28 Weeks Later-28 Days Later: Downfall and Personal Apocalypse

Introduction

Zombies are the reanimated undead. Myths that originated earlier suggested that zombies were under the control of sorcerers or rose from the dead to avenge a crime committed against them during their lifetime. But when it comes to modern zombies, they are mindless monsters who feel no pain and have an enormous appetite for human flesh, whose purpose is to kill, eat, and infect humans. Zombies, first revived by bokors, have continued to be revived in various forms throughout history. A growing number of zombie narratives have made zombies a popular topic, especially in the early twenty-first century. In his various productions, it has transformed into something more than itself as a zombie figure and is therefore open to many readings.

Zombie is first and foremost a political figure with its own genesis and history, moreover, it has been used as a political metaphor in its reproductions. The zombie i” clearly the most disgusting other. He is the one who transforms man into the most primitive in every sense; both the transforming human and the one who fights against the zombie. The basis of zombie narratives is a virus that spreads to the masses and threatens the state as an entity. The person who protects the borders of the state and the country also determines the limits of diffusion. These borderlines actually turn into protection that keeps the criminal inside, which also combines with the prison theme. In this sense, in zombie narratives, the inside and outside change places. It is the other who disrupts the order. Due to our subject, the zombie can be thought of as a primitive and soulless human form in which human characteristics have been lost.

The more human-like an entity becomes, the more suspicious we become, the zombie is uncanny in this sense. The period of zombies, especially starting with Romero, points to this; They're like humans, but they're not. The catch of this idea is due to the fact that it also includes criticisms such as the consumption society. The zombie narrative then took a different form and turned into more social movements; such as people rioting, contagion when bitten, disease, infection… Towards the 90s, these ideas evolved into a structure in which huge cities turned into zombies. In this context, zombies are a threat to humanity. However, the point reached as a result is the idea of “man's enemy is man”, which is seen in all zombie narratives without exception.

28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later brought the zombie to another point both in terms of breaking the usual zombie patterns and cinematically. Although those infected with the “rage virus” in the movie do not correspond to a direct zombie definition, they are not zombies, and also they are too zombies to even try.

In addition, from an evolutionist point of view, human beings inherit this virus from monkeys just as they came from monkeys. The rage virus in the movie actually emphasizes rage as a primitive emotion that exists in every human being. In this context, the films considered are important because they question the difference between a virus-infected “zombie” and an uninfected person trying to survive in the apocalypse in the most primitive sense.

In addition, the films 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later increased their power and effectiveness by making intertextual references to structures and works known in history and in social memory. In this sense, it is thought that the films discussed go beyond just being a simple zombie movie, and for this reason, it is thought to be important.