggest critical inquiries: What does it mean to be human? What ma...