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'The Walking Dead' brings an undead divide to Senoia

Not everyone is happy with the undead tourism AMC's hit show has brought to Senoia's Main Street.

SENOIA, Ga. -- In downtown Senoia, it's not unusual to see zombies strolling along Main Street.

Tourists dressed in costume often retrace the steps of their favorite actors on the AMC series "The Walking Dead," which is shot in and around the city. But police had to get involved after a recent confrontation between some of these zombies and a zombie critic.

Zombies have been good for Senoia for years now - just ask Jamie Thompson.

"Pretty much the tourists, they get to actually feel like they're part of the show," Thompson said.

For more than six years, Thompson of The Walkin’ Dead Haralson Tours has been showing tourists from all over the country the locations in and around Senoia and Haralson where famous scenes in the series have been shot.

She helps dress up many of the fans as zombies. And since last fall, the tours have taken them on walks—the walking dead—up and down Senoia's Main Street.

But on Saturday, a man who is less than a fan of the undead came alive with anger as zombies strolled in front of Katie Lou's Cafe—that's according to the lead walker, tour guide Terrie Hamrick.

"And he said the F-word, 'turn around and keep on walking’," Hamrick said.

And at that, some of the undead came alive with anger as well, shouting back at the man, in front of little kid zombies.

Pretty soon police were called.

"And then the guy got irate and some lady ran out of the restaurant with an apron on shooting birds and—foul language again," Hamrick said. "So, we just went on to our cars."

11Alive spoke with the restaurant's owner on the phone since the restaurant closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. She said the man who yelled at the zombies to go away is an old friend and that she welcomes tourists—just not the ones dressed as zombies. She said they're gory and scare away customers.

That, however, isn't an opinion everyone shares.

"Ninety percent positive feedback," Thompson said.

Also, the zombie tourists do shop when they're on Main Street—in all their gooey, oozing, flesh-rotting, infectious, disgusting glory.

Thompson met with Police Chief Jason Edens Tuesday afternoon to ask for help for her zombies.

Edens issued an edict: as long as zombies walk next to the curb on the public right-of-way, away from the outside tables, they're allowed to walk past Katie Lou's.

And Katie Lou’s is free to unwelcome the undead.

The zombies are scheduled to walk The Walking Dead Main Street set, again, on Saturday afternoon.

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