We’ve been picturing the end of the world since we inherited it, and in the majority of our myths, the world ceases to exist before it can begin. The end has evolved alongside humans since the beginning of time. We are afraid of the unknown, and the sky above us is full of them. Prehistoric humans saw unexplainable celestial phenomena. They viewed the occurrences in a variety of ways, sometimes as divine warnings. We are all aware of individual mortality, but the end-of-the-world scenario involves the extinction of our species and all other species on the earth, which we collectively fear.
Why are we so obsessed with the end of the world, particularly the Zombie apocalypse? Every other movie and television show about the end of the world depicts a zombie apocalypse. Even so, as you may know, the apocalyptic film craze isn’t a new phenomenon—we’ve been telling stories about the end of life as we know it for as long as we’ve been alive. For millennia, people have warned us. The apocalyptic film is a relatively new addition to our long-standing habit of fantasizing about the end of the world.
Our popular apocalypse scenarios reveal a fundamental uncertainty about human dominance over nature. Ultimately, these stories are based on a flawed view of time, one that strives to predict and govern our connection with the future. Temporal justice necessitates the rejection of apocalyptic myths and the reimagining of our duties to the past, present, and future.
Zombie movies tap into a deeply embedded human anxiety—to simply put and generally, it is our fear of being sick. Thematically, zombie films began to shift away from Cold War paranoia and towards fears of viral outbreaks, pandemics, and genetic tinkering.
We could recognize our own savage hunger in a zombie’s insatiable thirst. Zombies are both an aesthetically scary antagonist (they’re us, deformed and robbed of humanity) and a philosophical blank slate on which we appear to hang whatever we’re now afraid of.
Talking about apocalyptic films implies discussing the pandemic. According to a British poll, one in every four people viewed post-apocalyptic movies during the pandemic. The Covid-19 pandemic was the closest thing to a real-life catastrophe we’d ever come. They ‘cope’ better during the quarantine, according to 72 percent of those who viewed this kind of movie. During an apocalyptic scenario, watching apocalyptic movies acts as a coping mechanism. Apocalyptic films also reassure viewers that everything will be OK in the end.
So far, we know that individuals are drawn to apocalyptic films for a number of reasons, ranging from a need for insight to coping mechanisms. For me, It was because I wanted to envision what it would be like if the world was in chaos. Will I make it? What changes will occur after the destruction? Perhaps I desire it because I am disillusioned with the world we live in and wish for extreme change. Whatever the reason, apocalyptic films will always be among people’s favorites.
