“I hate to admit it, but I think I’m obsessed with a show about zombies.” These words come from junior Seanna Izar about today’s biggest hit, The Walking Dead.  America’s pop-culture scene has run through countless ideas and different TV shows, but it seems that a tasteful twist on a classic concept has found its way into the top rankings.  The Walking Dead is, at it roots, a zombie movie drawn out into a multi-season television series which now approaches the close of an incredibly successful third season.  Since its launch in October of 2010, the AMC series has been nominated for multiple awards including The Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series Drama.

            To be honest, I didn’t take a personal interest in The Walking Dead until somewhat recently, but with the help of Netfix, I was able to drown myself in hours of gruesome apocalyptic drama.  The specific focus of the show is simple, a virus begins world wide which causes humans to reanimate after death and feed on the living.  Sophomore Mike Cardina had some interesting things to say about this, “Call me old fashion but when I think zombies I think about dead people rising from the grave, I don’t think a virus counts.”  As a viewer, you follow a group of survivors as they make their way through Georgia in hopes of finding safety and escape from the terrible world that has engulfed them.  At times, the zombies, or “walkers” as they are called, take a back seat as you learn more about the main characters and become wrapped up in the drama and fear that your favorite character is dealing with.

            It seems to me that series developer Frank Darabont found an impressive way to take a corny apocalyptic idea that has been done to death and add just the right amount of flare to turn it into a national hit.  Instead of constantly thinking about how flawed the make-up jobs are and how unrealistic the story line is, viewers seem to find themselves worried about the safety of the crew and accepting the logic used to stabilize the plot.  Senior Joe D’Amico explained that sometimes he forgets how unrealistic the whole story line is and just gets sucked into it.   I guess all it takes to bring back a classic horror story is effort, that and a book series written by Robert Kirkman for some inspiration.

            The Walking Dead premiers a new episode every Sunday on AMC to an audience of roughly seven million people nation wide.  Sophomore Joey Malone told me, “I get all amped up every Sunday to see my boy Daryl take down some walkers.”  I highly recommend giving the show a chance if you have not already.  Having said that, I think the best way to dive into the series is to start at the beginning and catch up to the current season.  Deep down we all love a zombie story, and The Walking Dead will undoubtedly bring out the hidden passion.