Is there anything scarier than the end of the world? Or, more entertaining?
As thrilling and horrifying as it may be to watch a show like The Walking Dead, there is always a reminder that something like zombies aren’t real, so there is nothing to really be scared of; even if the makeup and special effects crew are really great at their jobs. Unlike zombies, however, there are other threats to humanity (real and fictitious) that can easily trump a fictitious zombie apocalypse, hands down.
Chimp Apocalypse
With the upcoming DVD release of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, I started thinking about how frightening a chimp apocalypse would truly be. Could you imagine a world in which chimpanzees could take over and torture human beings? If it doesn’t sound like it’s scarier than zombies, well, it is. You see, like zombies (which aren’t real), chimpanzees (which are real) can rip the skin right off of your body; leaving you nearly bleeding to death and in sheer agony.
Not to mention, chimpanzees are more intelligent than zombies. With their intelligence, they can do things like open doors, operate machinery and a hell of a lot more; they only differ from us by like one percent of DNA. True chimpanzees are capable of emotion, which can work in our favor as any villainous threat can be outsmarted if they are behaving from an emotional standpoint. However, attempting to outsmart a chimp can only be effective if they are receptive at the moment of contact; and something tells me if a chimp apocalypse did occur, reasoning will not be an option.
Environmental Apocalypse
Whether you believe in global warming and the alleged repercussions it will have on our environment or not, you have to admit, it is pretty scary to think of the many possibilities that can occur as a result. Just like with the chimp apocalypse, an environmental apocalypse is frightening because we as human beings can do absolutely nothing to stop it once it occurs. Basically, regardless of man’s intervention or without it, we could still find ourselves in an environmental apocalypse. Take the movie, Snowpiercer, where scientists tried to reverse the depletion of the ozone layer, only to expedite a global freeze in the process.
Equally sobering, is the fact that all planets have a life span. That means that someday Earth too will meet her demise; we just aren’t certain what will cause it or when it will happen. But when that day does come, for whoever is there to see it, that environmental apocalypse will probably be just as daunting as a zombie take over.
Cosmic Horror Story
The eminent threat of an alien life form is one of the scariest possibilities that most of us could ever imagine happening to us on Earth. This is part of the reason for the fascination for movies about creatures like Godzilla, Galactus or Roswell, NM. So, it would be fitting to have cosmic horror story on the list of possible apocalypse worse than zombies.
Why would an alien apocalypse be worse than one with zombies? Well, first of all, like with the environmental apocalypse, humanity has no way of controlling such an apocalypse or preventing it. Basically, if a terrestrial life form like Godzilla or even an alien life form like Galactus were to appear as a threat to our existence, we are essentially screwed. As with any cosmic horror story that you may have seen, we have no way of protecting ourselves against such forces and will likely perish as a result. Death by Galactus, now that’s definitely scarier than zombies…right?