Whenever makeup master Greg Nicotero directs an episode of “The Walking Dead,” you can expect a fun little “zombie tribute” to pop up at some point. In the past, Nicotero’s tribute zombies have paid homage to films like An American Werewolf in London and the work of George Romero, as well as RoboCop and even Lucio Fulci’s Zombie.
Nicotero directed last night’s mid-season premiere of “The Walking Dead,” and a zombie featured early on in the episode looked a whole lot like one of horror’s biggest icons.
We tend to wait until Nicotero himself confirms an homage before operating under the assumption that it is one, but we’ve got a strong feeling this was yet another intentional tribute on Nicotero’s part. In the first scene after the opening credits/first commercial break, Carol approaches a downed/trapped walker, sticking a knife into its brain.
The walker, well, he damn sure looked like our good pal The Crypt Keeper!
From the rotten off nose to the clouded eyes, and even down to the gnarly teeth and hole in his cheek, this zombie was a dead ringer for the host of HBO’s “Tales from the Crypt.”
This HAD to be intentional, right?!
