Zombies have taken over our cultural landscape, and it isn't hard to understand why. They're fun, they're gory, they make excellent Mens Halloween costumes - what's not to love?
At first glance, AMC's hit series "The Walking Dead" looks like nothing more than an attempt to cash in on zombie mania. The story follows a group of survivors dealing with the brain-eating remnants of a world gone wrong. As they struggle to live on despite the horror - and the daily fights for their lives - their battle turns away from the supernatural and towards each other.
But that's where the similarities end.
Originally a comic book, "The Walking Dead" was given to Frank Darabont to adapt based on the power of his name alone. An avid director/producer, his resume includes everything from "The Shawshank Redemption" to "The Green Mile" - both hits of horror master Stephen King - and the network looked at these successes and decided he could pull off another win on the small screen, hopefully with enough brand power for sequels and tie-in Halloween costumes.
The first thing he did was recruit his cast, pulling in Andrew Lincoln as his star, Jon Bernthal and Sarah Wayne Callies as supporting actors. He even went into his filmography and pulled out several talents he'd worked with before, including Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn, and Melissa McBride.
Once he had his people in place, the writing followed. A pilot was shot, attracting attention from the very beginning. Hollywood was amazed at his creation - more than a simple TV show, it showed promise as a legitimate franchise. The mens Halloween costumes were in sight!
Unlike other zombie stories, "The Walking Dead" didn't make its namesake funny or laughable. It pitted its protagonists against a league of slavering, blood-soaked monsters in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and instead of cheap thrills and bad zombie costumes, the show emerged as a serious character study of life, fear, and survival.
It was a bold move for a zombie series, especially considering the resurgence of slasher comedy in recent years. Look around and you'll find endless movies, TV shows, action figures, mens Halloween costumes, and even romantic comedies about zombies - and yet few dare to tread the path of "The Walking Dead," which takes its subject matter at face value and lets it naturally scare the pants off us.
Frank's gamble paid off. TWD was the highest-rated premiere ever seen on AMC, and the show itself is aired in 120 countries with millions of viewers each week. The ratings continue to rise. A second season will debut in October - just in time for mens Halloween costumes to fly off the shelves.
So why are we so obsessed with undead? It has to be more than the sexiness of vampires and the fun of zombie costumes. Perhaps it's the thrill factor - the excitement of watching the world fall apart. Perhaps it's the story - every self-respecting geek has zombie costumes in his closet and a contingency plan for when zombies REALLY attack.
Maybe it's just good old-fashioned fear. Maybe, like the horror classics before it, "The Walking Dead" tapped into our cultural consciousness and pulled out what our lizard brains fear most - violence, struggle, hopelessness, and the growing realization that we really don't understand death at all.
It could happen anytime. It only takes one virus, one resurrection, one infection. One bite, and those mens Halloween costumes aren't so fake after all.
Happy Halloween
Mens Halloween Costumes that come direct from the movies. Halloween is the most popular time for dressing up in your favourite characters costume. Shop early for your Halloween outfits and avoid disappointment For The best ideas for Costumes for Halloween view our links
