In the past few years, zombie culture has all but taken over collective pop-culture consciousness. From movies to TV shows to books to video games, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a facet of mass media it hasn’t yet “infected.” Growing up with the impending apocalypse constantly looming over our heads has created a generation of people that are a little too prepared for the day the dead start to walk the Earth. What started out as just topic of drunken banter involving zombie escape routes and battle tactics has become a full-fledged movement spawning dozens of movies, comic books, a critically-acclaimed TV show, best-selling books, and the list goes on. So in preparation for Outbreak Manila, one of this year’s most awaited events, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite zombie-related pieces of pop-culture.

The Movies
You can’t really talk about zombies without mentioning these cult classics. And we’ve got the zombie-man himself, George A. Romero, to thank. Romero single-handedly catapulted the lowly zombie to celluloid greatness and created a whole genre of films that focused on the hypothetical zombie apocalypse.


Dawn of the Dead (1978)


Night of the Living Dead (1968)


Night of the Living Dead (1990)


28 Days Later (2002)

Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later was a game-changer for zombie films. Before it, zombies were nothing more than slow, shuffling corpses with a taste for human brains. In 28 Days Later, however, zombies could run just as fast as you, some even faster. They were stronger, too. Infected with the rage virus, they not only wanted to eat you but beat the living crap out of you as well. What’s scarier than a zombie? A fast, strong, and angry one.


Shaun of the Dead (2004)

The 2004 British comedy created a whole sub-genre on its own: the zombie comedy. In this film, the protagonists were middle class schmucks dealing with the everyday drudgery of life, just like you and me. They weren’t ripped or military-trained, and when faced with the zombie apocalypse they dealt with it in a way I imagine a lot of people would, by holing up in the nearest pub.


Zombieland (2009)

Zombieland was like a love-letter to zombie fanatics everywhere. Suddenly, all those late-night conversations about what you would do in the event of a zombie takeover was brought to light. There was a method to the madness, rules to be followed (Cardio, The Double Tap, Get a Kick Ass Partner, to name a few), and if you didn’t follow the rules, you would die, simple as that. The film also upped the awesome factor with an epic cameo from comedy legend Bill Murray.

(Check out Outbreak Manila: How to Survive the Apocalypse)

The TV Shows


The Walking Dead

At the end of a zombie film, you’re always left with that lingering question “well, what happens after that?” The Walking Dead, adapted from a series of comic books by writer Robert Kirkman, hopes to answer that. It’s the zombie movie that never ends. Supposedly. If it’s any indication, the comic book series has 16 volumes already published, and there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight. The life of Rick Grimes, his son Carl, wife Lori, and a group of survivors navigate their way through highways, forests, and farms, with one sole purpose: to stay alive.


Dead Set (2008)

What would happen if you were a contestant on the reality show Big Brother and the zombie outbreak happened while you were in the house? Dead Set, the critically-acclaimed British miniseries, explores that very question.

Books


Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks

It was really only a matter of time until the books started popping up. The New York Time’s best-selling book The Zombie Survival Guide covers all the bases (and is fully illustrated), from understanding zombie physiology and behavior to the most effective defense tactics and weaponry. Remember, when it comes to safe-guarding your life and your loved ones from the flesh-eating undead, you can never be too prepared.

(Wanna grab a copy of the guide? Check out our list of bookstores.)

World’s first zombie-proof house







Designed by KWK Promes, a Polish architecture firm, "The Safe House" is the world's first zombie-proof house. It offers maximum security from potential burglars, looters, and more importantly zombies. The house is designed so the walls move and then folds into itself, completely sealing it off from potential hordes of zombies.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention Website



Last year, the CDC of the US took our pop-culture obsession to another level by creating a section on their website called "Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse." This totally legitimizes our fears, right?

What's your favorite zombie-related piece of pop-culture? Let us know in the comments!

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