John Carpenter is not impressed by “The Walking Dead.”
The iconic horror director behind “Halloween” and “The Thing” says that the hit AMC zombie drama is derivative of George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead.”
“[‘The Walking Dead’] was a movie that George Romero made back in 1968. And they have milked that, and they are still milking it,” Carpenter said on Marc Maron‘s WTF Podcast.
It is true that Romero’s work has made a significant impact on the series. Aside from the fact that Romero basically invented the zombie genre, there are even more direct connections.
Greg Nicotero — who serves as an executive producer, makeup supervisor and director on the show — got his big break doing zombie makeup effects on Romero’s 1985 film “Day of the Dead.” The show has also paid tribute to various Romero films throughout its run.
Criticism of “The Walking Dead” is nothing new. The showrunners faced heavy backlash following the Season 6 finale.
The story had built for weeks toward the arrival of Negan, the new main villain played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. From the comics, fans know Negan killed a member of Rick’s group upon his arrival. The problem? The show did not reveal who died.
It’s clear Negan killed someone, but clever editing prevented the audience from seeing the victim, leaving viewers on the hook to tune in for the start of Season 7.