In the early 1930s, American filmmakers were looking for a new monster. Instead of a European legend, they turned to the zombie, a creature from African lore brought by slaves to Haiti. Utah scholar Kyle Bishop says there’s now a “Zombie Renaissance,” where the undead populate not just film and television, but toys, fun runs, and even a CDC youth education campaign. Tuesday, Bishop joins Doug to talk about why we’re so intrigued by zombies and what they reveal about life in the 21st century. (Rebroadcast)
Kyle Bishop is an Associate Professor of English at Southern Utah University, where he also directs the Honors Program. He's the author of American Zombie Gothic [Indiebound|Amazon] and How Zombies Conquered Popular Culture [Indiebound|Amazon]