Connect with us

Editorials

Here’s How “The Walking Dead” Could Actually Keep Carl Alive

Published

on

He’s not dead yet. And that leaves us with some questions.

At the very end of this past Sunday night’s mid-season finale of “The Walking Dead” (Season 8), we were left with something of a cliffhanger. Carl revealed to Rick, and to us, that he had sustained a zombie bite to his stomach, suggesting that it’s only a matter of time before Carl is either a) put down, or b) starts getting *really* hungry.

But what’s interesting is that Carl hasn’t actually died yet. Couple that with showrunner Scott M. Gimple’s coy comments on “Talking Dead” immediately after the episode aired – Gimple skirted around the issue of whether or not Carl is actually going to die, even if he did seem to suggest that Carl’s days are indeed numbered – and you wouldn’t be too out of line to posit that maybe, just maybe, the show is pulling a fast one on us.

After all, Glenn’s infamous dumpster incident made it clear that AMC is not above resorting to pretty sleazy tactics as a means of getting us talking and tuning in.

Granted, actor Chandler Riggs’ father has publicly proclaimed that his son was “fired” from the series, thus why he was killed off, but let’s have a little fun here, shall we?

There are a few conceivable ways that Carl could live…


1) THE BITE DOESN’T ACTUALLY KILL CARL

According to “The Walking Dead” creator Robert Kirkman, it’s not actually a bite from a walker that turns a human into a walker, but rather the infection (or blood loss) that results from that bite. As we learned back in Season 2, every human being left alive on the planet is already infected, meaning that anyone who dies – no matter the circumstances – comes back to life as a zombie. So it’s not the bite that’s been turning characters such as Deanna, for example; rather, she died as a result of an infection from the bite, and in death she became a zombie.

So then, armed with this information, is it so hard to believe that Carl will somehow survive infection from the bite itself, therefore not dying and not becoming a walker?

All Scott Gimple really said on “Talking Dead” this past Sunday night is that “the bite will play out the way bites play out on the show,” which is a pretty coy way of speaking about the Carl shocker that certainly leaves room to line up with this particular theory. Carl will become infected by the bite (as he clearly already is), as we’ve seen bites affect characters on the show in the past, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the bite will actually kill him… now does it?


2) CARL IS IMMUNE

Another theory suggests that Carl Grimes is one of any number of humans left alive who is actually immune to the zombie virus, but this particular theory operates under the assumption that it’s the bite itself that infects the bitten with said virus. If Carl is indeed immune, sure, he wouldn’t become a zombie after he dies from the bite, which would certainly be an interesting twist for the show – a twist that could perhaps lead to a cure that would put an end to the walkers altogether.

But given the rules of the series, Carl would still die from the infection caused by the bite in this scenario, which shoots a big hole through it as a means of keeping Carl alive.


3) A CURE IS COMING

Again, a cure for the virus inside every living human being wouldn’t actually save Carl’s life, so there’s no sense exploring this theory in relation to his survival.


4) CARL WASN’T EVEN BITTEN BY A WALKER

The wackiest theory about this one, just for fun, is that when Carl was bitten by what we assume was a walker back in Episode 6, he actually wasn’t bitten by a walker at all.

This theory is that Carl was bitten by a Whisperer, a clan – not yet introduced within the series – of survivors who cloak themselves in zombie skins as a means of blending in and avoiding detection by the walkers. An amusing theory, if nothing more, but if you go back and watch the moment where Carl is bitten in Episode 6, it was clearly at the hands of an actual walker.

So. Yeah.


What do you think? Is Carl going to die? If not, how will they keep him alive?

Writer in the horror community since 2008. Editor in Chief of Bloody Disgusting. Owns Eli Roth's prop corpse from Piranha 3D. Has four awesome cats. Still plays with toys.

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

Published

on

leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

Continue Reading