Eating Time: The Cultural Significance of the Zombie Apocalypse

Abstract

Although many connect the popularity of zombie apocalypse narratives with terrorism, pandemics, and natural disasters, this paper argues that the cultural significance of the apocalypse genre lies in the rhythm of the cinematic experience. Considering the genre's two archetypal sequences, the chase and the siege, the article argues that the genre offers catharsis for the feeling of being relentlessly harried through a heightened form of the increasing time pressure in modern Western societies.