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I Survived a Zombie Apocalypse is an eight-part UK reality television series from 2015. Set 6 months after a zombie outbreak caused by 5G Wi-Fi, the show featured a group of “survivors” trapped in an abandoned shopping centre in rural Scotland. With radio assistance from the army, survivors must stay alive for 7 days before they can be rescued, as well as completing tasks such as fortifying a base, making repairs or scavenging equipment and rations. The show had an unusual tone in that the horror and practicalities of a zombie apocalypse were taken extremely seriously (including a bloody death scene for any of the survivors if caught) yet featured tongue-in-cheek (or, in some cases, black humour) comic relief in the form of segments from a fictional version of real-life presenter Greg James alongside public service announcements from the Preventative Agency for Neurological Transformations and Zombifications (P.A.N.T.Z). Another unusual feature of the show (for the time) was the participation of contestants from underrepresented communities: for example, there were two disabled contestants, a transgender contestant and a retired contestant. Throughout the show, concerns were raised between the survivors regarding Othering, with many turning on each other for survival. Although, of course, it is unclear how much of the “reality” show was an accurate portrayal of the events that actually took place, it employs the narrative of a zombie apocalypse to examine group dynamics, particularly in situations of intense stress and/or trauma. Despite its artificiality, the horror setting creates an uncomfortable and stressful environment with threats of real peril, offering an examination of how theatrical horror tropes and narratives can be employed to test people psychologically, including confrontations with infected survivors or overpowered “boss” zombies. This work examines how this specially cultivated horror environment affects group dynamics, especially in terms of struggles for power and control after being put in to what is essentially a helpless situation, as well as how zombies are used to highlight issues of Othering.

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“Avoid Zombies. Stay Alive”: Power Dynamics and Othering in I Survived a Zombie Apocalypse (2015)

  • 动态工具书词条

  • 发表日期：

    2025年

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  • Catherine Pugh

摘要

I Survived a Zombie Apocalypse is an eight-part UK reality television series from 2015. Set 6 months after a zombie outbreak caused by 5G Wi-Fi, the show featured a group of “survivors” trapped in an abandoned shopping centre in rural Scotland. With radio assistance from the army, survivors must stay alive for 7 days before they can be rescued, as well as completing tasks such as fortifying a base, making repairs or scavenging equipment and rations. The show had an unusual tone in that the horror and practicalities of a zombie apocalypse were taken extremely seriously (including a bloody death scene for any of the survivors if caught) yet featured tongue-in-cheek (or, in some cases, black humour) comic relief in the form of segments from a fictional version of real-life presenter Greg James alongside public service announcements from the Preventative Agency for Neurological Transformations and Zombifications (P.A.N.T.Z). Another unusual feature of the show (for the time) was the participation of contestants from underrepresented communities: for example, there were two disabled contestants, a transgender contestant and a retired contestant. Throughout the show, concerns were raised between the survivors regarding Othering, with many turning on each other for survival. Although, of course, it is unclear how much of the “reality” show was an accurate portrayal of the events that actually took place, it employs the narrative of a zombie apocalypse to examine group dynamics, particularly in situations of intense stress and/or trauma. Despite its artificiality, the horror setting creates an uncomfortable and stressful environment with threats of real peril, offering an examination of how theatrical horror tropes and narratives can be employed to test people psychologically, including confrontations with infected survivors or overpowered “boss” zombies. This work examines how this specially cultivated horror environment affects group dynamics, especially in terms of struggles for power and control after being put in to what is essentially a helpless situation, as well as how zombies are used to highlight issues of Othering.