The Last of Us Season 2 scene was inspired by the most shocking war movie of all time 

A brief, grim moment in The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 5 was directly inspired by one of the most disturbing movies ever made, as revealed by Craig Mazin.

The Last of Us’ influences are clear; its devastated landscape evokes the work of Cormac McCarthy, its terrifying infected run and flail like the rage-induced zombies of 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead (the remake), and its dystopian future is similar to Children of Men.

The HBO show has also hidden sneakier Easter eggs and references. For example, Joel protecting Ellie, Henry, and Sam from Kathleen, the Hunters, and the horde of infected was inspired by Saving Private Ryan.

In Episode 5, Ellie and Dina come across a clump of dead bodies on the streets of Seattle. It’s a horrible image – with ties to an even more upsetting film.

The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 5 has a grim link to Come and See

HBO

Near the beginning of Episode 5, Ellie and Dina leave the theater and make their way to Lakehill Hospital. They find the bloodied, fly-buzzing corpses of Seraphites under a “Feel Her Love” mural, with the added words, “Feel this, b*tch.”

Speaking on The Last of Us podcast, Craig Mazin revealed this scene was inspired by Come and See, Elem Klimov’s iconic (and infamous) 1985 film (which happens to be the best war movie of all time).

“This tableau is inspired by a movie I have gone back to over and over and over again, it was something I studied lengthily with Johan Renck when we made Chernobyl. It is Come and See, which is a Russian war film,” he explained.

Sovexportfilm

“It is the greatest war movie that has ever been made. It’s an incredible piece of work, and there is a moment that is very forwardly quoting from, the way that these bodies are arranged against that wall.

“One thing that I thought was important was to show… this is like, ‘Great, you wanna tag the wall? We’ll tag the wall… we’ll tag the wall with your bodies, and then we’ll write this.’ They’re leaving each other messages.”

Without getting into too many spoilers, there is a moment in Come and See where two children go to a seemingly empty village – but as they leave, they see the pile of its executed residents behind a house. This is the reference point for the “Feel Her Love” scene in The Last of Us.

If you haven’t seen Come and See, it’s available to stream via The Criterion Channel or you can rent or buy it digitally on Amazon Prime and other on-demand platforms.

Until next week, watch the trailer for The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 6, find out what happens to Abby in the game, and check out our list of the best TV shows of all time.