TELEVISION: THE WALKING DEAD

Elliot Hyams reviews the first episode of AMC’s new zombie mini series

Halloween is once again upon us which means a few guaranteed things will happen. Homeowners are about to be bombarded by undeserving children who think that slapping a bit of fake blood on their face entitles them to demand free confectionary, sales of cobweb in a can are going to experience a sudden surge as unimaginative party throwers try to show that they are game for a spot of easily cleaned fun, and a whole slew of spooky films and television shows are about to be unleashed on the viewing public. Taking up the charge on the TV front is AMC’s new zombie drama The Walking Dead. Based on the long running graphic novel series of the same name, it follows the adventures of Deputy Rick Grimes, a Kentucky sheriff who wakes up from a coma to find the world overrun by reanimated corpses.

Directed by Frank Darabont and adapted for screen by the writer of the original graphic novel Robert Kirkman this mini-series has an awful lot going for it on paper. AMC has proved itself as a challenger to HBO’s title with recent successes like Mad Men and Breaking Bad and with long time James Cameron collaborator Gale Ann Hurd on board as well what could possibly go wrong? One potential problem could come in the form of the narrative, all zombie films no matter how inventive follow a basic formula, zombies attack, survivors hold up somewhere, survivors try and come up with a plan for escape. Often this formula becomes tiresome over the span of ninety minutes, so stretching it over a whole series seems like an even worse idea than a teen camping trip in a slasher movie. But the success of the graphic novel came not from its adherence to the formula but its defiance of it. Now into its eightieth issue the zombies in the Walking Dead form the backdrop for a story that is routed in people attempting to live their lives under extraordinary circumstances.

The first episode of the six part mini-series debuted on Halloween eve and it would appear that all the hype was totally deserved. Teachers star Andrew Lincoln is sympathetic and likable as Rick, a man confused and alone, desperately hoping his missing family has survived the outbreak. The effects and gore are as believable as one might expect from a show with this kind of budget. The pacing is tense, and the finale of the first episode leaves the viewer desperate for more. As with any adaptation a lot has been condensed here, and it will be interesting to see how much of the graphic novel series turns up on screen. But even if you haven’t read the series, and you aren’t a zombie aficionado you can still enjoy the walking Dead, it’s a well constructed drama rather than a conventional horror, a study of humanity, which just happens to have a lot of hungry dead people walking around in it.

Review by Elliot Hyams