The (Un?)Dying Art Form of the Zombie Movie
Fans of the markets-in-everything approach to culture will appreciate this piece on the decline of the B-horror industry by the Atlantic's Josh Green. Apparently it's still possible (at least with a little substitute teaching on the side) to make a living as a zombie-movie actor. Still, as with many professions, it's becoming increasingly difficult to survive:
Like journalism and domestic auto manufacturing, low-budget horror is being buffeted by forces beyond the current recession. After thriving in the 1970s and '80s, the B-movie industry went into decline in the '90s, when Hollywood studios began stealing its audience by emphasizing fantasy, sci-fi, and especially horror. Movies like Saw and Hostel have become major-studio franchises. Whether this is good or bad was a running debate. "The benefit is that established actors are not afraid to go into the genre," said Jaume Collet-Serra, who directed Paris Hilton (that pillar of establishment Hollywood) in the teen slasher flick House of Wax. On the other hand, a sheer love of craft—an allegiance to authentic B movies—leads many aficionados to reject Hollywood fare for the likes of Zombie Farm. To these fans, Jed is not simply an inbred cannibalistic hick but the noble practitioner of a dying art form.
Reason's resident zombie expert, Tim Cavanaugh, wrote about the politics of zombie movies here, and praised the thoroughly underrated Land of the Dead here.
