The Last of Us’ new infection was inspired by 'a bunch of bean sprouts'

The Last of Us Part 1 shiv - a clicker tries to make a snack out of Joel
(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

Twisted, bloated, and covered in mutating fungus, playing through The Last of Us was always a beautifully disgusting trip. But it turns out that while I may have felt queasy at times, it’s nothing compared to what the artists who had to work on the beautifully grotesque creatures in the TV show adaptation went through.

Watching The Last of Us TV show, I immediately noticed how the infection spreads differently than in the source material. Instead of clouds of spores that plague The Last of Us Part 1 (TLOU) game, the TV show opted for a viral network full of fungal tendrils. Watching the crawling and creeping tendrils claw their way through human skin unlocked a fear I never knew existed, but after talking to the artists at Wētā FX, this fear has since worsened.

“I asked one of the animators to look up parasitic worms as they go into the skin, and she just flat out said no'', Wētā FX’s Animation Supervisor Dennis Yoo said. “Instead, she gave me a bunch of bean sprouts, and I rolled with it because none of us had the stomach for parasitic worms”. 

While bean sprouts are definitely less disgusting than parasitic worms, I’ll never be able to look at them in the same way again, despite them being one of my favorite veggies. All I’ll be able to picture is the food in front of me crawling under my skin and fingernails while trying to make it into my brain; I think I’ll pass on that.

Here come the clickers  

A clicker screaming

(Image credit: HBO)

Unfortunately, the disgustingly accurate gore doesn’t end with the bean sprout tendrils. In adapting The Last of Us game to TV, the New Zealand-based digital effects company Wētā FX had its artists staring at a ton of stomach-churning content daily. 

“Beautifully disgusting encapsulates how we felt whilst working on [TLOU]”, Wētā FX’s VFX Supervisor Simon Jung said. “Especially with the child clicker, it’s absolutely horrifying, and your mind goes, ‘oh, that poor little thing, it was infected at such a young age’, but at the same time, there’s something that’s just so cool about it”. 

As someone who spent most of their time smashing up the infected in TLOU without giving it much thought, watching the infected in greater detail without having to be mindful of quick time attacks gave me a new perspective on this apocalyptic world. Like Simon Jung, I paid more sympathetic attention towards the fungal undead.  

Feeling bloated  

A bloater crawling out of a fire

(Image credit: HBO)

However, regarding attention to detail, Wētā FX had me beat. One of the most significant focal points from the entire series was their work on the infamous Bloater, which made a guest appearance in episode 5. 

Initially, this enormous creature was played by stuntman Adam Basil; however, writers Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann later changed this to a fully digital replacement. While the prosthetic bloater was intricately stunning, “it needed to be bigger and more monstrous, the stuntman was only 6’4, and in the end, our CG Bloater was over 7 feet,” Yoo said. 

CG also allowed Wētā FX greater control over the Bloater’s appearance. “We were able to cave the face in completely, which you could normally never do with an actual person underneath it”, Jung said. “It was a lot of fun reinventing the Bloater a little bit and giving it a little bit more life”. 

More ways to feel sick  

Ellie looking concerned

(Image credit: Sony)

While Season one of TLOU has only just ended, I can’t help but theorize in horror how much gore will greet me in the second season. A couple of infected terrorized my playthrough of The Last of Us Part 2, and I’m afraid seeing them again on my TV will only work to reignite my nightmares.

The beautiful moments of Ellie riding around an overgrown and ruined Seattle will help ease the blow of the hyper-disgusting content

Sneaking through the waterlogged basements of Seattle, which housed the terrifyingly mutated Shamblers, sent shivers down my spine. But even though these Bloaters on steroids haunt my nightmares, there was one infected that I’ll never want to encounter again.

While I won’t name it here, Jung and Yoo agreed that this creature would be fun but haunting to work on: “It’ll definitely be hard to animate it because of the creatures inside of it”, Jung said. “But aesthetically, there’s a lot of really amazing stuff in the second game, like the Space Museum”. 

Hopefully, the beautiful moments of Ellie riding around an overgrown and ruined Seattle will help ease the blow of the hyper-disgusting content that will be stuck on the screens of animators for who knows how long. 

Elie Gould
Features Writer

Elie is a Features Writer for TechRadar Gaming, here to write about anything new or slightly weird. Before writing for TRG, Elie studied for a Masters at Cardiff University JOMEC in International Journalism and Documentaries – spending their free time filming short docs or editing the gaming section for their student publications. 

Elie’s first step into gaming was through Pokémon but they've taken the natural next step in the horror genre. Any and every game that would keep you up at night is on their list to play - despite the fact that one of Elie’s biggest fears is being chased. 

Read more
A close up of Pedro Pascal's Joel in The Last of Us season 2
The Last of Us season 2's new teaser has fans gushing over every detail it contains, but some are also concerned about the welfare of one of its new cast members
Ellie holds a guitar as Joel watches her in The Last of Us season 2
The Last of Us season 2: release date, trailer, confirmed cast, plot synopsis, and more on the popular HBO show's return
Hamish stood witch actors playing Ellie, Joel and Aloy
I tried the world’s first interactive The Last of Us exhibit at CES – even though I died, I loved it
Ellie raises a shotgun in a barn in The Last of Us season 2
Sony announces Last of Us Season 2 release month, Horizon Zero Dawn film, Ghost of Tsushima anime and more at CES 2025
Aliens crawl out of the dark to attack Zula
Alien: Rogue Incursion review: superb survival horror with monsters I wish were more terrifying
The landscape in Atomfall.
Atomfall art director breaks down the survival game's condensed Lake District setting: 'It wasn't so much about how far you travel, but how many things you see along the way'
Latest in Consoles & PC
Asus ROG Ally using Steam
I think Asus could be the perfect partner for an Xbox handheld – but I have questions
Astro Bot PS5 bundle
Sony officially announces new Astro Bot PS5 bundles and they're available from PlayStation Direct right now for bargain prices we can barely believe
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
Future PlayStation games could have AI-powered characters, if this leaked prototype of Aloy is anything to go by
The artwork for The Last of Us Limited Edition DualSense controller
Where to pre-order and buy The Last of Us Limited Edition DualSense controller today - UK pre-orders are live but stock has sold out already
Playing games on the Razer Handheld Dock Chroma without an external display.
The Razer Handheld Dock Chroma offers Steam Deck owners a premium design and, of course, plenty of RGB
Image of GTA 6 protagonists and PS5
GTA 6's console-only launch reminds me of how much I despise console exclusivity - is it worth waiting years for PC ports?
Latest in Features
A screenshot from the movie Sea Fever on Prime Video
5 Irish horror movies and shows I recommend streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu and more this St Patrick's Day
Disappointed by The Electric State? Here's 4 reasons you should watch Tales From the Loop on Prime Video
A computer file surrounded by red laser beams
Cover your tracks: the risk of sending unencrypted files
Close up of PS5 DualSense controller leaning on a PS5
5 reasons your PS5 needs a VPN
Anora sitting on Ivan's lap in a casino in her self-titled film, one of the best new Hulu movies in March 2025
5 new Prime Video movies with over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes I think you should stream in March
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
With discounts of up to 95%, these are the biggest deals I've managed to find in the Steam Spring Sale