Available on Blu-Ray & DVD August 28th from Anchor Bay!

I. Love. Zombies.  All zombies.  The runners, the walkers, the legless crawlers … and even the dismembered kind that still try to bite you, even though they have no body.  They are scary, creepy, and they just want to eat you.  Nothing more, nothing less.  I also LOVE horror and interesting characters that I can root for.

So, when I heard that a show about zombies was being created by one of my favorite directors, Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Mist), I was stoked, to say the least.  Well, I wasn’t disappointed.  The first season blew me away with it’s well written story of a group of zombie apocalypse survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), who are battling the undead in search of a safe haven.

I had to wonder, would a network like AMC allow the necessary zombie gore that fans of the genre would expect from a show involving zombies? Well, how on this zombie-filled earth could they not let them go all out, with George Romeros’ former assistant, the legendary make-up effects artist, Greg Nicotero (Evil Dead II, Kill Bill, The Mist, Hostel, Piranha 3-D) in charge of all those zombies, guts and gore?!!  Horror hounds like me were not disappointed, and neither were Emmy voters, as the first season earned the award for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a series, Miniseries, Movie or Special.  By the way, the show was also nominated for other accolades, and was named one of AFI’s Top 10 Programs of the Year (2010).  Not too shabby for a show about flesh eating zombies, eh?

Zombies are dying to get in season two of “The Walking Dead”.

I’m going to confess, I missed season two when it originally aired, but for a good reason; I was shooting a movie (Cloud Atlas) out of the Country.  But I thank the kind folks at Anchor Bay Entertainment, who kindly offered to send me the complete season two of “The Walking Dead”on Blu-Ray, fully loaded with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, featurettes, deleted scenes & audio commentaries.  I graciously (excitedly) accepted their offer … and this weekend, spent over 60 hours watching every one of the 13 kick-ass episodes on the 4 discs, including ALL of the special features & commentaries … and guess what?  Like a zombie, I’m still craving MORE!

I’m not the only one craving for more “Walking Dead”!

The second season, simply put, BLOWS the first season out of the friggin’ water! I was hooked again as soon as I pressed play on the first episode!  When we last left the characters, they were battling hordes of flesh hungry “walkers”, and had fled the CDC as it burst into flames … if you don’t know what I’m talking about, you need to go back and watch it on Blu-Ray or on Netflix Instant, ASAP!  In season two, their fight for survival continues as the stakes are raised, lives are lost, new characters are introduced … and the zombies keep coming!

The cast of season two gathers for a dysfunctional family photo.

I’m not going to give anything away, if, like me, you missed this season when it aired on AMC last fall.  Since I haven’t read the comic books that the show is based on, I truly didn’t know what was going to happen to our favorite group of survivors … and with a show as well written as The Walking Dead is, I never saw coming, most of the shocking, nail biting, events that season two threw at me! What I love most (aside from the great gore!) is the fact that I never knew WHO was going to die next?  ANY character could go at ANY time!  Few shows come to mind that can pull off killing a beloved main character(s) in a single season. Not since LOST and my other beloved series, DEXTER, has a show been so powerful and so damn entertaining.  “The Walking Dead” is truly great television.

Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and Carol (Melissa McBride) take shelter in order to make it to season three.

Well, we know the show is great, but how’s the Blu-Ray quality, you ask?

The 1080p 1.78:1 Widescreen presentation of The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season is superb.  BUT, just so you know, the picture quality isn’t clean & crystal clear like most current movies and television shows on Blu-Ray … and it’s not meant to be.  You see, in it’s first season, The Walking Dead was shot primarily on 16mm film (not in HD, like most series).  This gives the picture a dirty, gritty look that truly fits a show about a zombie apocalypse and the grim future that it holds for our heroes.  The second season keeps that look and feel, so keep that in mind and you won’t be disappointed.

All guts and all gory for Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Rick (Andrew Lincoln).

In the sound department, I wasn’t disappointed, either!  But more on that in a second … now, again, just so you know; the Blu-Ray packaging AND the onscreen menu list one of the audio options as English Dolby TrueHD 7.1, in reality, not one of the four discs sported 7.1 sound.  I thought maybe there was a problem with my new ONKYO receiver, or a setting was off on my Blu-Ray player? So, I tested one of my other titles that sports 7.1 sound, and it worked just fine…so, go figure?  Anyways, don’t let that little hiccup prevent you from picking up this awesome Blu-Ray set!

Carl (Chandler Riggs) and Rick (Andrew Lincoln) play with fire in “The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season”.

Now, the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound the discs did provide was simply FANTASTIC!  In fact, dare I say, one the best I have ever heard on a Blu-Ray disc!  The sound designers should be commended on their TOP NOTCH work here.  I’m not kidding.  My home theatre got a great workout, as my speakers put me smack dab in the middle of an isolated farm, where most of this season’s action takes place.  I heard crickets chirping, flies buzzing around, doors creaking behind me, bullets whizzing by my head, and yes, zombies moaning and screaming in all directions. Creepy stuff.  The sound mix is just as entertaining as the show!  I have never heard my surround speakers so active in a long time, if ever.  Simply awesome, to the point where I thought, who needs 7.1 when the 5.1 audio is MORE than holding it’s own?!  And why shouldn’t it sound spectacular?  The first season earned an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Sound Editing! Top notch stuff here…my ears are still dancing for joy.

Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) hears something creepy, thanks to the glorious Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless sound!

The fourth disc is chock-full of goodies.  There are several featurettes that aren’t too long and offer an entertaining look at the making of this award winning series.  My only word of caution is, don’t watch them until AFTER you watch all 13 episodes, as there are a few unavoidable spoilers that I’m glad I didn’t see, had I not watched the episodes first.  Actually, there are a couple of season three spoilers mixed in there, too, damn!  Also included in the Special Features are some nice deleted scenes, which add a little more background to certain episodes.  You can also watch some cool Walking Deadwebisodes, featuring even more zombie mayhem!  And when you get through all of that zombie-goodness, listen to the informative commentary tracks on several of the episodes!

Andrea (Laurie Holden) gets physical with a “walker” in “The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season”.

Anchor Bay has pulled out all of the stops on this release … they even went to McFarlane Toys to design and create an exclusive limited edition zombie head case for the Blu-Ray release!  I wonder if you can actually use the screwdriver that’s embedded in the zombie’s eye?

Cool Limited Edition Blu-Ray zombie head case, by McFarlane Toys. SRP $99.99.

Fans and newcomers of The Walking Dead shouldn’t hesitate to pick up Anchor Bay’s The Walking Dead: The Complete second season when it arrives on Blu-Ray & DVD on August 28^th!  Yes, I said newcomers, because even if you watch this season without having seen the first, it’ll make you hungry like a zombie to see where it all began!  It’s that good, folks … plus that zombie head case will look killer on your mantle!