"Say Yes" was the 19th episode of The Walking Dead that Greg Nicotero directed, and he included multiple tributes to other films within the installment. Following the reveal of his Creepshow-esque walker, Nicotero recently shared another image of a cinematic tribute walker.
Shared on Instagram (and initially reported on by Bloody Disgusting), Nicotero's new walker image shows a member of the living dead legion whose slimy, shiny skin and deformed facial features are an homage to Rick Baker's amazing effects work on The Incredible Melting Man (1977).
In his Instagram post, Nicotero mentions that viewers didn't really get a good look at this walker during the carnival-centric Rick and Michonne episode, but you can view it in its full, gory glory below, along with an image from The Incredible Melting Man for comparison.
Additionally, during a Talking Dead trivia segment, it was revealed that another movie came to mind for Nicotero while filming this episode, although it wasn't a horror film. When Rick and Michonne share a kiss amongst the candlelights, he was reminded of John Hughes' Sixteen Candles.
From Instagram: "This walker from this weeks episode was an homage to Rick Baker's work in The Incredible Melting Man and unfortunately you didn't really get a chance to see it in the episode but Kerrin Jackson and Kevin Wasner did a great job on this I believe the sculpture was done by Norman Cabrera. I loved the thick layer of ultra ice that was added to make the veins look deep under the skin @therickbaker @somemonsterism"
The Incredible Melting Man (1977):
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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