Six Episodes of “The Walking Dead” Coming to AMC!

Halloween is my very favorite holiday: chocolate and other sweets practically around every corner, ample justification to act even creepier than usual (Yes I did put that rubber spider in your desk drawer and aren’t you excited that I’m including you in the festivities? No? I’m assuming then I can’t wear my Crimson Ghost costume at my desk?) and AMC’s Fearfest: a full-on marathon of horror and thriller movies.

This Halloween should be even more awesome than ever with the addition of Frank Darabont’s “The Walking Dead,” based on Robert Kirkman’s comic book series of the same name. “The Walking Dead” has been one of the most consistently rewarding horror comics – no, make that one of the most consistently rewarding comics of any sort – I’ve ever read. It’s a great mix of drama and zombie action that never seems to slow down. Like Kirkman himself said, it’s the zombie movie that never ends. Like any good zombie movie, the most interesting part of the story isn’t the zombies themselves, it’s the human survivors and what they have to do – the compromises, the betrayals – to keep from joining the hungry hordes lurking on the periphery.

“The Walking Dead” pilot will premiere during Fearfest 2010, and will be only the beginning of the zombie drama. According to Reuters, AMC has ordered six episodes of the series.

“The Walking Dead” has been running for years now – seven to be exact – but now’s as good a time as ever to catch up. There’s the official site, which offers character biographies and all sorts of goodies, but you should really take advantage of the collected volumes. They’re available in several different sizes and formats: eight trade paperbacks, three hardcover books or two very large omnibus editions…so far. Normally I wouldn’t say this as a recommendation for any sort of media purchase, but I can guarantee you plenty of nightmares no matter what edition that you choose.

If you’ve already read “The Walking Dead,” why not take your zombie love to the next step – no, not that way, weirdo – by indulging in an awesome zombie game: Twilight Creations’ “Zombies!!!” “Zombies!!!” comes with a hundred plastic zombies (yes, you’ll be finding these all around your house for years if you’re not careful), event cards and modular map pieces that make every game different. Players race each other to the helipad to escape a zombie-infested town, but only one player can escape. Meanwhile, not only are the other players looking to beat you there, but they’re doing every thing that they can do to screw you over on the way. It’s the perfect way to pass the time in your underground zombie-proof bunker.