Well, it appears that Twilight cultists are no longer the only breed of drooling, brain-dead freaks Earth's inhabitants must learn to cope with. That's right—a real-life Zombie Apocalypse is now upon us. Skeptical? I don't blame you; it wouldn't be the first time we eyed the living dead with skepticism. We shrugged our shoulders when we first saw them in Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968), dismissing them as a vehicle of hippie anti-war propaganda. We yawned when they showed their ugly faces a second time in Dawn of the Dead (1978), this time as a reminder of "rampant consumerism"[¹]. We even imitated them when we saw them stylishly dance in Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (1983) music video. Since then, the undead has steadily permeated popular culture and our media, though as little more than a joke to the common viewer.

Despite Romero's attempts to breathe life back into the withering film genre, it appeared that, like the King of Pop's dancing zombie companions, early 1980s audiences were more interested in a carefree attitude than a critical or serious one.[¹] As a result, viewers gravitated towards films such as the satirical Return of the Living Dead (1985), directed by Dan O'Bannon.