DEAD RECKONING

A mysterious swordswoman! A terrifying Governor! And: Even. More. Zombies! Rick and Co. return for a killer new season

- ROB MOYNIHAN

TOTAL DARKNESS envelops the Senoia, Georgia, soundstage housing The Walking Dead’s grandiose prison set. It’s an unspoken rule to always be mindful where you step, as one can easily trip over life-size zombie dummies sprawled on the floor. The weathered walls are thick with blood spatter that’s trickled down to form sticky maroon pools. Welcome to the West Georgia Correctional Facility, the latest battlefield in the gruesome war waged between the alive and the undead when the AMC drama returns tonight for Season 3.

“[The prison] has a lot of different personalities—out in the field, inside the cell block and the hallways,” says producer and special-effects guru Greg Nicotero. “It really has aspects that play like a haunted house.”