Thursday, November 10, 2011

Intertextuality Connections

Shaun of the Dead (2004) - Genre: Film


Four Horizontal Intertextual Connections:


Night of the Living Dead (1968) - Genre: Film
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063350/
The first of the cult loved "Dead" trilogy directed by George A. Romero, this low budget zombie movie was one of the first of its kind to become popular.  As is the norm for Romero's movies, Night of the Living Dead has an underlying theme.  This one in particular touched on the racial tension that was prevalent during the late 60s, with a zombie twist!  This film helped define what the undead where: slow walking, flesh-eating ghouls who can only be killed by "removing the head, or destroying the brain."






Dead Alive (1992) - Genre: Film
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103873/
Not only does this little zombie gem directed by Peter Jackson have the connection of undead, or zombies in it, but it could also be defined as a Zomedy (Zombie-Comedy) or a Rom-Zom (Romantic Zombie flick).  Similar in plot and style, Shaun implements a romantic love interest, and uses humor and slapstick to push the story along.


Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) - Genre: Film
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040068/
It may be a stretch to see the intertextual connections with this one, but there are actually a couple.  This comedy duo took the horror film genre, much like Shaun of the Dead, and put a comedic spin to entertain audiences in a new way.  However, the connection that it possibly more significant is that Abbot and Costello helped define the Buddy film genre.  Two, seemingly alike friends, who are in actuality very different and tend to experience somewhat bizarre shenanigans together.


Day of the Dead (1985) - Genre: Film
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088993/
This is the third movie In Romero's "Dead" trilogy.  It sparked the idea of the undead being able to be taught and relearn human functions in order to adapt them to better society (instead of tearing it apart).  They did this using the character Bud, who was slowly gaining back motor functions and learning minuscule tasks such as using the phone.  Shaun of the Dead incorporates this idea at the end of the movie when society was on its way back to normal.  However, we see the undead being used at grocery stores to fetch shopping carts and has main topics on day time talk shows.




Four Vertical Intertextual Connections:


The Zombie Survival Guide (2003) - Genre: Literature
Though comical at times, Max Brooks actually wrote a very detailed and in depth guide to surviving a possible zombie outbreak.  Even Max Brooks will admit that writing it was all in fun, and that he doesn't truly believe it to be a possibility.  However, it devises many plans, tactics, and escape measures that are reincorporated numerous times in Zombie adaptations.  His emphasis on blunt objects as a great defense is possibly the motivation for Shaun's use of the cricket bat in Shaun of the Dead.



Zombies Ate My Neighbor (1994) - Genre: Video Game
I remember playing this game years ago on SNES.  The goal of the game is not solely survival like many zombie games.  Instead, the goal is to rescue neighbors and friends from their houses.  If the the level is not completed in enough time, the zombie (or other monsters in the game) eat your neighbor.  This idea is often used in zombie films, including Shaun of the Dead.  Once Shaun and Ed were able to grasp the situation at hand, they run to rescue his girlfriends and her flatmates, soon followed by the rescuing of his mother and stepfather.  Of course, they arrived just in time.




Resident Evil 2 (1998) - Genre: Video Game
Although the first Resident Evil game could also be mentioned, I think the second game really does the genre justice.  This is really the game that made survival horror video games popular.  It further defined the slow moving, white faced zombie, shuffling and groaning for flesh.  Be cautious of those bitten, and always aim for the head.  Shaun of the Dead also realized the fear Resident Evil produced using undead hands busting through boarded windows and blocked doors.  Classic Zombie action!



Dracula (1987) - Genre: Literature
Though the era is very different, a lot of themes used in vampire myth are used to form the zombie genre.  A living creature who is actually dead, who feasts on the living to maintain a tortured immortality.  The common theme is fear of the dead and supernatural.  Also, there are specific ways to kill a vampire, such as there are for werewolves, and zombies.



Two Public Tertiary Texts:

Desson Thompson - Staff Writer, Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44729-2004Sep23.html
 "In this movie, you enjoy the comedy and like the characters, a rare thing to expect in a zombie sendup. While saluting the genre and enjoying a lot of laughs, writers Pegg and Wright don't just knock this one out of the park, they keep their eye on the ball all the way."


James Berardinelli - Film Critic, Reelviews.net
http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_template.php?identifier=698
"There were times when, while watching George Romero's zombie movies, I had to stifle laughter. Cheesy moments abound, although die-hards will deny this. Wright reproduces many of those instances here, but with a difference. In the Dead movies, we're laughing at the film. In Shaun, we're laughing with the director."


Two Signifiers

The Zombie

  The idea of Zombies in this movie, and many others, are SYMBOLIC.  They always seem to be a critic on human nature and mankind.  Often times they are used to show the evils of racism and materialism like in Romero's films.  In Shaun of the Dead, I think zombies are compared to the two main characters, Shaun and Ed.  These unmotivated, slacker-protagonists are oblivious to the outbreak happening around them because they're too wrapped up in playing video games and visiting the pub.  



Fear of the Death or Dying


Though Shaun of the Dead is indeed a comedy, it still has horror aspects underlying humorous situations.  This fear of the dead is ICONIC.  People have always been infatuated and afraid of death and the unknown.  This film uses this fear by bringing the dead back to life and having them eat, kill, and change the living to something slow, disgusting, and miserable.  A lot of zombie films like to leave the cause of the disease to the imagination.  Others suggest radiation from space, plagues or viruses, and even the emotion rage.  Shaun likes to keep the audience guessing by subtly leaving possible answers in newspaper articles and radio/news reports.   Not only do is impending doom a big concern, but having no idea what you're up against, and how to over come it, is possibly even scarier.

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