Science on Screen Presents Night of the Living Dead

Science on Screen at the Coolidge Corner Theatre takes a dark twist with a presentation of Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero's 1968 genre-defining zombie horror film. Joining us before the screening to explore the theoretical neuroscience of zombies and the psychological effects they have on others is Steven Schlozman, MD, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, lecturer in education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and self-described zombie film fanatic.

What would the brain of a zombie look like? What can neuroscience tell us about zombies’ lack of executive function, lousy balance, and outsized appetites? From a psychological perspective, why do normal people, in the absence of being infected, descend to sub-cortical zombie behavior in almost every zombie movie? And just what is it about the concept of the living dead that continually fascinates audiences? Zombie fans will have lots to chew on.

Science on Screen is co-presented by the Museum of Science, Boston and New Scientist magazine. For more information, visit www.coolidge.org/science or call 617/734-2500.