Living Death as Entertainment

Premiering as a rather obscure independent flm in 1968,

The Night of the Living Dead planted the seeds of immense
popularity for todays movies that portray characters who refuse
in one form or another to retire permanently to their graves.
ometime in the mid 19!"s this movie and others li#e The Rocky
Horror Picture Show and Godzilla became cult classics lin#ed to
almost ritualistic audience participation when they were shown at
midnight in many theaters, especially around $alloween.
%hen at some point over the last decade a tipping point was
breached. &ow variations on 'ombies and vampires have invaded
every form of media entertainment from novels to video games.
(idnight monster movies can be rented for home viewing
anytime, even at brea#fast. %im )urton*s movie, The Nightmare
Before hri!tma!" can be viewed appropriately at +hristmas time,
$alloween, or anytime in between.
,ne unday night tv hit, The #alking Dead, awash in bloody gore
and punctuated by e-plosions, inhabits the time slot once
reserved for .d ullivan. /t beats Sunday Night $oot%all ratings.
/t is all about 'ombies whose soap0opera0li#e antics and
murderous tendencies are not much di1erent from shows about
homocide detectives and medical e-aminers 00 e-cept the lead
characters loo# far more shabby and worn out than did Dragnet&!
2oe 3riday.
%his bi'arre unday fare is a favorite of both our grown children
who are now approaching their 4"s. %hey grew up on this stu1.
,ur daughter*s favorite tv show in the 8"s, for e-ample, was
Bu'y The (am)ire Slayer.
5nderstandably, we are eternally fascinated with life after death,
whether gory and gritty, or religious and ethereal. pecial e1ects
are a big enabler, though true immortality is beyond their reach
at least for the time being. 6ith a wry smile, my wife remembers
our watching 7awrence 6el# with my parents as something li#e a
night of the living dead. till terrifying and often tragic in real life,
and seldom uplifting e-cept in church, death has ironically
become an abundant source of surreal media entertainment.
7ets not ta#e it personally anytime soon.
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