Zombie-naziści w horrorach, czyli jak Zombie SS stało się elementem popkultury

Abstract

Maria Piątkowska’s chapter Zombie-Nazis in Horrors, or How the Zombie SS Became Part of Popular Culture notes that undead Nazi soldiers appeared in the cinema as early as the 1940s: the black comedy King of the Zombies (1941) directed by Jean Yar-brough was even nominated for an Academy Award for best music. The decades of the 1970s and 1980s abounded in various, often trashy, depictions of zombie-Nazis who aimed to restore the greatness of the Third Reich, e.g. Shock Waves (1977) or Oasis of the Zombies (1981). Contemporary producers and directors have continued using the image of the zombie SS soldier in their cinematic productions. The 21st Cen-tury has witnessed the appearance of such films as: Dead Snow (2009), Horrors at War (2006), and Outpost (2008). Why is this theme constantly used in popular culture? The Third Reich is aptly associated with the idea of pure evil, and the popular culture craves evil. The iconography of the Nazis (e.g., their interest in occultism and refer-ences to German mythology) fits the popular image of evil forces in film and literature. By combining this theme with the cruel zombie, one may obtain an almost immortal villain.