These Weird Walkers From ‘The Walking Dead’ Are Legit Nightmare Fuel

Dr. Arnold T. Blumberg
TV The Walking Dead
TV The Walking Dead
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Since The Walking Dead’s first season in 2010, director and makeup FX master Greg Nicotero has inspired our apocalyptic nightmares by bringing the undead to life. And while many of the Walkers that populate the show’s post-apocalypse landscape forgettably shuffle by in hordes, there have been some really strange and horrifying zombies that we’ll never forget. Here’s a look at the weirdest Walkers we’ve ever seen on The Walking Dead.

Bicycle Girl Walker

Bicycle Girl (Hannah)

Season 1, Episode 1 “Days Gone Bye”

For some, a picture of this poor soul was the first promotional still anyone saw of the series. Her bisected body crawling along sunlit grass drove home for Rick Grimes just what a tragic and horrifying world he woke up in. A faithful re-creation of the creature seen in the first issue of Robert Kirkman’s comic book, Hannah still stands…um, lays…as a landmark in living dead effects.

 

Well Walker

Bloated Well Walker

Season 2, Episode 4 “Cherokee Rose”

When the survivors attempt to lift this corpulent corpse out of a well on Hershel’s farm, the results are not only bad for everyone, but nauseatingly grotesque, as he splits in two and spills his rotted guts everywhere. And we loved the show for it.

 

Gas Mask Zombie

Gas Mask Zombie

Season 3, Episode 1 “Seed”

How did all those riot gear-laden Walkers die at the prison? We may never know exactly, but we do know that when you try to remove the mask from one of them, his face comes with it. Eww, what a revolting rictus grin he has!

 

Moss Walker

Moss Walker

Season 4, Episode 3 “Isolation”

When you’re just leaning against a tree, and you’re an undead, skeletal remnant of a human being, you tend to attract moss. This poor guy may seem lonely, but at least he looks comfortable in his outdoors after-existence. It is harder to catch food, however.

 

Barbecued Walker

Barbecued Walker

Season 4, Episode 14 “The Grove”

In one of the series’ most memorable installments, these burnt zombies were visually arresting too, with their cracked and coal-like look, charred outer skin split like glowing embers. Now available at your local Spirit Halloween store, just don’t invite them over for Super Bowl Sunday.

 

Flare-Face Walker

Face-Flare Walker

Season 5, Episode 11 “The Distance”

Lighting up a zombie head with a flare is one of the more inventive strategies we’ve seen in the history of the show, and it makes putting a candle in a pumpkin at Halloween seem like amateur hour. He’s now a walking flashlight…and dangerous!

 

The Walking Dead - Split Open Walker

Split Open Walker

Season 6, Episode 1 “First Time Again”

In an episode featuring one of the largest zombie hordes in Walking Dead history, this guy sloughing off his skin while trying to squeeze in between trucks not only set a new standard for gross-out effects, but demonstrated how fragile these creatures have now become.

 

Fulci Zombie

Fulci/Sand Zombie “Ol’ Worm-Eye”

Season 7, Episode 6 “Swear”

Nicotero has worked in homage zombies over the years, recreating looks from Dawn of the Dead and American Werewolf in London among others. This time, we saw a dead-on tribute to one of the most iconic undead visages in horror history, from Lucio Fulci’s Zombie!

 

Winslow

Season 7, Episode 10 “New Best Friends”

What if a Walker wandered into the world of Mad Max? This bespiked monstrosity was inspired by the scarecrows in Planet of the Apes. Although we never know where Winslow came from or who he was, we do know he has a prickly personality now.

 

Naked Walker

Naked Zombie

Season 8, Episode 12 “The Key”

If Iggy Pop became a zombie…well, how do we know he hasn’t already? Anyway, this nude, living dead monstrosity is just a skin-bag of bones, resembling many witch-like characters familiar to players of games like Left 4 Dead, and clearly beyond living considerations of modesty.

Dr. Arnold T. Blumberg
Arnold is a world-renowned zombie expert & Marvel authority. He teaches courses in pop culture subjects & owns ATB Publishing (www.atbpublishing.com), publisher of genre non-fiction. He authored Journey of the Living Dead, & his podcast Doctor of the Dead is on iTunes & www.doctorofthedead.com.