I've mentioned before the study that shows zombies are more popular during conservative administrations and vampires are more popular during liberal ones. The idea is that each monster speaks to an anxiety we have about our current leadership. Zombies are scary because they represent conformity. Not only are they a horror in and of themselves, they want to make you one, too. And it happens so easily, a bite or a scratch. Just one wrong move and you are part of the mindless hordes going around asking everyone to give up their brains.
The numbers are scary, too. Everyone who has ever died might come back as a zombie (although most are lacking meat after a few years). You almost never have to deal with one zombie but an army of them. Whether they are moving slowly or running, their sheer overwhelming presence is going to be your downfall.
Zombies, as we know them, are pretty much straight from the recently departed George Romero's work. Prior to Night of the Living Dead, zombies were reanimated corpses that did the bidding of a voodoo priest or mad scientist. Nothing animated them beyond their will to follow orders. Modern zombies have no leader. There is no head to cut off to make them stop.
For some reason, these monsters seem like the most likely kind we might face in our lifetime. I know lots of people with Zombie survival plans. When Bath Salts started turning people into flesh eating weirdos, we all thought we were on the verge of the zombie apocalypse.
Of course, the real threat isn't drugs but the past itself. We thought we were through grieving for Aunt Linda or Cousin Buck but here they are, standing before us ready to eat our flesh. To save ourselves we will have to kill our loved ones all over again, and that's another strike in their favor.
I don't live my life scared of zombies but I do know which room of my house is my best bet should I be attacked.
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