On The Front Lines
New to OldSpeak: Zombie Historian & Theologian Kim Paffenroth Sheds Light on the Work of Horror Filmmaker George Romero
"The things that go on in zombie movies aren't nearly as frightening or grotesque as the things that go on in real life."-Kim Paffenroth
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - With Halloween just around the corner, OldSpeak talks to author Kim Paffenroth about the apocalyptic vision and legacy of horror filmmaker George Romero, who not only provided a new blueprint for an entire movie genre but also managed to infuse his films with underlying commentaries on religion, consumerism and American culture. The interview, "Gospel of the Living Dead: George Romero's Vision of Hell on Earth," is available here.
For example, Paffenroth asserts that Romero's zombie movies, either consciously or unconsciously, have borrowed from Dante's theme in Inferno that hell is not a place of external torments but instead is primarily of our own making. "Romero gives the zombie version of Dante's philosophy," Paffenroth explains, "which is, 'God isn't doing anything to the damned. They are just being left to their own.'"
George Romero's landmark film Night of the Living Dead (1968) defined the zombie genre since its release and has even spilled over into the depiction of zombies in any medium, including books, comic books, video and board games and action figures. However, as John W. Whitehead points out in the introduction to the interview with Kim Paffenroth, Romero's films are more than exercises in shock and nausea; they are thoughtful and serious examinations of the American psyche and culture. In the interview with Whitehead, Paffenroth highlights the fact that many of the underlying themes in Romero's trilogy of zombie films-Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead-parallel those in Christianity.
"Romero is focusing on the part of the Christian message which says human beings on their own would go straight to hell," states Paffenroth. "Human beings get endlessly fascinated by bright shiny objects or by hurting one another. We pursue materialistic goods and forget the higher good of either God or just loving and helping one another. Romero definitely is the dark side of the Christian message."
Kim Paffenroth is a recognized authority on Romero, his influence and his films. A professor of religious studies at Iona College, Paffenroth is the author of several books on the Bible and theology. Since turning his analysis towards horror films and literature, Paffenroth has written Gospel of the Living Dead: George Romero's Visions of Hell on Earth (Baylor, 2006), which won the 2006 Bram Stoker Award; Dying to Live: A Novel of Life Among the Undead (Permuted Press, 2007); Orpheus and the Pearl (Magus Press, 2008); and Dying to Live 2: Life Sentence (Permuted Press, 2008). Dr. Paffenroth attended St. John's and Harvard Divinity School and received his doctorate from the University of Notre Dame.
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