thaatswhatsheread's review
4.0
"With every war or financial crisis, people turn paradoxically to horror as a construct through which they can filter their real-world fear, transfer it into a fictional realm, and leave it behind in the darkness of the movie theater while they emerged refreshed and ready to face the challenges of their actual lives."
This was a very fascinating read. Dr. Blumberg documents the evolution of the portrayal of zombies in pop culture from the early 1900's to today. What makes this interesting is to dive into what was happening culturally at the time of each zombie boom and how those societal anxieties manifested themselves in the films. I will admit that zombies aren't my favorite horror sub-genre, but I've always been very interested in the allegory behind them, so this was great! Recommend to all fans of zombie movies and pop culture and fans of horror and horror history.
This was a very fascinating read. Dr. Blumberg documents the evolution of the portrayal of zombies in pop culture from the early 1900's to today. What makes this interesting is to dive into what was happening culturally at the time of each zombie boom and how those societal anxieties manifested themselves in the films. I will admit that zombies aren't my favorite horror sub-genre, but I've always been very interested in the allegory behind them, so this was great! Recommend to all fans of zombie movies and pop culture and fans of horror and horror history.
lilyn_g's review
4.0
Review snippet
Overall, I enjoyed 'Journey of the Living Dead: A Tribute to Fifty Years of Flesh Eaters'. It took me longer to get through than expected as it wasn't the page-through flulff I was expecting. There's also the fact that the author is a college professor, and many times that is what this book reads like. He tries (and often succeeds) to inject humor into the text, but this has a tendency to read like a textbook. A mostly interesting textbook, but a textbook nonetheless. I liked being lead beneath the surface of the films (and sometimes books). I never felt like the author was talking down to me as much as he was just genuinely enjoying talking about the subject. He also makes many good points concerning society, especially considering what we're going through now.
Full review to come later after it's posted on Sci-Fi & Scary.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration.
Overall, I enjoyed 'Journey of the Living Dead: A Tribute to Fifty Years of Flesh Eaters'. It took me longer to get through than expected as it wasn't the page-through flulff I was expecting. There's also the fact that the author is a college professor, and many times that is what this book reads like. He tries (and often succeeds) to inject humor into the text, but this has a tendency to read like a textbook. A mostly interesting textbook, but a textbook nonetheless. I liked being lead beneath the surface of the films (and sometimes books). I never felt like the author was talking down to me as much as he was just genuinely enjoying talking about the subject. He also makes many good points concerning society, especially considering what we're going through now.
Full review to come later after it's posted on Sci-Fi & Scary.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration.
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