WSU's Michael Delahoyde teaches undergraduate classes about monsters and culture. (Photo by Linda Weiford, WSU News)

By Linda Weiford, WSU News

A Washington State University expert on monsters says today’s zombie craze is a reflection of our own anxieties about death and the grind of day-to-day life.

“In literature and in film, stories about zombies are less about the zombies and more about ourselves,” said Michael Delahoyde, clinical associate professor of English, who has taught undergraduate classes about monsters and culture for more than two decades.

Cultural phenomenon

The American public’s interest in zombies has been on the rise since George Romero’s 1968 cult-classic “Night of the Living Dead,” but only in the past decade has it skyrocketed. Consider the movies released since 2002 – “28 Days Later,” “Shaun of the Dead,” “Dawn of the Dead,” “I am Legend,” among dozens.  Continue story →