A surprising source has uncovered a serious problem with the ongoing filming of AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” which is now in its sixth season and no end in sight.
The yearly filming of the popular zombie series is leaving Georgia in shambles and creating a police state-like environment where residents are often forced into their homes.
Cracked spoke to a resident of the sleepy town of Senoia, Georgia, which is where “The Walking Dead” has done much of its filming since the third season as it’s the home of both Woodbury and Alexandria.
While the above link features a full breakdown of what it’s like to live in Senoia (with tons of really cool images!), here are some shocking bits that their insider shared.
“They had to agree to things like specific exit/entry times at their own homes to work around filming, and allowing bright lights and loud noises at three in the morning,” Brittany says. “I believe they are legally obligated to wait until the crew okays their leaving so that they don’t mess up a scene.”
…
“At one point during filming, I was actually told by a cop directing traffic that I wasn’t allowed to be out on my own lawn,” Brittany says. “When they were filming at the wall of Alexandria, we were really close to where they were shooting. Security had to make sure that nobody walked past the blocked portions of the road, so when we walked out into the yard to see what was up, a security officer told us we couldn’t be out there unless we were trying to leave.”
…
“There is pretty much 24/7 police presence here,” Brittany says. “They’re on the lookout for anyone trying to mess with the Alexandria wall / leftover props, or anyone who is going to disturb residents living in the homes that appear in the show, so they watch us closely when we’re walking our dogs down the street or pulling into our own driveways.”
…
“If you don’t know what it is, you’d think that we didn’t take pride in our town or something,” Brittany says. “A lot of residents are upset about it, especially the ones who have been in town a while. They don’t really care about the show, so to them it’s just a big eyesore and flocking spot for tourists.” Aside from fighting your way through the hordes of dead-eyed, slack-jawed zombie nuts, it creates some real inconveniences. “Morgan Street (which connects to my road and leads into Alexandria) has been closed a number of times, and was closed during construction of the wall, so that was annoying,” she says.
When you watch “The Walking Dead,” think of these people and be thankful for the sacrifices they make during their daily loves for your weekly enjoyment. It’s easy to forget what goes into making a movie, but imagine a show that’s now 6 years running? This is the reality of filmmaking.
