[For The Love Of Franchises] ‘Zoms Vs. Poms!’ In Defense of Disney’s Zombies as Gateway Horror

Disney has a turbulent past with children's horror. Their first mainstream film in the genre, The Watcher in the Woods, was pitched by producer Tom Leetch to the company in the hopes that “it could be our Exorcist!” but struggled critically and commercially, along with their further attempts with Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Black Cauldron.

There were disagreements on how frightening they should be, with parents deeming them unsuitable for young eyes, all of which caused Disney to revert to their family brand that continues today. 38 years later, Disney released Zombies, a Girl meets Zom-Boy musical. The tagline “At Seabrook High, it’s Zoms Vs. Poms!” refers to the rivalry between humans and zombies. Let’s examine how it succeeds or falters as gateway horror.

The film is based on an unaired TV pilot titled Zombies & Cheerleaders by David Light and Joseph Raso but was greenlit as a film with Disney Channel and Nickelodeon veteran Paul Hoen (Let It Shine) directing. It has found notable success, having been nominated for a Humanitas Prize in 2019 and a premiere weekend bringing in 10.3 million viewers. The soundtrack ranked at No. 4 in children’s music on the Billboard charts and has two certified gold singles, “Someday” and “Flesh and Bone.” This all gave rise to two sequels, three animated spin offs and the upcoming Zombies: The Re-Animated Series.

The first film opens on the segregation of humans and zombies between the towns of Seabrook and Zombietown. Instead of a virus, zombies came from exposure to a nuclear disaster and wear government technology called Z-Bands, which inhibit ravenous instincts for brains. On the first day of school, they are thrilled to be with humans only to be met with “zombiephobia” which manifests as spray paint on the walls reading “No Zombies!”, a mandate to remain in the basement and a targeted hatred from the staff and students. It gets complicated when a human, Addison (Meg Donnelly) and zombie, Zed (Milo Manheim) fall in love. They find common ground in feeling outcast because Addison has her own secret: mysterious white hair she hides under a blonde wig, a hint to her origins that is revealed in Zombies 3. If she exposes her hair, she will become the social pariah of Seabrook. Later that day, Addison is selected for the cheerleading squad and Zed makes history by becoming the first zombie to get on the football team. Throughout the story, they rally to break the chains of intolerance and learn to love themselves for their differences.

Why a child friendly monster musical? Co-creator Light stated in 2018, “It just feels like the world is so polarized right now and we wanted to do a movie that values open heartedness and decency. And in the Disney canon, a movie about humanity makes sense; but right now, it feels countercultural. So we thought if our cheerleader could find a way to open her heart to a monster, that there’s real humanity to that.” Horror has always been most powerful when it carries a sociopolitical message, and this attention to moral values, inclusivity and representation is easily the strongest aspect of Zombies. The zombies have their own language called Zombese and it features a diverse cast and crew, an admirable feat potentially steered by executive producer Effie Brown, who is known for championing marginalized voices in film. The third installment has the first non-binary character and actor in a live-action Disney film (portrayed by Terry Hu), and features drag icon RuPaul as the voice of the alien Mothership.

As for the supernaturals who co-exist with the humans, the franchise has a combination of zombies, werewolves, aliens – and vampires (in the animated spin-off Zombies: Addison's Moonstone Mystery) – making for a palatable introduction to creatures. Instead of the frightening imagery we’re familiar with, signifiers come in the form of minor prosthetics, makeup and costume design. The zombies sport green hair and pale skin, the werewolves have sharp teeth, claw-inspired nail art and fur-lined vests, with the aliens donning blue hair and geometric shapes on their faces. The design of these simple yet specific looks of the characters make them Halloween and Cosplay friendly.

Then there’s the fact that it’s a big budget zombie musical. It’s not often we hear those words together. Zombies 3 reportedly had a budget of 40 million, the most expensive Disney Channel has produced. The songs are catchy, with a bit of cheeky humor as heard in its love ballad, “Someday,” sung by Zed: “Girl you look delicious / oh, I mean gorgeous!” and in the werewolf anthem, “We Own the Night”: “I'm the alpha, I'm the leader, I'm the one to trust / together we do whatever it takes, we're in this pack for life / we're wolves, we own the night,” sprinkled with obligatory howls at the moon. The high energy choreography has spawned tutorials and re-enactments on TikTok.

The world building of Zombies is a visual treat. The pastel-colored idyllic suburbia of Seabrook recalls 2004’s The Stepford Wives or Edward Scissorhands, in stark contrast with the motifs of Halloween-inspired neons in Zombietown. The neighborhoods feel less like reality and more like a studio lot, but it suits the tone of the heightened, emotional psyche of characters who could burst into song at any given moment. Fun fact: production designer Mark Hofeling has art department credits in Fangoria Magazine’s first production Mindwarp, Halloween 5, and EFX and puppeteer experience from Army of Darkness – lending a special horror street cred.

The cast is exceptional, brought together by Casting Directors Stephanie Gorin, Danielle Aufiero and Amber Horn, whose collective credits include Jigsaw and SpectreVision releases Daniel Isn’t Real and Color Out of Space, with Steven Tylor O'Connor joining the team for the third film. The repeat supporting characters feature actors who have worked in horror or other Disney projects: Chandler Kinney (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin), Trevor Tordjman (Bunk’d), Ariel Martin (also known as Baby Ariel, of musical.ly fame), James Godfrey (Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments), Carla Jeffery (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Kylee Russell (Jump In!), Pearce Joza (The Purgation) and more.

Undoubtedly, the standouts are our human and zombie star-crossed lovers, given life by Donnelly and Manheim, who earned the super-couple nickname “Zeddison” by fans. Their chemistry carries an endearing sincerity within the fantasy world, and are both triple threats in singing, dancing and acting. In this way, it feels like the younger sibling of Warm Bodies, but leaning more as an unapologetically optimistic duo driven by love. Manheim shows special talent in blending music and horror, having scored all tens on Dancing with the Stars alongside Witney Carson in their rendition of an asylum-set number. It’s easy to foresee his career having a similar evolution to former Disney stars like Zendaya or Ryan Gosling.

Yet Donnelly and Manheim were a match that almost never was. They were never scheduled to audition as a pair, but after meeting in the waiting room, a member of the casting team recognized an undeniable spark and asked them to do a chemistry read. Donnelly states, “They wanted us to sing a duet, and we sang ‘Love Is An Open Door’ from Frozen. We really relied on each other, and we formed such a special bond.” It’s worth noting that they became producers on the third film. Originally the script’s ending called for the humans, werewolves and zombies to be separated, but they insisted it should end with unity, which we see in the final cut as they gather in Seabrook.

While there is a wealth of positive commentary to speak of in Zombies, there were missed opportunities to give it more nuance as an entry into the slate of children’s horror films. The most frustrating being in how it both embraces and rejects horror conventions, resulting in an overall feeling of restraint in all three films. They are rated TV-G, but in comparison to the TV-Y7 rated Goosebumps series, the latter took more risks in style and scares appropriate for this younger age group.

The refusal to commit to the traditional lore of the supernatural characters is prevalent. When the zombies revert to their hostile instincts when the bracelets’ software is corrupted, they take on a Hulk-like or Frankenstein’s Monster strength rather than a taste for flesh. Naturally, there should not be gore and the vegan “cauliflower brains” are a playful filler, but the limitation could have offered a unique solution that wouldn’t sever its inherent tension completely. Perhaps even making their appearance or movements more unsettling when they “zombie out” could have aided in this area.

Then there’s the pack of werewolves who never transform from human to werewolf. Instead, they appear with sharp teeth and glowing eyes, lending more of a vampiric appearance. Again, a violent body horror scene by full moon need not be necessary, but its absence is felt as this duality is one of the most thrilling aspects of werewolves. It is already a fantastic metaphor for teenagers, but the film opts out in favor of a moonstone necklace. They do howl, but the lack of sound design to enhance their vocals results in what sounds like a group of children at play, yelling “awoo!” into the sky.

The aliens look human and are set apart by their futuristic outfits and comedic behavior in how they interpret Earth. There are callbacks to science fiction works with a quip of “take me to your… cheerleader!”, the neuralyzer from Men in Black, a device that erases memories from moments before, and the Mothership’s control room inspired by the TARDIS from Doctor Who. For a musical, one hoped to see an homage to Close Encounters of the Third Kind and hear the ship participate during the songs. If the choreography took a page from John Landis and Michael Jackson’s Thriller, it would have been rewarding to see the dancing more pronounced and based on the individual creatures’ physicality.

Overall, more references to horror conventions would have elevated the films greatly and added credibility for adult viewers. It gains more confidence in this regard from the first film to the second. An example is during the opening of Zombies 2. We see a hand burst out of the beach sand, with Zed crawling out and growling, a classic image we’ve come accustomed to seeing in a cemetery. There’s also when Addison goes into the woods alone and the mystery of what could be watching her gives it a sinister aura. The third film surrounds the alien invasion, so the horror elements are the most subdued in comparison to the previous two.

All of that said, the filmmakers did carry the weight of Disney’s image on them which may have forbid experimentation. Without knowing those development discussions, it’s difficult to ascertain. But where the Zombies franchise falters in its genre elements, it makes up for in its celebration of inclusion, acceptance and representation. The original Zombies focuses on battling racism, the second unpacks stereotypes and the third is about connecting with one’s heritage. Will there be a Zombies 4? Unfortunately, Disney Branded Television announced it would be the final live-action installment.

In conclusion, some may refuse to accept Zombies as a legitimate children’s horror franchise. Its high-spirited disposition and sugary pop soundtrack makes it an easy target for ridicule by anyone outside its target audience, as repeatedly seen on social media feeds. However, just because it’s not horror for us grown ups, does not mean it’s not horror for anyone else. Despite what adults think, it has garnered a massive following from its young viewership. This may be the gateway drug to more hardcore horror (as Rob Zombie recently proclaimed in reference to The Munsters).

And who knows, maybe these future monster kids will get into Anna and the Apocalypse and eventually The Walking Dead. But for now… it’s Zoms Vs. Poms.

References:

Anderson-Moore, O. (2022) ‘Shot on VENICE: DP Tico Herrera Brings Cinematic Edge to Disney Musical Zombies 3.’ SonyCine, Available at: https://sonycine.com/articles/shot-on-venice-dp-tico-herrera-brings-cinematic-edge-to-disney-musical-zombies-3/

Antunes, F. (2020) Children Beware! Childhood, Horror and the PG-13 Rating. United States of America: McFarland & Company, Inc.

Berrin, D. (2018) ‘David Light’s View of Zombies, Being Married to a Rabbi and the Trump Era.’ Jewish Journal, Available at: https://jewishjournal.com/culture/231572/david-lights-view-zombies-married-rabbi-trump-era/  

Effie Brown l Disney's Zombies Premiere Brunch and Screening Event (2018) YouTube video, added by AfterBuzz TV Red Carpets & Interviews [Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdtLEetg3CQ [Accessed 31 Oct 2022].

Kannon, host. “On the Inside.” Open House Party Uncut, Milo Manheim Talks ZOMBIES 3, Storic Media, Jul 20 2022, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/milo-manheim-talks-zombies-3/id1504739333?i=1000570560480 

Menta, A. (2022) ‘Will There Be a ‘Zombies 4’?’ Decider, Available at: https://decider.com/2022/07/15/zombies-4-sequel-disney-channel/

Milo Manheim from Disney Zombies - Interview Podcast (2017) YouTube video, added by Teens Wanna Know [Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97s1amI1cH0 [Accessed 31 Oct 2022].

Nahas, A. (2020) ‘Zombies Star Meg Donnelly Opens Up About Her Special Bond With Costar Milo Manheim.’ People, Available at: https://people.com/tv/zombies-star-meg-donnelly-opens-up-about-her-special-bond-with-costar-milo-manheim/ 

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