The Walking Dead: Cryptic clues reveal what’ll happen next

A series of strange pictures have been released by AMC, the makers of The Walking Dead, to either offer hints about the series return next month — or just mess with our minds...

THE Walking Dead has released a series of cryptic images to tantalise the return of the second half of Season Seven next month — and drive fans crazy with speculation.

The series of 14 strange images, from an open grave to a selection of unshelled peanuts, has people wildly guessing as to what they could all mean.

Are they hints of what will come or are they merely props designed to mislead?

They are certainly heavy on the symbolism and it indicates that the next eight episodes, which will see the various settlements band together to overthrow Negan’s rule, will be far more dramatic than the first eight of this season.

The bloody handprint. or is it chocolate sauce?

First up is the bloody handprint on a door, obviously suggesting either bloodshed or a Walker getting into someone’s house. Or perhaps both.

A set of shadows, all bearing handguns, seems obvious enough, and one appears to be Rick Grimes.

Is this Rick and friends?

But then we get more obscure, with some melons. If this was Game Of Boobs, I mean Game Of Thrones, the meaning would be simple enough. But TWD? Is it a nod towards The Hilltop?

The empty grave. Who or what filled it?

An open grave by a rubbish suggests someone will die — or does it mean that some weapons were buried and recovered?

Sowing the seeds of destruction or kicking the bucket?

Likewise an upturned bucket with seeds on the top could hint at regrowth, or suggest someone will kick the bucket.

A pile of what appear to be pecan nut shells and a saucepan could be a nod towards the death of Abraham and his final defiant call to “suck my nuts”. Equally, the last person to tuck into pecans was Carol, before she told Lizzie to “look at the flowers”. Will she suggest the Saviours “look at the flowers” now?

Has Carol been cooking something up?

A battered old bike light could be anything but suggests some desperate improvisation, while a child’s bike with military-style helmet as its basket might be a nod towards Oceanside, which has plenty of children and even more guns.

What the heck is going on here?

The sand-covered Walker skeleton is also a hint of Oceanside, either the sand trap Heath and Tara stumbled into or the beach they patrol.

Is this a clue towards Oceanside?

A bunch of dynamite could be a clue about the Saviours and their habit of using explosions to steer the Walkers away. Fat Joey, who met with a sticky end thanks to Daryl, used to run that side of things. Is it all going to go horribly wrong? Or will Rick and friends use the dynamite on Negan?

Does this mean the second half of the season will be a blast?

Then we have some battered rubber ducks — so who’s going to be a sitting duck?

Finally there are Walkers roaming around a wrecked town, which seems obvious enough and lastly a porch light and hand drill.

Perhaps that means if we drill down into these images, we will be illuminated?

But it’s hard to shake the feeling that they are just messing with our minds ...

We’ll find out next month on Foxtel’s FX channel.