2. 1920’S/30’S – White zombie (1932)
• Narrative – A young man turns to a witch doctor to lure the woman he loves away from
her fiancé, but instead turns her into a zombie slave.
• Iconography – Props that were used in the film included knifes, a coffin and guns. The
film was set in a graveyard.
• Characters – There are five main characters, the protagonist’s being Madeleine Short
Parker, the fiancée of Neil who is turned into a zombie by Murder Legendre, Neil Parker,
a bank employee and Dr. Bruner: a missionary who later helps Neil Parker save
Madeleine. The two antagonists are, Murder' Legendre, a white Haitian voodoo master
who commands a crew of zombies and Charles Beaumont, a plantation owner who is in
love with Madeleine.
• Setting – The film is set on the road to, New York. While traveling there Madeleine and
Neil are convinced to get married in a Mansion in, Port Prince. The mansion is one of
the main settings used in the film as is a graveyard and a church.
• Style – The film is presented in a black and white style. There are limited amount of
camera angles and shots used within the film. Most of them include mid shots, close
ups, long shots and establishing shots.
3. 1950’s - Teenage Zombies (1959)
• Narrative – four teens that go boating out to an island, where they are captured
by a scientist working on a drug to make the American populace mindless and
obedient.
• Iconography – Props used in this film included a jail cell, test tubes and other
things you would find in a science lab and knifes. These are also all common
things to find in a zombie film especially in the 1950’s.
• Characters – The two main characters starring in the film were, Don Sullivan as,
Reg and, Katherine Victor as, Dr. Myra. There were also several other teens and
scientists used to support their roles.
• Setting – The setting was based in a science laboratory which also help a jail cell
that the teens were held in. There was also a room in the laboratory which kept
the zombies in. There were also scenes shot in a forest and a bar.
• Style – Because of the limited budget and the quality of the editing tools and
cameras there are very little camera angles ranges and minimal shot ranges
provided within the film. The lighting, although black and white, is shown as
quite dark and mysterious. Most of the scenes are edited to be long, not fast.
4. 1980’s - Day of the Dead (1985)
• Narrative – there is an outpost of scientists under the protection of the military,
trying to figure out some way of combating the zombie problem. They are safe in
their hideout, except for periodic occasions where they have to capture a zombie
for experimentation.
• Iconography – The props for this film are set out like a school room. There are
tables and chairs laid out in the style of a class and they are about to be taught.
There are also hints of experimenting within the trailer as a science laboratory is
also present in one of the scenes. These do not really go along with other zombie
movie conventions but fit in with the genre all the same.
• Characters – Lori Cardille as Dr. Sarah Bowman, Joseph Pilato as Captain Henry
Rhodes, Terry Alexander as John and Richard Liberty as Dr. Matthew
"Frankenstein" Logan.
• Setting – The setting is in a hideout that lies in America. A city has been destroyed
and abandoned and all the zombies are walking around claiming it as theirs.
• Style – In this film there are many more shots and camera angles used to create
the typical zombie film. There are many close ups and mid shots used along with
more prestigious shots like panning, high angle and arc shots. The lighting is dark
for quite a lot of the film as it is set in a hideout away from all the zombies in the
cities and towns.
5. 2000’s - World War Z (2013)
• Narrative – United Nations employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against
time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments, and
threatening to destroy humanity itself.
• Iconography – This film, unlike other zombie movies, has very little conventions that
you would associate with common zombie films. Such as there were no grave yards/
cemeteries or creepy old houses. But there were some things like a city being torn
apart and virus’ that caused the outbreak included which are all common in modern
zombie film.
• Characters – There are many protagonists in this film such as Gerry Lane, a former
United Nations investigator and his family. Also an Israeli soldier known only as
"Segen", who accompanies Gerry during their escape from Israel. The main antagonists
are the zombies who are the only real enemy.
• Setting – World War Z is set in many different places around the world. These places
included; Philadelphia, South Korea, Jerusalem and Cardiff.
• Style – Unlike most other horror/thriller films the lighting for World War Z is very
bright. There are a substantial amount of camera shots and angles which capture much
of the scenery, facial expressions and action. The editing is varied in each scene, some
having long and slow shots and others including fast choppy shots to create a tense
atmosphere.
