Between the living and the dead - The evolution and design of the zombie concept on screen from 1932 to 2014

<p dir="ltr">Folk legends of Haitian Voodoo significantly influenced popular culture of the twentieth century creating a concept of the living dead commonly known as zombies. Initially, they started off as animated corpses, automatons controlled by zombie masters, and in time slowly progressed to become flesh eating monsters. The popularity of zombie fiction in the movie industry of the last century started to bloom in the 1970's after the release of George A. Romero's independent horror film Night of the Living Dead (1968). Romero himself became the “Godfather” of all contemporary zombies and his movie became a foundation to numerous productions which adapted, altered and further developed the concept to suit their needs.</p><p dir="ltr">In this dissertation I intend to explore the construction of the zombie concept, its social significance and representation in the zombie fiction on screen of the last two centuries. Secondly I will analyse, based on selected examples, the choices involved in costuming the body of a performer, what do they mean and what kind of impact for the viewer do they carry? This thesis will also examine the purpose and importance of anti-aesthetic characteristics used in make-up and costume design.</p>