One of the coolest aspects of “The Walking Dead” for hardcore fans like ourselves is the so-called tribute zombies that Greg Nicotero hides within the series. Nicotero is executive producer of the show, and in addition to frequently directing episodes, he also designs the walkers.
The makeup master, who got his start working on Day of the Dead, has over the years paid blink-and-you’ll-miss-it tribute to iconic horror movie zombies like Day of the Dead‘s Bub and Dawn of the Dead‘s Flyboy, and we do our best to keep track of all the fun cameos here on Dread.
As a follow-up to last year’s post 8 Times “The Walking Dead” Paid Tribute to Our Favorite Horror Movies, which documented homages to classics like An American Werewolf in London, Creepshow, and even Jaws, today we bring you seven more awesome zombie tributes!
Easily the most memorable image from Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath can be found in the anthology’s third segment, titled “The Drop of Water.” The story centers on a nurse tasked with preparing a deceased old woman for her burial, and the woman’s shriveled corpse is nothing short of pure nightmare fuel. “The Walking Dead” paid tribute to the 1963 film in the sixth episode of its fourth season, which featured a walker designed to look like that terrifying old woman.
The mid-season premiere of the show’s fifth season was nothing if not a memorable one, as it featured the emotional death of Tyreese. Eagle-eyed fans may have noticed another one of Nicotero’s tribute walkers in the episode, which briefly shambled across the screen. With a gaunt appearance and empty eye sockets, this particular walker was inspired by the character Arthur Grimsdyke from the 1972 Tales from the Crypt anthology film, as played by Peter Cushing.
Greg Nicotero cut his teeth working on some of the most beloved horror movies of all time, and Evil Dead 2 was one of his first gigs. Though it remains unconfirmed at this time – as far as I’m aware – a walker seen on the tenth episode of Season 5 sure looked a whole lot like Deadite Ash from the comedic sequel, from the makeup right down to the wardrobe. Since Nicotero worked on the film, it’s hard to imagine that this one was nothing more than a mere coincidence.
One of the hardest to spot zombie tributes in the show’s history is also one of the coolest, and it proves that Nicotero has a whole lot of love for more recent zombie flicks. In the twelfth episode of Season 5, when the group arrives at Alexandria, Sasha shoots and quickly kills a walker; and if you freeze-frame at just the right time, you’ll notice he’s wearing a shirt that reads “I Got Wood.” Yup, that is indeed a loving homage to zombified Ed from 2004 horror-comedy Shaun of the Dead!
A good portion of Nicotero’s zombie tributes are ripped straight out of George A. Romero’s films, as again Nicotero got his start working alongside the creator of the modern day zombie, and the Season 5 finale featured the most recent Romero homage. In Dawn of the Dead, Tom Savini memorably sticks a machete into the head of a zombie – commonly referred to by fans as Machete Zombie – and “The Walking Dead” saw a walker suffer the same fate. The EXACT same fate.
We’re currently in midst of Season 6 of “The Walking Dead,” and the fifth episode featured a memorable sequence wherein Maggie and Aaron traversed the sewers underneath Alexandria, looking to escape. Down in the sewer they encountered a slimy walker that looked a whole lot like Return of the Living Dead‘s lovable Tarman, and Nicotero himself noted that the reveal of that walker was also a tribute to Ridley Scott’s Alien. That’s what we call two birds with one stone!
We round out this updated list with a walker seen on the sixth episode of Season 6, brought to life (or is it death?) through a wonderful mix of practical effects and CGI. The moss-covered zombie, which terrorized Daryl Dixon, was one of the most rotten we’ve seen to date, its skeleton completely exposed. As Nicotero noted on his Instagram account, the walker was a tribute to Bernie Wrightson, the legendary artist who is perhaps most known for co-creating Swamp Thing.
What zombies will Greg Nicotero pay tribute to next? We’ll be sure to keep you updated as we spot more!