Zombies On the Loose

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- Blood, guts and gore oh my! To go along with the Halloween spirit and spooky new movies in the theater, "The Walking Dead" is a new breed of television shows.

It airs on AMC on Sundays at 10/9 P.M. central.  Knowing my love for scary movies, some of which are: "The Strangers", the Freddy Kruger series and "The Exorcist", a friend recommended this brand new show.

Unlike other zombie shows, which I do not know of any, the only way to relate to this show is through zombie movies like "28 Days Later" or "Dawn of the Dead".  The show views as if it were a movie.  The first scene is of the main character Sheriff Rick Grimes, who's played by Andrew Lincoln, shooting a little zombie girl.

However, the first scene was on in Sheriff Grimes' imagination.  As the show progresses, the director shows the audience that in reality Sheriff Grimes wakes up out of a coma to find himself alone in his town.  Walking out of the hospital he is surrounded by thousands of empty cars, dead bodies wrapped in white linens and an eery peaceful silence.

Returning to the only place Grimes feels safe is home.  Trying to retrace his steps, he sees a man walking in the street, not knowing it's a zombie.  Some 100% human neighbors find Grimes and knock him unconscious until they know for sure he is not undead.

The story continues of Grimes trying to find his family and other friends in the community.  During his journey he runs into zombies left and right, killing them with his shot gun and knife.

All of the gruesome scenes might deter someone with a weak stomach, like the friend I was watching it with.  Just to turn and look at his face, as the show did a slow motion of a zombie getting their heads blown, was PRICELESS!

I would have to agree with Ken Tucker on EW.com, having said, "I think the pilot will score very good ratings from AMC..." and then says, "I predict that ratings will fall after this week because many AMC viewers who like Mad Men and Breaking Bad will look at this and say, 'Um ick.'"  AMC is not usually known to bring horror to its viewers, but I definitely think this will target a new segment in the market for them.

Another review of "The Walking Dead" by Dan Owen of Obsessedwithfilm.com says, "It's just a pity so much of The Walking Dead's premiere felt recycled from old movies, as its occasional flourishes of originality don't come often enough to keep you sated."

All together, this is a great show for lovers of scary movies and gory filth.  I give it two thumbs up, for re-creating a genre that has been played out so many times, as Owen suggests.