What a very exciting time to be alive if you love the dead. That may not have come out right, but it's still very true. The great thing about the world of zombies is that the more excited people get and the more widespread the audience, the more content will be produced. That means comic books, zombie t-shirts, literature, television shows, and movies will all be featuring our new favorite undead. Move over sparkling vampires, because a new monster is in town.
The popularity of zombies started in 1968 with an independent film called, "Night of the Living Dead." this film was so low budget that it was shot in black and white and they used chocolate syrup for the blood effects. The film was also the very first movie to ever star a black actor in a leading, heroic role. The director, George Romero, wanted to show that when society broke down, it didn't matter what color your skin was anymore. People were either living, or undead. It wasn't long before the first "Night of the Living Dead" zombie t-shirts started showing up.
Romero's take on such a previously underused horror genre continued well into the 80's. This expanded his career to the point where anyone who thinks or says the word "zombie", Romero's work is immediately summoned to mind. Many others attempted to create their own spin on the this horror genre, but they always came up short to the master. It was the immense popularity of these films amongst young film fans that laid the base for zombies to break into the mainstream later. It wasn't long before being seen in Romero zombie t-shirts started being cool instead of creepy.
It wasn't until the late 90's that zombies really became a mainstream attraction. This is when Romero's classic "Dawn of the Dead" was remade for modern audiences. The zombies were changed from slow-moving shamblers to fast-moving ceiling-crawlers. While this certainly made some old-school fans upset, it made zombies truly exciting for new fans. Overnight, people started buying zombie t-shirts and eating anything up that had anything remotely to do with zombies. There are even zombie plush toys now.
Just a little over ten years later, zombies are getting pumped full of (un)life once again. Max Brooks and Robert Kirkman have both given the genre another shot in the arm by writing some truly inspirational pieces of fiction, Brooks with the novel "World War Z" and Kirkman with his monthly comic book called "The Walking Dead." Both of these works of fiction are getting the Hollywood treatment. "The Walking Dead" has just begun its second season as a hit television show. "World War Z" has already begun production as a Hollywood blockbuster staring Brad Pitt. Guess who has zombie t-shirts from both of these awesome franchises?
The popularity of zombies started in 1968 with an independent film called, "Night of the Living Dead." this film was so low budget that it was shot in black and white and they used chocolate syrup for the blood effects. The film was also the very first movie to ever star a black actor in a leading, heroic role. The director, George Romero, wanted to show that when society broke down, it didn't matter what color your skin was anymore. People were either living, or undead. It wasn't long before the first "Night of the Living Dead" zombie t-shirts started showing up.
Romero's take on such a previously underused horror genre continued well into the 80's. This expanded his career to the point where anyone who thinks or says the word "zombie", Romero's work is immediately summoned to mind. Many others attempted to create their own spin on the this horror genre, but they always came up short to the master. It was the immense popularity of these films amongst young film fans that laid the base for zombies to break into the mainstream later. It wasn't long before being seen in Romero zombie t-shirts started being cool instead of creepy.
It wasn't until the late 90's that zombies really became a mainstream attraction. This is when Romero's classic "Dawn of the Dead" was remade for modern audiences. The zombies were changed from slow-moving shamblers to fast-moving ceiling-crawlers. While this certainly made some old-school fans upset, it made zombies truly exciting for new fans. Overnight, people started buying zombie t-shirts and eating anything up that had anything remotely to do with zombies. There are even zombie plush toys now.
Just a little over ten years later, zombies are getting pumped full of (un)life once again. Max Brooks and Robert Kirkman have both given the genre another shot in the arm by writing some truly inspirational pieces of fiction, Brooks with the novel "World War Z" and Kirkman with his monthly comic book called "The Walking Dead." Both of these works of fiction are getting the Hollywood treatment. "The Walking Dead" has just begun its second season as a hit television show. "World War Z" has already begun production as a Hollywood blockbuster staring Brad Pitt. Guess who has zombie t-shirts from both of these awesome franchises?