"The Walking Dead" Have Made Zombies Cool

Zombies have always been more of a "cult hit" thing. The lumbering, foul-smelling, brain-eaters just haven't had the charm to win over the mainstream. Or at least that has been the case for the last several decades, and before a TV ratings smash hit known as The Walking Dead came barging in. Zombies have had their moment such as with George Romero's critically successful The Night of the Living Dead franchise, which has a very strong following. It never was guaranteed gold at the box office and seemed more like something college guys occupied themselves with while emptying a keg. But now zombies are a prowling about in the mainstream, and it has changed the perception of what is considered broad entertainment. In my latest Collective Publishing article, I look at the major impact The Walking Dead and other once niche sci-fi/fantasy entertainment have had on modern pop culture.