There are two things almost impossible for visitors to do on the set of The Walking Dead. The first is get made up to be a zombie. The show’s hugely popular, and too many people request to appear on it now, so executive producer/director/makeup effects supervisor Greg Nicotero has to say no to just about every wannabe walker. The second is to share images from upcoming episodes — no matter how small the information discernible from them — months before they’re televised.

Anthrax’s Scott Ian manages to accomplish both of these things in the latest episode of Bloodworks, in which he not only goes behind the scenes of The Walking Dead and experiences firsthand what it’s like to be a walker, but he actually gets to attack star Andrew Lincoln in a scene directed by Nicotero himself! Check out Ian’s account of the experience in the video above. You’ll find exclusive commentary from Nicotero as well as his colleagues at KNB EFX in Chatsworth, California, including shop-runner Carey Jones and sculptor Jeremy Aiello, all of whom offer a terrific overview of what it takes to create a zombie, from design to foam-latex appliance construction to the auditioning of actors.

—

For more behind-the-scenes looks at practical effects in television and film, check out even more episodes of Scott Ian’s Bloodworks, right here on Nerdist.