Monroeville Mall, PA, the historic location of Romero's Dawn of the Dead. Not the 2004 remake with fast zombies, but the 1978 original in all its incredibly gory, non-CGI splatter.
I finally got there. I was in Monroeville last weekend for a wedding and there was no question: I had to visit the mall.
And you know what? It looks like every other mall. At first I was disappointed but then I realized that was precisely the film's brilliance. It should look like any mall! Because when the apocalypse happens, it's gonna be everywhere--in our back yards, schools, houses--and in our malls. There are already a lot of zombies at Hot Topic anyway--why not add a few flesh-eating ones?
I had heard there's a special store with zombie memorabilia at the Monroeville Mall. Unfortunately it wasn't clear from the directory where it was--there was no Zombie Nook listed--and we didn't have time to walk the whole mall in search of it. I believe I will regret that decision more than my decision not to have children.
I did find one zombie though, riding the escalator which, in my imagination, is the same exact escalator as in the film.
Oh wait, that's not a zombie. That's me!
PS If you want way more pics than these and actual comparisons with the film, check out this guy's blog post.
2 Response to Monroeville Mall, Heck Yes
Most of the mall is exactly the same except the food court is now where the ice skating rink used to be. Also, the hallway that leads to the staircase has been changed a bit. I've been attending conventions there for the last 5 years. I always make a point of visiting the mall. Also, the graveyard from Night of the Living Dead is not too far away from there. It would've been nice to make a pilgrimage there as well. Oh well, maybe next time!
Clearly I needed you as a guide : )
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