It goes much farther back than that. George Romero's Night of the Living Dead from 1968 is a classic, and has been redone at least once.
Except for a scenario where your "targets" return fire.
Hacker warns of zombie apocalypse:
Hackers broadcast zombie warning during Montana infomercial | www.wsoctv.com
Its easier to say that to someone than saying you are preparing for something bad to happen, since a lot of people think they people who are preppers are crazy. I think it also draws on the idea of the liberal crazies that will riot when their gov't checks stop coming in.
Off topic, but SWEET blade
Zombie edition microtec ha
Zombie edition microtec ha
I don't mind the zombie stuff so much. I was able to get a Crosman zombie .22 cal pump air gun on clearance from wal mart for nearly 50% off and I got a zombie ammo can at Menards on Black Friday for $5.
What I don't care for is the people that don't understand fiction versus reality.
The Walking Dead is probably my favorite current TV series. I'd rather see the zombie stuff popular and a fad than more Twillight sparkly vampire crap.