When it comes to studying the undead, there are few better masters to serve under than George A. Romero, the director responsible for creating the modern zombie in his ground-breaking Night of the Living Dead films.
It was under Romero that a 21-year-old wannabe make-up artist named Greg Nicotero began his tutelage in 1984, working on Day of The Dead, the sequel to 1978s Dawn of the Dead a film which just happened to be Nicoteros favourite movie of all time.
George is the guy who invented the genre, Nicotero enthuses. The zombie rules that are so entrenched in our culture right now were invented by George Romero.
In the decades since, Nicotero has taken Romeros zombie template and run with it, becoming a key creative force behind AMCs hit zombie franchise The Walking Dead, which sees a triumphant return this month.
October is a boon for fans of the undead, with a total of three Walking Dead shows appearing on screens. Alongside the main show, spin-off Fear The Walking Dead returns for its sixth season, and young adult spin-off World Beyond will premiere after the main show on October 6, via Amazon Prime.
With three different shows straddling different localities and timelines, the question is not only how do viewers keep track of what were seeing on screen, but more importantly, how do Nicotero and team ensure each shows zombies display an appropriate level of decomposition?
It is challenging to gauge where we are with each show, Nicotero explains. Were constantly trying to gauge the level of rot and decay.
Exactly what decomposition looks like in human bodies can be explained by Dr Anna Williams, principal enterprise fellow in forensic anthropology at the University of Huddersfield. There are five main stages, she says.
In a fresh corpse (or newly-reanimated undead) we might expect to see the body look paler and colder, and likely displaying a phenomenon called tache noir, essentially a black stain across the dried out eyes.
Lividity, in which blood settles in the lowest part of the body, will also occur. If a person/zombie is upright, this will look like stockings and gloves, says Williams.
Wind the clock forward a few weeks and the accumulation of gasses in the abdomen will cause the eyeballs and tongues to protrude, while decomposing substances will be pushed through the capillaries to give a green/black marbled appearance to the skin.
Within three to five weeks the body enters active decay in which maggots will hatch from eggs in the eyes, mouth and other orifices. Six weeks later, in the advanced decay stage, most of the body will have been eaten by scavengers, leaving just skin, bone and some ligaments. In a hot climate, (like Virginia, where The Walking Dead is set) Williams explains that a body can reach the final stage, skeletonisation, within two to three weeks.
Clearly, The Walking Dead has little to gain from its zombies (or, Walkers) turning into skeletons so soon. These arent Ray Harryhausen skeletons, says Nicotero, referring to the legendary special effects artist. Theres never going to be an episode of The Walking Dead where these skeletons are somehow moving through supernatural powers. There has to be muscle, even if its atrophied. I really like that these things continue to walk around while theyre rotting and decomposing.
Gearing up for production on season 11 of The Walking Dead, Nicotero says the emphasis is more than ever on accurate decomposition. In particular, he and his team are playing with the idea of teeth falling out, and eyeballs dripping out of the sockets.
Not all of this has its origins in Nicoteros gruesome imagination; at college he mastered in biology and once studied to become a doctor.
I have a lot of anatomy background, he says. I draw on that quite a bit. There have been instances where we have looked at real cadavers. The most interesting thing is that were so conditioned through movies and television shows to imagine what bodies look like, that when you see a real dead body it doesnt match up with what your imagination because were accustomed to seeing the traumatised version of a body.
The zombies across The Walking Dead universe including on World Beyond are plenty traumatised. In fact, one of Nicoteros favourite challenges is to work on new visual gags for each series.
Weve done gags where the skin has flopped off which we achieved by layering vaseline between fake muscle and skin to get that yellow adipose-like fat, he says. There are so many things to think about; when a zombie bites into somebody you want to see the muscle tearing at a different rate to the skin. In terms of blood spray, we developed this little perforated plate that wed lay over a blood bag, so when you see the skin rip off in a zombie bite the blood swells up instead of spraying out. It was really important to me that you get the sense that the blood is flowing from underneath the flesh.
Other favourite make-ups include the toxic waste zombies from season eight of the main show, created in homage to RoboCops villainous Emil Antonwsky, who meets his demise through falling into toxic sludge. Season nines frozen zombies, meanwhile, were something Nicotero had been waiting to do ever since he first read the comic books which the series is based on.
We still have the freedom to play around across the shows, he says. It is a bit of a challenge now because we have to keep one-upping ourselves in terms of visual style. You just really want the zombies to look good. Recently, weve been experimenting more with tearing off skin by using prosthetics as a base and adding on to them so that they feel like theyre more delicate. Ten years in to the zombie apocalypse, we want it to look like if you grabbed a zombie your hand could sink through its chest and slide right into its liquified organs.
Despite a decade of experience in the world of The Walking Dead, Nicotero explains that World Beyond provided some fresh opportunities, allowing him and show runner Matt Negrete to really focus on zombie hero moments.
On World Beyond we really spent time asking what is the hero visual that you want to send to the audience?, explains Nicotero. It was really different to what wed done on The Walking Dead in the past.
With two seasons of World Beyond commissioned and a trilogy of Walking Dead films in the pipeline, it seems Nicotero has plenty more opportunities to deconstruct decomposition yet. Whatever fresh takes World Beyond introduces one thing is for sure, there will be blood. And guts. And eyeballs
TikTok was conquering the world. But Trumps battle heralds the ugly birth of a new splinternet
We now know everything about the next-gen consoles. So which should is better the PS5 or Xbox Series X?
Why Netflix keeps cancelling your favourite shows after two seasons
Listen to The WIRED Podcast, the week in science, technology and culture, delivered every Friday
Follow WIRED on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn
Get WIRED Daily, your no-nonsense briefing on all the biggest stories in technology, business and science. In your inbox every weekday at 12pm UK time.
by entering your email address, you agree to our privacy policy
Thank You. You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter. You will hear from us shortly.
Sorry, you have entered an invalid email. Please refresh and try again.
Read more:
The Walking Dead's timeline shows the wild science of zombie decay - Wired.co.uk
- Dubstep. Dj-Daniel: Infection Zombie - Video [Last Updated On: April 29th, 2015] [Originally Added On: April 29th, 2015]
- Here's Everything That Happens In The Latest Leaked Episode of Game Of Thrones, Which Is Bananas - Deadspin [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 17th, 2017]
- Abuse of 'Zombie Drug' Has Skyrocketed in Shanxi, Says Report - Sixth Tone [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 17th, 2017]
- Trout Republic The zombie apocalypse is here - Monte Vista Journal [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 17th, 2017]
- Is GAME OF THRONES Heading for a Zombie Cleganebowl? - Nerdist [Last Updated On: August 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 17th, 2017]
- Community hopes to 'Save the Zombie Food' - Victoria Advocate [Last Updated On: August 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 19th, 2017]
- Top 10 Real Life Zombies - Gazette Review [Last Updated On: August 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 19th, 2017]
- The latest dating trend is called zombie-ing and it's pretty common - Today.com [Last Updated On: August 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 19th, 2017]
- Overwatch Player Creates Zombie Mode - Kotaku - Kotaku [Last Updated On: August 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 19th, 2017]
- Rob Zombie to host '13 Nights of Halloween' on HDNET MOVIES - EW.com [Last Updated On: August 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 19th, 2017]
- "The Art of Response: Zombie Preparedness" event coming to Abilene in October - Big Country Homepage [Last Updated On: August 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 19th, 2017]
- China's Debt Swaps Surpass $100 Billion - Bloomberg [Last Updated On: August 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 20th, 2017]
- Community Download: Are You Tired Of Zombie VR Games? - UploadVR [Last Updated On: August 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 20th, 2017]
- HESCO Sponsor Zombie Invitational Shooting Competition (Multi-Video) - 107.180.56.147 (press release) (registration) (blog) [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2017]
- Dead Snow 3 will feature 'Zombie-Hitler,' says director - EW.com [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2017]
- Game of Thrones: Why Everyone on the Set Hated that Zombie Polar Bear - Vanity Fair [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2017]
- 'State of Decay 2' forces you to pick who becomes zombie food - Engadget [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2017]
- The Zombie Polar Bear on Game of Thrones Was Just a Dude in a Green Suit - Esquire.com [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2017]
- Zombie Hitler reanimates in Dead Snow 3 - SYFY WIRE (blog) [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2017]
- That Zombie Polar Bear on 'Game of Thrones' Was Four Seasons in the Making - Thrillist [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2017]
- Louisville Zombie Walk Attack Funeral! - Louisville Eccentric Observer [Last Updated On: August 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 24th, 2017]
- Starbucks' new sushi burrito sounds like how zombie outbreaks start ... - GolfDigest.com [Last Updated On: August 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 24th, 2017]
- Heavy weekend rains likely when zombie storm Harvey comes to Texas - MyStatesman.com [Last Updated On: August 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 24th, 2017]
- West Milford plans law to slay 'zombie' homes - NorthJersey.com [Last Updated On: August 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 24th, 2017]
- 'Game of Thrones': Why the White Walkers and Wights Represent the Best and Worst Zombie Tropes - IndieWire [Last Updated On: August 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 24th, 2017]
- Like A Movie Zombie, Tax Reform Refuses To Die - Investor's Business Daily [Last Updated On: August 25th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 25th, 2017]
- Buy Your Tickets Now For 'Z is for...Zombie!' - Patch.com [Last Updated On: August 25th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 25th, 2017]
- 19 Years Ago: Rob Zombie Debuts His Solo Album "Hellbilly Deluxe" - WAAF.com (blog) [Last Updated On: August 25th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 25th, 2017]
- What can the Zombie Apocalypse teach us about ourselves? [Video] - OUPblog (blog) [Last Updated On: August 25th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 25th, 2017]
- Zombie homes shame campaign spreads to Niagara Falls - Spectrum News [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2017]
- Zombie run scheduled at Castle of Muskogee - Tulsa World [Last Updated On: August 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 26th, 2017]
- City seeks help in identifying 'zombie properties' - The Recorder (subscription) [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2017]
- Hudson Confidential: 'Zombie' utility poles outlawed in Cornwall-on-Hudson - Times Herald-Record [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2017]
- Falls steps up its fight against 'zombie homes' - Niagara Gazette [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2017]
- Video: President Trump's zombie claim of widespread voter fraud in the 2016 election - Washington Post [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2017]
- Zombies, romance and revenge drive record 'Game of Thrones' ratings - Reuters [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2017]
- Rob Zombie on Tobe Hooper: 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' Changed My Life - RollingStone.com [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2017]
- 'Zombie' translation book authored by Ashland professor - Richland Source [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2017]
- City set to file first court action against 'zombie property' - Rome Sentinel [Last Updated On: August 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 28th, 2017]
- Brooklyn Decker Compares Herself to 'Zombie Taylor Swift' in 'Look What You Made Me Do' Music Video - Us Weekly [Last Updated On: August 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 29th, 2017]
- Call of Duty: WWII's Zombies Is Changing its Tone and That's Exactly What it Needs - Twinfinite [Last Updated On: August 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 29th, 2017]
- Zombie shooter Dead Alliance now available - Flickering Myth (blog) [Last Updated On: August 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 30th, 2017]
- Call of Duty Black Ops III and Zombie Chronicles Officially Bundled Together - Twinfinite [Last Updated On: August 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 30th, 2017]
- Here a few of Lil Uzi Vert's favorite things: Rob Zombie, Rugrats and more - Alternative Press [Last Updated On: August 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 30th, 2017]
- Rob Zombie's Halloween 10th anniversary: How Tyler Mane ... - EW.com [Last Updated On: August 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 30th, 2017]
- The Syllabus: Zombie Charlotte Law (updated) - Greensboro News & Record (blog) [Last Updated On: August 31st, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 31st, 2017]
- The Night King and Zombie Viserion are comingin Funko Pop! form - Winter Is Coming [Last Updated On: August 31st, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 31st, 2017]
- Death of Spain's Zombie Lenders Sends Bank Jobs to Decade Low - Bloomberg [Last Updated On: August 31st, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 31st, 2017]
- Rome on cutting edge for dealing with zombie properties - Utica Observer Dispatch [Last Updated On: August 31st, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 31st, 2017]
- The Mask Hides My Ugliness: Violence and Trauma in Rob Zombie's 'Halloween' - The Film Stage (blog) [Last Updated On: August 31st, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 31st, 2017]
- 'Zombie' drug Spice addict grabbed terrified girl, 5, outside Primark and gave her a 'bear hug' - Mirror.co.uk [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2017]
- The Bentley You Need For The Zombie Apocalypse Is Finally For Sale - Jalopnik [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2017]
- Cops warn residents to avoid mange-infected coyotes labeled 'zombie dogs' - New York Daily News [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2017]
- Cops Warn of Infected 'Zombie' Coyotes Confused for Stray Dogs in ... - NBC Chicago [Last Updated On: September 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 1st, 2017]
- Police warn of infected 'zombie' coyotes confused for stray dogs - KCRA Sacramento [Last Updated On: September 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 2nd, 2017]
- Survive An Augmented Zombie Reality In Walking Dead: Our World - Shacknews [Last Updated On: September 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 2nd, 2017]
- 'Zombie dogs' roaming near Chicago are infected coyotes, police ... - Fox News [Last Updated On: September 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 3rd, 2017]
- Railey: Confronting 'zombie mindsets' and a Charlottesville martyr - Winston-Salem Journal [Last Updated On: September 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 3rd, 2017]
- Trump Pardons Zombie Apocalypse - Indian Country Today Media Network [Last Updated On: September 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 3rd, 2017]
- Your daily 6: A third child for William and Kate; zombie dogs in Chicago - STLtoday.com [Last Updated On: September 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 5th, 2017]
- Chicago's Newest Problem Is An Invasion Of ZOMBIE DOGS - The Daily Caller [Last Updated On: September 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 5th, 2017]
- Daily Deal: Zombie Army Trilogy Is 80% Off On Steam - Gameranx (blog) [Last Updated On: September 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 5th, 2017]
- 'Zombie' dogs are actually infected coyotes, police warn - Atlanta Journal Constitution [Last Updated On: September 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 5th, 2017]
- 9th Circuit Revives Class Action Over 'Zombie' Smartphone Cookies - Courthouse News Service [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- SecureView: Assemblyman James Skoufis Hosts Demonstration to Clean Up Zombie Property Blight - Markets Insider [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- Zombie Walk to benefit local charity - Bowling Green Daily News [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- Zombie Run will benefit Muskogee Animal Shelter - Muskogee Daily Phoenix [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- New 'The Walking Dead' AR app tests your zombie battle plan - CNET - CNET [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- Watch an extreme scene from TIFF zombie film Les Affams - EW.com [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- ARZombi Is A Zombie Shooter Made Using ARKit - UploadVR [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- Should You Forgive Your Zombie Relative? Ellen Page In 'The Cured' Watch TIFF Clip - Deadline [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- 'Zombie dogs' are roaming the suburbs of Chicago - The Week Magazine [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- 'Zombie' coyotes reportedly seen in suburbs, and residents warned to keep away - Chicago Tribune [Last Updated On: September 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 6th, 2017]
- YWCA prepares for 2nd annual zombie run - KFYR-TV [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2017]
- Langhorne Slim Releases "Zombie" off Forthcoming New Album Lost at Last Vol. 1 - Paste Magazine [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2017]
- Sightings of 'zombie' dogs prompt warnings in Chicago - The San Diego Union-Tribune [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2017]
- Zombie Chase Parkour POV - YouTube [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2018] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2018]
- Zombie Official Minecraft Wiki [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2018] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2018]
- Zombie Games - Free Online Zombie Games [Last Updated On: July 18th, 2018] [Originally Added On: July 18th, 2018]
- Amazon.com: Zombie: Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, Al Cliver ... [Last Updated On: August 9th, 2018] [Originally Added On: August 9th, 2018]