Wait, this isn't Mad Men: The Walking Dead on AMC

After months of waiting, the day we've all been waiting for has finally arrived: Halloween.

With Halloween this year comes a very appropriate premiere: The Walking Dead on AMC. The show, based on the Robert Kirkman comic of the same title, is not an unfamiliar concept. The pilot shows shades of, among other things, Night of the Living Dead and 28 Days Later, yet something about this show appears fresh, even if it's not the premise.

The special effects of The Walking Dead are nothing to scoff at - and in case you have any doubts, here are two words for you to consider: bicycle girl.

The pilot, penned by none other than Frank Darabont, possibly one of the finest screenwriters of our time, is gracefully written, and translates to the screen just as vividly as it reads. Darabont brings life to these characters, their struggles and desires, much like in his other familiar works (it would be shameful not to mention that he also penned the screenplay to The Shawshank Redemption).

Much of the pilot focuses on the struggle of Deputy Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), who wakes in a suburban Atlanta hospital after recovering from a gunshot wound to discover that he is alone. He escapes from the hospital and makes his way home, only to find that his somewhat emotionally estranged wife Lori (Saray Wayne Callies) and their son Carl have packed up and left abruptly. In a neighbors house, he meets refugee father and son team Morgan (Lennie James) and Duane. It's through these two characters that Darabont shows off his ability to tug at the viewers heartstrings. Morgan describes to Rick how he lost his wife recently to the Walker outbreak, but he didn't have it in him to put her down - she is, after all, the mother of his children. Perhaps the most moving scene of the pilot is one where Morgan tries to bring himself to do it, to shoot what remains of the woman he loves to end her suffering, but again, he fails.

Morgan's wife provides the emotional storyline of the pilot, but also raises one of the most unsettling questions. Walkers are roused by noises like gunshots and car alarms. These noises also bring Morgan's wife along, but unlike the other Walkers, she tries to get in the house, and continually returns to the location of her family. The question at hand is, do the Walkers still have the ability to feel the emotions of their human vessel? Because if they do, that is the most terrifying trait of all.

The pilot continues with Rick's trek on horseback into Atlanta, where he hopes to find his family. Unfortunately for him, Lori and Carl are safely camped out with a group of survivors outside the city, one of whom is Rick's partner Shane (Jon Bernthal), who, believing Rick to be dead is involved in a romantic relationship with Lori.

Upon reaching Atlanta, Rick is greeted by droves of Walkers, and takes refuge from them inside of a military tank. The episode ends with a sense of uncertainty and a radio transmission, all of which paving the road for an exciting first season.

Although any zombie fan has seen this all before, The Walking Dead leaves its audience rooting for it - after all, it's an AMC show, and everyone knows that AMC makes damn good television.

And there's more where that came from.
-Meljo