They Live, Directed by John Carpenter (1988)

Zombie Ontology is based on an interview with James Der Derian, a leading scholar in the field of international relations, who focuses on the impact of technology, media and terrorism. Der Derian describes how our society is heading towards what he calls a “Zombie Ontology.” As we are sleepwalking towards an event that parallels the sleepwalking towards Nazism in the Weimar Republic – this metaphor of the zombie becomes very real. The interview is layered with film sequences from They Live (1988) by John Carpenter. The protagonist dons special ‘reality’ sunglasses, enabling him to perceive the hidden reality of a world controlled by alien overlords, revealing subliminal messages of the true, monstrous face of power.

The interview was conducted by Grimonprez as part of his research for his film Shadow World (2016) on the global arms trade.