Fourth of July, as a rule, is all about sparklers, and bright yellow mustard on hot dogs, and potato salad, and pool noodles, and plopping down upon a towel while staring off into the distance waiting on fireworks.
But the art of staring off into the distance is also something often practiced on the hit AMC series "The Walking Dead." After all, the TV show's characters are forever scanning the horizon, and dark corridors, to see if walkers -- those shambling, not-so-alive superstars of both the comic books and television series -- are headed their way.
They definitely will be, on Independence Day, when the brand-new, all-year-long attraction based on "The Walking Dead" makes its dastardly debut at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Yep, the much-anticipated opening date has been revealed. The theme park, which recently hosted over a thousand prospective walkers at early-May auditions, will unveil the shadowy, screamy, clutch-a-friend experience on Monday, July 4.
Will there be techno whizbangery? For sure: Greg Nicotero, Executive Producer for the long-running phenom, has headed up the make-up, costuming, and effects for the attraction, along with his team from KNB EFX.
Will there be macabre molds, shreddy costumes, some impressive animatronics, and oodles of details that bring the dystopian world to life? Er... not-life? There will be, and throughout the year, too.
As in 365 days of walker-y thrill-making. As in you won't need to wait for Halloween to enter a living horror show. As in walkers, as a rule, don't own calendars, so these stumbling moaners don't know if it is October or, indeed, July's most celebrated and festive holiday.
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Can you face the darkness in the toasty heat of summer? Will you escape the walkers' outstretched arms? Will knowing that these famous TV monsters roam a place in Los Angeles, each day of the year, give you the slightest of willies?
Stay tuned: "The Walking Dead" debuts on July 4 at Universal Studios Hollywood, but not on the screen. It's real life, or a very scary approximation.
What's that off in the distance? Why, it's a making-of video...
