I was recently flipping though the channel guide with my wife, when we came across a show called zombie mania. It pretty much consisted of interviews, film clips, and input from members of the film industry,entertainment, and I believe even a psychologist, all on the effect this genre has had on modern society and why it scares some and thrills others. For me, zombies both scare and thrill me. I equate fond memories of childhood male bonding with zombie films. The tension they created in the atmosphere. Watching every one's reactions to the gore, and waiting for that special moment when every one is so rapped up in the film that you can just moan real loud and watch who really is tough and who is a scaredy cat. As a young boy, my brother and I inadvertently created a tradition which down to this day has become part of a rite of passage among the males in our family. That rite is to be allowed to watch zombie films(preferably on a cold winter night) and not get shook up, or at least not show it. It all started when I was 17 and my brother was 12. Our parents went off for a week end date just the next town over at La Quinta(bow chicki bowow), and I was left in charge of myself and my brother. My father gave me 100 dollars and told me to get us food,snacks,movies, any thing we needed for the two days. He also told me that they would call from the room and if there was an emergency and ONLY if there was an emergency to call them. They left and my brother and me went to the store and got popcorn, candy, pizza and headed for the video store. We looked though the films and just as a joke I picked up a copy of "Return of the living Dead". Our parents never let us watch films like that but boys will be boys and we both figured that made it so much more exiting. We lived out in the sticks and by the time we returned home it was dark and extreme foggy. We settled in without snacks, and popped in the movie. At first we laughed but by the end we both were hiding that we were shook up abit.   As time has passed my brothers sons have been initiated With the movie "28 days later", they did get scared but really thought it was funny that their father acculaly nailed ply wood over the sliding glass patio doors for a week after watching the movie. That's were it started for me, post your input ,hate them/love them. Zomies, your what's for dinner.