Mission to Monroeville, Part 3

Like all things, my magnificent pilgrimage to the famous Monroeville Mall from Dawn of the Dead, had to come to an end. But before I committed to fulfilling my end of the bargain with my dutiful wife and spending a lovely evening/morning in a nearby suburban Pittsburgh B&B, I made sure to make the most of the fleeting time I had left on that suitably bleak day in January of 2001...


A rather humdrum shot, until you realize that this spot figures prominently in the blood-soaked climactic battle between pillaging bikers and put-out SWAT deserters/TV news employees. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is also near the spot where Peter pours a little bubbly out for his fallen homey Roger.


A favorite shot of mine. Imagine my glee upon discovering the actual hallway that led to our heroes' secret upstairs lair (which isn't actually there, by the way.) You can just picture those zombies about to stagger across the end of the hall, can't you? Interestingly, from the opposite angle, the hall goes on a lot further than it did in the movie, which leads me to believe that they must've built a false wall--ironically mirroring the very actions of the characters in the flick. There was also a large auditorium at the end of the hall, which I think was used as Tom Savini's makeup workshop.


This is the main entrance to the mall, which was walled off by tractor trailers in the movie, and later breached by the bikers and hordes of the undead. Unfortunately, it was completely rebuilt, so that the giant glass doors are no longer there. Oddly, I'm wearing a different shirt than in the earlier pics, which can only mean we visited the mall on two different days. Can it be that I abused the missus' good will that grossly? I don't remember it that way, but I suppose it's possible.


And finally, we bid a fond farewell to George Romero's most well-known filming location! The sign at the exit to the parking lot is one of the only places I could still find the classic '70s Monroeville Mall logo, which had been replaced in most other places with a newer one.

As a reminder of the journey, I purchased a winter coat at the mall's Abercrombie & Fitch, which I wore with pride until it was stolen some years later at a house party I attended. I also got a backpack, which I'm glad to say I still own, although I feel a little too old to wear it comfortably in public these days.

Yes, life is all about the passage from one stage to the next, and as we returned from western Pennsylvania to our walk-up apartment in my parents' house in Brooklyn, the symbolism of the moment was palpable. Literally leaving the free-wheeling yet undeniably silly caprices of youth behind me, returning to the place where I hoped to start a family and embrace the more responsible but even more exciting challenges of parenthood, I was ready. I had gotten it out of my system.

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's quite late and I really should retire. After all, the kids expect me to be ready first thing in the morning to watch Enter the Dragon, and practice our kung fu moves all over the house.

Mission to Monroeville, Part 2

When last we left our intrepid adventurers (a.k.a. my wife and myself), it was January 2001, mere months before making the commitment to parenthood, and I had managed to convince Mrs. B-Sol to accompany me on a frivolous seven-hour excursion to the Monroeville Mall, site of George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead.

Let's pick up the action as the two of us explore the infamous shopping center that was once infested with fake zombies:



Here we have the very escalator upon which scores of extras in blue facepaint once stumbled around aimlessly. I was tempted to do the same, but figured I would probably wind up breaking my neck.

My lovely bride, perhaps the greatest sport in the history of good sports, patronizes her husband by posing in the same elevator in which Flyboy met his tragic demise. I couldn't find the trapdoor in the ceiling, but I'm positive this is the one, since it's the only elevator in the department store. I think it might've been covered by a drop ceiling.

The instantly recognizable windowed ceiling above the fountain. Famous from both Dawn of the Dead, and the episode of Mister Roger's Nieghborhood in which Chef Brockett participates in a bake-off at the Monroeville Mall.

And below that ceiling, the fountain, around which Tom Savini and his biker clan rode menacingly before completely screwing up everything Fran, Peter, Steven and Roger had worked so hard to establish. It's also seen during the sequence in which the protagonists are carting off all the former ghouls laying around everywhere. At the time of this picture, it was no longer in operation, and I believe it has since been ripped out.

Stay tuned for the final installment of "Mission to Monroeville"...

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In other news, I'd like to extend a heartfelt congratulations to Vault of Horror contributor Ray-Ray on his entrance into the bonds of matrimony Saturday night. Had a great time, pal. No sleep till Brooklyn!

Mission to Monroeville, Part 1

It's hard to imagine now, being a homeowner and proud father of two, that there ever was a time when it could seem so important to drop everything, drive seven hours through three states and stay overnight, just for the chance to visit a shopping mall where a movie was once filmed. But believe it or not, there was.

The time was January 2001. Having been a rabid fan of George Romero's Dawn of the Dead for more than a decade, I had long been toying with the idea of driving from Brooklyn out to the suburbs of Pittsburgh on a pilgrimage to the Monroeville Mall, where the most famous cinematic zombie infestation of all time had taken place. But it also seemed too far away. It would require an overnight stay, and that just seemed like going a bit too indulge a geeky whim.

Having been married close to two years, my wife and I had made the decision that in 2001 we would try to have our first child. Pondering the onset of this life-changing event, I knew that a day was drawing nigh when the instant indulgement of a whim would become a thing of the past. Our lives would need to be dedicated to building our family like sensible adults, and so the getting out of any ya-yas would have to take place now, or never.

What the hell, I thought. Let's do it. As a concession to my wife and her saint-level patience--as well as a method of enticing her to agree to the trip--I decided that on the way back from Monroeville, we would stay overnight at a bed and breakfast in the beautiful historic section of Pittsburgh (no, I didn't know it had one either).

So we jumped in the Honda and headed west for a frivolous weekend of paying homage to a horror classic. And now, all these years later, thanks to the progress of modern technology, I can share it with the world.

So close, yet so far away. This was the tantalizing view of the Monroeville Mall from the window of our hotel room across the road. Possibly similar to the view of Tom Savini's evil biker gang before they invaded.

My photographic tribute to one of the film's iconic shots, taken in the parking lot. Thankfully, the lightposts were among the few things that remained unchanged.

I thought about leaving this one out, but it was just too damn cool. So you'll just have to excuse the awful tucked-in shirt. After locating and sneaking into this access passageway under the nose of a security guard, I proudly took this shot before getting kind of creeped out and leaving. You'll recognize it as the secret hall that led to the survivors' upstairs living quarters, which was overrun by zombies in the climax of the movie. In reality, there's no stairway--it just leads to the backdoors of a bunch of mall stores.

The entrance to Penney's, where our heroes fumbled for their keys and fought off the zombie hordes with a blowtorch. Also where some of the climactic zombie chow-down was shot. Note the updated store sign.

I've got plenty more to share, but that'll have to wait for another time. God bless the internet!

Kevin Smith: Horror Geek

We all know that Kevin Smith is a god of nerd culture, what with the constant comic book and sci-fi references in his movies. But this new still on the director's MySpace page--from his latest flick, Zack and Miri Make a Porno--proves that Smith is a horror fanboy as well. Check it out:

Gotta love that. That's long-time Smith regular Jeff Anderson and Seth Rogen sporting perhaps the coolest hockey jerseys of all time. It would appear the new comedy takes place in the Pittsburgh area, with some scenes even filmed at horrordom's most famous shopping mall. Cool.