Universal Studios Hollywood’s highly anticipated Walking Dead attraction has opened to the public, offering an undead fright to visitors on Independence Day in the US.

Expanding on the concept of a zombie horror maze after great successes during Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, the new attraction is of a similar disposition, with visitors walking through rather than riding on a vehicle.

Wyatt Design Group have worked alongside The Walking Dead's executive producer and director Greg Nicotero for the project, along with his special effects company KNB Efx, who created various prosthetics, using original moulds from the series, to create walkers exactly as they are seen in the show. Others on the visual design team include On Track Themes for technical design and project management, lighting design by Radiance Lightworks, and facility architecture by Houston-Tyner Architects.

A walkthrough of the experience takes about 7-8 minutes, starting inside the hospital from the series’ very first episode outside the iconic padlocked doors which read “Don’t Open Dead Inside”. Included in the walkthrough are actors playing survivors who attempt to fend of the approaching walkers – a mix of actors and animatronics – as they progress through the experience.

"The Walking Dead is a phenomenon that has successfully and consistently affected the psyche of viewers on a global basis since its debut," said Larry Kurzweil, president of Universal Studios Hollywood. "We're taking its authenticity to the next level by collaborating with the show's award-winning production team to create a thrilling, living representation of the series."