Virus Ecohorror Main MenuThe World of Virus EcohorrorIntroductionVirus Eco-horror TimelineThe Walking DeadSince the SARS pandemic and the success of the movies like 28 Days later, the Walking Dead set to explore the interpersonal relationships rather during a pandemic rather than the virus itself. The show dramatically changed the landscape of virus eco-horror as it illustrated the fall of human society in a time when people needed to stick together the most.The Stand by Stephen KingThe Stand by Stephen King revolves around a man-made superflu that was accidentally released by the government into society in the United States. It ends up spreading across the entire world and killing 99% of the humanity.28 Days Later: Introduction28 Days Later is a movie about a rage-inducing virus that spreads across the United Kingdom and causes society to collapse.Bird BoxThe Maze Runner SeriesThe Maze Runner series by James Dashner tells a young adult dystopian tale of human society that has been ravaged by solar flares and by a virus initially released by the government for population control.Works CitedHitanshu Janiab07398a815684f638c75369f476d6611afd3b8dStephen Warrenbeb7d686d947a877dbd44acb2b6071a49ccab243Niknaz Tillavaldyyeva2b146d3b8f20646a711ea0add0ad0d42a4257371Manya Jaind6e6598b4c5c7b79843cb9611b4d5e98853792afVansh Patel9067bb587ae3468f00e7362a04c7236542bc24b3
In almost every piece of Virus Eco-horror fiction made, trust is central to the plot. In a world, where humans are overpowered by a microscopic, unseen enemy, they are forced to rely on each other to ensure survival. In the Walking Dead, the themes surrounding Trust and Betrayal are explored in the following ways.
Intimacy between Characters (Life threatening situation).
This is an idea that can take many forms in this sub-genre. When we look at it in the context of the Walking Dead, I am specifically talking about the relationships formed between characters after a pivotal, life threatening plot device in each season. That ranges from a camp site being raided by a horde of "walkers" to characters going on extreme, solo search and rescue missions for another character deemed irredeemable or worthy by the viewer. The ensuing relationship is generally a platonic or romantic dynamic that helps establish the humanity of the character as we are given flashbacks to their past live before the apocalypse. This allows the viewer to relate to the character's current emotional state better as they understand the events and memories that influence their actions. The relationships also help create new alliances whilst breaking others completely changing the power dynamic in a band of survivors.
Group Unity
Group Unity is the idea that with each season and a new faction, we see each member have very different ideas of what survival looks like and how far they are willing to go to save a group member from danger. In Virus Eco-Horror, it is almost archetypical to have characters that secretly hate each other and are willing to sacrifice the entire group for their own benefit. However, there are times when the dangers of the "Horde" or a warring faction are so overwhelming that a group of survivors who we consider to be a band of "misfits" will have seamless chemistry as they fight them off or perform heroic acts of bravery. I think this is a crucial sub-theme as it goes back to the idea of "faith in humanity" as we see that characters do have empathy and the apocalypse has not turned them into complete violent melee killers.
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1media/p8282918_b_h8_bn.jpgmedia/p8282918_b_h8_bn.jpg2022-10-22T11:42:10-07:00Hitanshu Janiab07398a815684f638c75369f476d6611afd3b8dIntroduction to The Walking DeadStephen Warren19plain12526142022-10-25T15:07:03-07:00Stephen Warrenbeb7d686d947a877dbd44acb2b6071a49ccab243
This page references:
1media/Rickfinalrealtionship_thumb.jpg2022-10-25T12:14:04-07:00Rick's relationship with Michonne2Hannemann, E. (n.d.). The 9 most romantic moments on 'The walking dead' (photos). TV Insider. Retrieved October 25, 2022, from https://www.tvinsider.com/gallery/the-walking-dead-couples-romantic-moments/media/Rickfinalrealtionship.jpgplain2022-10-25T13:47:02-07:00
1media/the-walking-dead-season-5_thumb.jpg2022-10-25T12:17:12-07:00Walking Dead Survivor Group2Graham, M. (2015, October 6). 'The walking dead' recap: A man's gotta eat. Decider. Retrieved October 25, 2022, from https://decider.com/2014/10/20/the-walking-dead-recap-ep502-strangers/media/the-walking-dead-season-5.jpgplain2022-10-25T13:50:20-07:00