Imagined Horrors Turned Reality
Cari Morshead
May 2020
Horror films often serve as metaphors for greater social issues and anxieties. For the zombie subgenre, these anxieties can include society’s fears and paranoia surrounding the spread of life-threatening diseases, which take the form of the cannibalistic undead, and the subsequent struggle for survival.
Living through the current pandemic has felt awfully similar to living through a zombie film. Of course, there are no real zombies in a pandemic, but the ultimate threat that zombies or other monsters pose to our health and safety, along with the ensuing panic, still remains. The virus is widespread, anyone can become infected, and people are dying. This series, inspired by a love of horror films, intends to blend these imagined and real life horrors, as well as highlight the importance of wearing masks to protect the community.