COVID-19 In The Context of Zombie Films

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In the South Korean zombie classic TRAIN TO BUSAN, there is a scene where the zombies are locked in one train compartment with the uninfected humans doing all that they can so these zombies can’t escape. It is a natural human instinct for survival, to not die, and the zombie film is probably the most existential of the horror genre to embody this.

A pandemic is no different and probably more rooted in reality than fantasy. The instinct to survive becomes real when humankind gets threatened with extinction. Think of the 1918 Spanish Flu, think of 1980s AIDS. The present pandemic COVID-19 is no different. When you see in the news the rising death toll, you avoid it like the proverbial plague.

But SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is smart. Getting infected doesn’t mean automatic death. There are asymptomatic cases that have no to mild symptoms. And the chances of you recovering if you are under 30 with no preexisting health conditions are pretty high. With most deaths happening to the elderly and sickly, the young are even dismissing this as no different from the nasty flu, making it a source of divisive conflict in society.

Just like COVID-19, zombies in films have their distinctive traits as well. There are the fast-running, nimble-jumping, high-climbing zombies of WORLD WAR Z. In both 28 DAYS LATER and 28 WEEKS LATER, the zombies can also run but just as fast as humans, not faster than them. In the NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and the TV series THE WALKING DEAD, the zombies can only walk, not run. Walking is the classic depiction of the movement of zombies, partly paralysed because they are technically dead brought back to life, slow and incapacitated, which tames their capacity to infect humans. In TRAIN TO BUSAN, the zombies are nimble but blind in the dark while their sensitivity to sound compensates this.

These varying sinister zombie strengths and limitations are akin to the diverse infection and case fatality rates of the pandemic pathogens. The 1918 Spanish Flu hit harder and killed more people when it mutated into something deadlier in its second wave. HIV has a long symptom-free incubation period before it develops into AIDS, so in its early years, it had caused many infections and deaths before the public took preventive measures. There is still no vaccine for HIV, but there are medications that now prevent it from becoming a death sentence.

From its original strain, SARS-CoV-2 has mutated to something more infectious, not deadlier, so far. Those who are pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic may not even be aware that they are already infecting people. The virus spreads through droplets or aerosol, the latter being a terrifying scenario. Early studies have also shown that the virus can infect through the eyes. So on top of social distancing, aside from hand washing and sanitisers, face masks and face shields are prioritised as essential primary forms of defense.

While COVID-19 is technically an invisible enemy, the zombies are not, and they are predatory antagonists, with the few remaining survivors as protagonists in a zombie apocalypse. This scenario is the general plotline of a zombie film. Even zombie comedies like SHAUN OF THE DEAD, LITTLE MONSTERS, or THE DEAD DON’T DIE follow this formula. Probably the most inventive of them all is that touching romantic comedy WARM BODIES, where the zombie is a victim that needs protection. Despite these variations, it is best when it sticks to its original genre, whether it be the socially-themed Canadian RAVENOUS or the angst-ridden French THE NIGHT EATS THE WORLD.

As far as COVID-19 is concerned, the general worldwide rule is to avoid infection, although there are pockets of rebellion and social unrest throughout, mainly when lockdown fatigue has settled in.  An effective vaccine is still a dream, but quite a hopeful one with more than nearly a hundred vaccines that are speedily in development. Some say: “If I get COVID, I get COVID.” These would either be a rebellious teen on spring break or a Trump devotee or even a country that espouses herd immunity like Sweden, and the problem is that they are taking their chances that the virus won’t kill them. It is, in truth, a gamble, a Russian roulette game of sorts. You take the chances, and you might be the unlucky one.

Some who survived COVID-19 are known as long haulers where months after their infection, they still experience symptoms of lethargy, brain fog, fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, headaches, chills, among the many others. Much is still unknown about the virus to ascertain if this will resolve on its own or if the infection has done long-term health damage to the body. There have been documented cases of re-infection after just a few months giving doubt as to the length of immunity you get, or worse, does the virus resurface again after being dormant in the body? One can’t help to think if these COVID long haulers are metaphorically the zombies of today, living life as the undead.

TRAIN TO BUSAN had substantial social commentary on South Korea’s class divisions in society. There is that unjust need to protect those first-class compartment passengers from the rampaging zombies from the economy class. This theme was a byproduct of South Korea’s class struggles during their encounter with MERS back in 2015. South Korea has learned a lot from that experience in dealing with COVID-19. But the confronting reality in most countries is that those working-class front-liners who cannot work from home are the most afflicted when there is an outbreak. Australia got spared from both SARS and MERS and initially approached COVID-19 with a united front. The slogan was: we are all in this together. Well, it was, until the second wave hit Victoria, making it a pariah state, its dire fate a warning cautionary tale into the destructive capabilities of this virus.

If there is one theme that binds COVID-19 and zombie films together, it would be the overriding shade of mistrust and chaos. It can be subtle, like the closing of borders or general disregard for the rule of law. Virus-infested nations like zombies are shunned by the rest of the world, starting with Wuhan, China, and now the all-powerful United States of America. And just like a powerful surprise comeback from the dead, COVID-19, like a zombie, can resuscitate itself even in a COVID-eliminated society like New Zealand. Now wouldn’t that be a nice cliffhanger?