Viewers of the HBO series “The Last of Us” have stated that the show’s zombies are among the most terrifying they have ever seen on TV.
Adapted from the Naughty Dog’s 2013 video game of the same name, the show follows smuggler Joel and a young girl, Ellie, as they navigate a post-apocalyptic America 20 years after a zombie infection has destroyed modern civilization.
The undead in the show are not your average zombies, they move fast, and they mutate as the parasitic fungus takes over.
The zombies in the show are divided into different stages, with the first stage known as “runners” who attack at high speeds and move in large groups. As the fungal infection has not yet taken extensive control of their bodies, they are relatively easy to kill.
The second stage is known as “stalkers” that arrive around two weeks after becoming infected, at which point the fungus has started to sprout from their bodies.
The third stage is known as “clickers” which are considered the most terrifying yet. The fungal growth has fully enveloped the host’s head, blinding them, and heightening their sense of hearing and spatial awareness.
The infection at this point also serves as a fungal armor, making the clickers much harder to kill.
Many viewers found the series to be a horrifying watch, with one tweeting: “The clickers in the second episode of The Last of Us were terrifying. Oh man this show is good.”
Another said: “The fungus zombies in the last of us genuinely scare me.”
Someone else wrote: “The last of us series really made the most terrifying zombies in tv history.”
The show also features further stages of the zombies known as “bloaters” and “shamblers” which are even more terrifying than the previous stages.
The series is known for its disturbing and intense depiction of zombies and the post-apocalyptic world, making it one of the most terrifying shows on TV.
Watch the trailer below: