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Zombie Films Used to Have Brains. Now They’re Right-Wing Drivel.
In the decade between ‘Zombieland’ movies, Hollywood’s mindless monsters have become vehicles for racism and xenophobia
The 2009 horror comedy Zombieland, whose sequel comes out this week, begins with a lament for the United States: “I wish I could tell you that this was still America.” The voice-over, delivered by Jesse Eisenberg, plays over a shot of an American flag and a wrecked, post-apocalyptic U.S. Capitol. Lest this strike the viewer as too subtle, a distorted version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” plays on the soundtrack.
I shouldn’t have to tell you that a movie which opens with a shot of a flaming Washington might have some kind of political subtext, but if you somehow missed it, here it is: the United States had elected its first black president the year before Zombieland came out. Even back then, when white guys talked about “not recognizing America any more,” they were sending one specific, unmistakable message; you didn’t need to see them put on a red MAGA…
