Krew, krzyk i patriarchat. Ewolucja postaci kobiecych w południowokoreańskich zombie horrorach

Abstrakt

This article analyzes how the space of the zombie apocalypse serves as a narrative tool for dismantling deeply ingrained Neo-Confucian gender roles and patriarchal structures. As a global subgenre that has become an important phenomenon in South Korea in terms of the number and popularity of narratives about the undead, it represents a transcultural monster adapted from Western narratives. Devoid of roots in Korean folklore, this figure has been used by filmmakers as a metaphorical canvas to project local social anxieties and gender hierarchies. My analysis begins with Goesi (1981), demonstrating the reduction of modern women to passive victims. A transitional phase is examined through Zombie Express (2016), where the collapse of hegemonic, capitalist masculinity positions female characters as the ultimate moral survivors. Finally, I focus on Sztos rodzina: Zombie na sprzedaż (2019), which marks an ultimate subversion of traditional roles: the female body is transformed from an object requiring male protection into an active, matriarchal force capable of commodifying and taming a monster.