Apocalyptic Visions of the Present: The Zombie Invasion in Post 9/11 American Cinema

Abstract

First paragraph: In his article “This Is Not a Movie” (2001) published in The New Yorker, Anthony Lane describes the reactions of New Yorkers and mainstream media journalists after the 9/11 attacks. Whilst some saw the incident as an invasion of horrific reality into the everyday life of a naïve nation, witness testimonies suggested a much more fictional interpretation of the event. Thus, in their descriptions of the terrifying sight of the attacks, people resorted to numerous cinematic similes: “it was like a movie”, “it was like Independence Day [Roland Emmerich, 1996]”, “It was like Die Hard [John McTiernan, 1988]”, “No, Die Hard 2 [Renny Harlin, 1990]”, “‘Armageddon [Michael Bay, 1998].”(LANE, 2001). Not only did these movies become a reality for New Yorkers, but a reverse process took place as well, as the visual nature of the attacks, combined with the real presence of horror in the everyday world, turned this terrorist act into a central theme for the film industry in the years that followed. Moreover, the change in political direction taken by the Bush administration after the attacks resulted in years of war atrocities, widespread paranoia, and staunch defence of the capitalist system. This new era of panic found an excellent means of expression in horror cinema, which has traditionally been a source of meaningful metaphors for a society’s fears