A huge horror fan who has a long, important history with the horror genre, Greg Nicotero often works references to his favorite horror movies into the episodes of “The Walking Dead” that he directs, which have to date included nods to everything from Deadly Blessing to Lucio Fulci’s Zombie, along with several nods to the work of the late George A. Romero.
The Season 9 finale of “The Walking Dead,” directed by Nicotero, was no exception, as the makeup master managed to work in a fun zombie tribute to Return of the Living Dead!
The 1985 zombie-comedy memorably featured the half-corpse of a zombie woman strapped to a table, writhing around thanks to incredible effects work from Tony Gardner and his company Alterian FX. It’s one of the most iconic zombies in the movie, and Nicotero paid homage by bringing a faithful recreation of the half-corpse to “The Walking Dead” last night!
Nicotero’s “Zombie Tributes” remain a fun “Where’s Waldo?” for hardcore horror fans.
