Viral apocalypse: Discourses of spreading and stopping epidemic through the example of zombie film narrative

Abstract

Based on the point of view that popular culture performs metaphorical narration of the contemporary society, this paper analyses the ways in which elements of zombie film narratives are used as a representation of infectious diseases, that is, representation of the social and institutional discourses associated with the occurrence, spreading and stopping of epidemics. The narratives of zombie films feature social anxieties regarding infectious agents through the discourse of epidemiological apocalypse, due to occurrence of an incurable virus, whose development results in the potential ending of the civilization.

Keywords

• zombie
• virus
• epidemics
• popular culture
• covid-19