TV adaptation Last of us It has only two chapters and is already aiming to be one of the most outstanding works of 2023. The series impressed with its closeness to the game, its interest in staying familiar with it; he also does this by allowing himself some useful creative license and powerful staging. As for the latter, the recreation clickers.
This phase of infection could be clearly seen during the second episode Last of us, which premiered on January 22 on HBO Max. We are talking about a species that lost its head – at least compared to what it was before – due to the fact that it was consumed by a fungus that infected the Earth within the framework of history. Clickers aren’t the only opponents that Joel Miller, who plays Peter Pascal– and Ellie Williams – performed by Bella Ramseythey will have to face.
After the second episode Last of us, the general reaction to the recreation of clickers is satisfactory. The make-up looks flawless and the use of this type of humanoid is in line with how it is done in a video game. As for its adaptation to the television format, there are clues as to what that process might be.
Last of us: how clickers for the HBO series were created
In the game, Clickers are the third phase of infection, and also the most common. They can be recognized because instead of a brain they have an open head. The fungus consumed so much of their being that it came out through their skull, leaving them blind but causing a marked improvement in their hearing. That’s why it’s common for them to listen to what seems impossible and to stalk their victims at almost any point unnoticed. Their name comes from the sound they make when stalking their prey: a “click” as their limbs twirl.
Recreate this variant of the infected in Last of us this comes with a couple of complications. It was a video game challenge, and also with so many zombie stories that exist today. How do you stay true to the original proposal and at the same time come up with an adaptation that doesn’t feel ordinary?
O, Neil Druckmanone of the main contributors to the HBO project and the video game, explained the following on the Playstation blog:
“We always tried to differentiate ourselves from zombies because there were so many zombie movies, so many zombie games, and we could easily get trapped just being one of the zombies without having a new vision.”
Neil Druckman
So, how to achieve this? Druckmann described the key process:
“Hyun Nam, one of our concept artists, ended up doing this mix: took fungal growths, photographed them and a person leaning against the wall (in the artist’s intention) and sewed them together. This one was only covered in mushrooms. You couldn’t even see his face.”
Neil Druckman
This was the origin of the Clickers, a species of infected that didn’t have a normal head.
Feeling of horror in the series
Another highlight in Last of us, in the version made by HBO, is how the atmosphere and clicker movements were created to give the viewer a sense of panic. Regarding the above, Bryant WilsonAnimator of the films explained the following:
“When I animated the clicker, I always thought they were real people with something pulling their strings. It’s like they’re puppets controlled by a fungus inside their brain.. That’s why you get these movements, like someone is pulling them in that direction.”
Bryant Wilson
About the presentation in the second chapter Last of usWilson also commented on the cited source:
“The first acquaintance with the clicker, except for a pacifier, takes place right in front of the viewer. We did it on purpose. This is a panic that works, because at the moment we have only mentioned them.. You’ve seen regular racers and this is the first time there’s been a clicker.”
Bryant Wilson
Last of us This is the premiere of the year and you can only see it on HBO Max.
Last of us released weekly on HBO Max. Episodes are released every Sunday (Monday in Spain). There will be nine chapters in total.
Source: Hiper Textual
