The Walking Dead's make-up man on the art of gore

The Walking Dead's make-up man on the art of gore

By Will Chalk

Newsbeat reporter

If you've watched a horror film in the past 30 years, there's a good chance Greg Nicotero is the man behind its goriest scenes.

He's produced prosthetic effects for hundreds of movies including Pulp Fiction, Hostel, Kill Bill and Sin City.

Greg's also an integral part of TV show The Walking Dead - working as a producer, director and, of course, make-up artist.

Here's his guide to the fine art of splattering blood on screen.

Warning: This article contains graphic photos of zombie make-up that you may find upsetting.

"It's almost like a magic trick," he tells Newsbeat. "We're using misdirection, we're using slight of hand and different things."

He's describing the moments of extreme gore he's known for - a limb being pulled off, or a zombie being crushed to death - which he calls "gags".

"It's all about the impact that they have and in many instances it's about the impact that particular moment has on the character in the scene.

"So when you see something happen on The Walking Dead - and then we cut to a character's reaction - people very often react to how a character's reacting rather than the thing they've seen."

Greg has a hug with The Walking Dead star Andrew Lincoln at Comic Con in New York

Greg's team creates practical effects - that means they're achieved largely through make-up and other techniques in the 'real world', rather than digital effects added after filming.

Those practical effects make for some interesting behind-the-scenes photos of extras.