There is a point in many people's lives when they have been so hungry they have almost felt savage, a throwback to caveman times when you do whatever it took to get food.
Maybe that's why when I read zombie fiction or remember episodes of X-Files like "Hunger" (from the seventh season back in 1999) I think of disordered eating and a base kind of hunger that is more primal than anything else in life, including sexual desire. The kind of hunger that is more powerful than shame or dignity...that is so overwhelming the morning after you feel like you woke up with a stranger you did unspeakable things with...
If you're a serious X-Files fan you might remember the "Hunger" episode with Chad E. Donella playing a troubled young man with serious food issues. http://x-files.wikia.com/wiki/Hungry In one scene he is talking in a support group and he speaks of his hunger as something he can't control. Even though he does despicable things (in a nutshell: he eats people's brains) the viewer almost feels sorry for him....
Obviously they're not real and not nearly as animated or attractive as vampires, but I've always sort of felt bad for zombies for this same reason. In a recently released anthology called The Best of All Flesh James Lowder brings together some of the best talent in zombie fiction.
No comments:
Post a Comment