By: Heather Seebach
No matter how AMC's The Walking Dead may falter in its writing, there is one thing I can always count on - awesome gore FX courtesy of KNB and Stargate Studios. Granted, I am partial to the former's practical approach to zombies, blood, and guts, but some of the show's most ambitious gore scenes would not be possible without the latter's digital FX.
I am thankful that such a bold, brutal show makes it to airwaves every week and has become extremely popular. If I can tune in and watch decapitations, amputations, exploding bodies, etc., I am a happy camper. The following is a list of 20 gore scenes I loved based on brutality, FX quality, and sheer entertainment value. Know that this was very hard to narrow down and there are tons more. Please share your favorites with me in the comments! Now without further adieu:
20. Michonne aka Lord of the Dance
My least favorite of all the boot-stomps thanks to a zombie head that is just too rubbery (cutting the shot before she lifts her foot would've helped it), but the brains popping out like a jelly donut is just irresistible.
19. Karma is a bitch. A rotten gut-filled bitch.
One of the few representations of zombie guts on this list. This show sure does love brains. Michonne's "ew" face is perfection.
One of the few representations of zombie guts on this list. This show sure does love brains. Michonne's "ew" face is perfection.
18. Take this job and shovel it!
This zombie is a bit rubbery too but this scene is splattery and the shovel bisection reminds me of a scene in Re-Animator.
17. Every survivor owes Rick 100 walker scalps. And he wants his scalps!
Okay, they do this skull-capping a lot, especially in the third season. But let's face it, it's awesome
every single time.
16. Eric the Half-a-Zombie
I'm a practical FX snob and I would prefer some more spilling guts but I can't deny this is still awesome (and that CGI is pretty damn good).
(PS, if that Eric pun went over your head, listen to more Monty Python)
15. Merle is not one for saving face.
A refreshing new take on the head-slicing move featured above. Thank you for keeping it interesting, Merle!
14. The gang goes all Office Space on the walkers.
Shane must have forgotten the cover sheet on his TPS report. Die, motherfuckers, die motherfuckers, die! What can I say - I never tire of exploding zombie heads.
13. K.F.Z.
Do you prefer original or extra crispy?
12. Walkers give good head.
Michonne is such a badass she can take off a zombie's head with ONE ARM! My arm gets tired just watching this.
11. Hellooooo nurse!
I know she isn't as exciting as a zombie kill, but the hospital girl is a ghastly reminder of how freaking awesome KNB FX is. This piece reminds me of their work on Piranha 3-D. It also tells me that the walkers either left in a hurry or are incredible wasteful. Look at all those guts! Imagine what she must have looked like once she 'came back.' Oh boy.
10. Goodbye, brother.
Already an emotionally-charged scene, Daryl having to kill his zombie brother was made all the more intense by this brutal, unflinching shot achieved with an incredible Rooker dummy (and a dash of digital enhancement).
9. Oh, like a zombie on a wire, I have tried in my way to be free.
Of all the CGI-laden gore scenes, this one is my favorite for sheer brutality, ingenuity, and that zombie's facial expressions.
8. This zombie is dead TIRE'd.
Another epic popping zombie head, this time courtesy of a car tire. Sorry, I could not find a good .gif of it, so here are the before and after shots.
7. Even walkers get foot-in-mouth syndrome.
Yep, another boot-stomping courtesy of Michonne. This one is a tiny bit rubbery (watch how the face bounces back at the end) but it's just splattery enough to be awesome. There is something so vicious about her stomping out these undead people like they're cockroaches.
6. Another boot stomp...no, no, the British "boot"
Possibly the bloodiest Walking Dead kill yet, this walker's head gets mashed so hard in the hatchback that it explodes and just pours blood. So sick!
5. American History Z
Anyone who saw Edward Norton infamously curb-stomp a guy in American History X can tell you that it's an image you won't soon forget. So how epic was it when this brutal tactic was applied to a zombie? I was not very fond of the dummy in this scene - it was poorly puppeted - but the de-teething is excruciating and therefore awesome. If I look at this gif for too long, that dangling tooth makes me nauseous.
4. T-Dog Sticks His Neck Out for Carol
Yes, T-Dog's selfless death was sad, but he got the privilege of going out big. This gruesome, realistic shot of his throat being ripped out was achieve using an amazingly lifelike puppet of IronE Singleton.
3. Well Zombie comes apart at the seams - literally.
The well zombie is one of the show's most famous and disgusting walkers. If they ever adapt Left 4 Dead into a movie, I imagine the Boomers will look something like this. He looks so drastically different from other walkers because he has been soaking in the well water and bloated up. So tie a rope around his chest and naturally this is gonna happen.
2. Glenn puts his foot down.
Of all The Walking Dead's head-stomps, this remains my favorite because it is the realistic, sick, and completely unflinching. Notice there is no more rubber head - this looks like actual bone being crushed under Glenn's foot. It also takes more than just 1 stomp to break the skull (for once).
1. Even zombies know the importance of a skincare routine - don't forget the face peel!
I cannot resist a great face prosthetic, especially when combined with such perfect puppetry! And the very idea of this zombie's face peeling off with the helmet is awesomely disgusting.Then Rick cuts its skull in half - ugh! Love it!
