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What Role Does Religion Play In Zombie Films

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It is easy to find believers who say religion is their salvation; it is much more difficult to find people who will say it is their damnation. Directors do not seem to have a problem profaning religion- monster movies have long used religion as an inspiration for their terrifying creations. Of those movies, few have had more thrilling success than the vampire genre. In contrast, zombie movies rarely draw on religious inspiration, preferring to stay firmly grounded in the realm of science fiction. I will examine the religious dimension of the creation of zombies and vampires, analyze the role religion plays in the resolution of the films, and conclude with a few remarks about the genres as a whole. Both Warm Bodies (2013) and Byzantium (2012) …show more content…

Almost all of the elements seem preternatural, if not supernatural. Humans have no control over rock formations, birds, and are unable to turn water to blood. The ominous doppelganger is especially significant; in the real world, they are thought to be omens of death. Assuming that the message translates, the doppelganger is further evidence of the divine. Humans cannot create omens; they are prophetic messages from the divine. Even elements that seem human are not- the cult members are not humans, but vampires themselves. They have already been touched by the power (or as they call it “gift”) of the unnamed saint, which has stripped them of their humanity. They even have a divine purpose- to serve as the “pointed nails of justice.” While the origin of zombies is secular and the origin of vampires is religious, the same does not hold true for their neutralization. Warm Bodies has a happy ending; Byzantium has an ambiguous one. In a cliché resolution that is new to the genre, love is the force that saves the town- and the zombies. R’s love of Julie literally causes his still heart to beat. Seeing their love triggers the re-humanization process in the

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