I watched Dawn of The Dead as kid and it scared the hell out of me. Its nice to know this mall is still open, I'm 30 minutes away and I will visit. Thanks for posting.
My wife and I went to this mall in 2008/9 for Zombiefest where most of the original cast of the movie was there signing autographs. I got to meet Ken Foree, one of the stars of the movie. Super nice guy. We had a nice conversation about how much fun he had playing his part in the film.
You do got to appreciate the amount of scenes shot for this movie when they were only allowed to film interior of the mall between the hours of closing til opening. That may seem at first like enough time, but you gotta think of the time to set up the filming rigging with lights, sound grips, camera tracks to roll on and all other production equipment. Romero was a genius who brought not just the film innovations of his films, but also the introduction of such a long lasting cultural entertainment staple.
Also when you think of all the blood splatter esp in the scene where the bikers get eaten and the fake entrails, it's really amazing how they managed to clean everything up in a limited timeframe.
Ah yes. Dawn of the Dead. Iconic Pittsburgh culture right there in line with Mister Rogers Neighborhood. I can't see Monroeville Mall going away completely because of the legacy it holds but time will tell.
"When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth." Still can't believe the guy who said that later became Roger Rockmore from Nickelodeon's Kenan & Kel.
When "Dawn" came out I was 17 years old. A great buddy took me to see it as the film ran at only one theatre in Baltimore, the Rotunda theater. The film was show unrated so I needed an adult to get in. I later became a manager / projectionist at that theatre.
That is very cool. I wish they still showed movies on film at theaters. Do you find some of the magic is gone from theaters now that don't use film projectors?
@@revokdaryl1 Yes, as I was a projectionist for twenty years at the Senator theatre in Baltimore, Md A big art moderne neighborhood 900 seat single screen house. The last film I ran there was Titanic. I ran archival screenings for clients with nitrate film as well. Soon there will be no more movie houses, everybody streams these days.
@@markkotishion2379 Thanks for your reply. Titanic, what a film to go out with! It's a shame that these movie houses are going. I am fortunate that I am just barely old enough to remember seeing films in the theater when they were actually projected on film. It's something I'll cherish for the rest of my life. Thanks for sharing your experience with me.
Monroeville is such a strange mall in a lot of ways. It has one wing that might as well be completely dead, while the rest of it is oddly still pretty vibrant. I've heard that they'll be losing their Forever 21, which will leave quite a gap on the upper level there.
It's the same thing with every mall, lol. The one left here has a very vibrant section in the mall but everywhere else is dead. The one mall tried to hold on but ultimately got sold.
I know that the original film seems funny now, but as someone who was 16 in 1978, I'm here to tell you that the film scared the heck out of me, it was such a different perspective to see the film in color.
You wuss. I was 10 or 11 around 1981. There was something extra special about being a child with all your brothers and friends when their parents (who actually had a Ferguson Videostar and Sony Trinitrons!) were out, and watching a sub-standard VHS to VHS copy of a film that you know the BBFC had banned and would have sent Mary Whitehouse to an early grave. We absolutely fucking loved all the "video nasties" as kids. This was one of them, but I preferred Zombie Flesh Eaters in this genre. Also so many other great VHS films I distinctly remember like The Warriors and The Wanderers, John Carpenters Assault on Precinct 13. Scanners. Texas Chainsaw Massacre... they don't make them like they used to despite all the special effects.
I saw the movie when I was a kid probably late 90s or so :) It remains my all time favorite zombie movie & even still when I watch it , I find it scary. These are the best zombies:) I’ve yet to find a zombie movie I like more
I remember back in the early 80s I rented dawn of the dead and day of the dead. Then back in the late 90s I had too see Monroeville. I love it,always excellent work from the mall king
My mom was walking up and down the steps of this mall the day before I was born hoping I’d come early! I’ve grown up with this mall and my cousin was head of security here for many years. So many memories 😢
I grew up in Plum, PA. I used to go to Monroeville Mall all the time in the 80s and 90s. We'd throw pennies in the fountains, play Police Trainer at the arcade, and buy lava lamps at Spencer's. I've eaten at the Brown Derby a few times, but I was still pretty young when it closed, so I barely remember it.
I saw Dawn of the Dead at the Local Drive in Theatre back in 1978. Yes the special effects are way dated for todays standards, but they were pretty gruesome back when I was a teenager. Loved the video, thanks for sharing.
Fantastic video. You did your homework. Forgot about Flashdance also being filmed there at the rink. One tiny detail you left out was when the mall opened in 1969 it also impacted Eastland mall in North Versailles, PA which went downhill and eventually closed about a decade later. I lived about 30 mins from this mall in the 70s and 80s Again, GREAT JOB
Worked in Monroeville Mall from 2003 - 2006. Nice place with nice people then. It seems to be much worse nowadays I hear with all kinds of violence and such. When I worked there the most activity I saw the mall security take part in was chasing, yelling at and stopping "Dawn of the Dead" fans from taking pictures inside the mall. LOL!
I think that original soundtrack music you used here should be the ONLY music that's piped into that mall during regular business hours. That would make for an interesting shopping experience!
Grew up in that mall, was 7 when it opened. Loved going ice skating there with my friends and cousins. I remember when the movie came out just how surreal it was to see our hangout invaded by zombies. George is an icon of the city.
I was only 2.5 yrs. when this mall opened. Though it is somewhat dated, the mall itself seems to be in excellent shape. It may not be busy but it has more life to it than some malls that weren't built for nearly a decade later.
I first visited this mall with my grandparents in the early 70's and I remember that we found the use ring in the mall to be fascinating. Fast forward to February of 1998 when we stayed at the hotel just across the parking lot from the mall and as I told the family about the movie, Dawn of the Dead as we walked thru I was kinda pissed that the ice ring was gone but the grave site was from the movie was still in place...
I believe this was the first large indoor mall in the Pittsburgh area (1969) i went a few times but moved away in 1972. It was very novel and popular back then. Glad it's still there. Thanks for showing it.
They hold a 3 day convention in this mall every year called The Living Dead Weekend. It has DOTD location guided tours, celebrity appearances, tons of horror themed vendors and a lot of other great things to celebrate George Romero!!
Memories of shopping in my Jr High /High School years. Foxmoor Casuals in the one scene was one of my favorite stores in Towne East Wichita Ks ( still a pretty live mall Towne West along with Hutchinson Mall here are dead malls) The old JCP signage before they went to brown in the early 80s.There is a what I think is pretty unique early 70s Monroeville Mall commercial clip on you tube . Enjoy your videos !
Love this! Don't usually do this, but some points i'd like to point out: 1)Ken Foree (Roger Rockmore in Kenan and Kel) also was in Knight Rider and A Team, as well as being in the remakes of Dawn of the Dead and Halloween. 2) I love real life film locations and would love to travel to here from the UK. It saddens me to think 99% of everyone who enters this mall has no idea of its multiple movie appearances. I've never seen Dawn of the Dead either. Thanks for this, excellent. The 6 dislikes are zombies 😁
Hi friend! I'm local to the area and every spring the mall has a big Dawn of the Dead festival, there's usually a lot of people! as for local notoriety, almost everyone who is older than a kid/teen knows of the mall's history as a movie location. One of the entrance wings of the mall has a lovely photo collage up of the two end courts as they were in the 70's and some pictures of the ice palace. I'd definitely recommend making the trip out one day, even with a 78% occupancy rate its still a fantastic mall!!
Awesome where Penney’s had that older P logo in the movie, think I was 16 when I saw Dawn of the dead at a drive in theater in late 70s. Think I’d be a little nervous in that mall if someone snuck up and tapped me on the shoulder LOL.
Monroeville Mall is awesome. I still shop there. I love that it’s just two levels and shaped in a long rectangle. One of the reasons I hate Pittsburgh Mills is the way it’s shaped. I feel like I’m walking in a spiral and it’s hard to find anything. I spent many wonderful years as a teenager in Monroeville Mall.
The marble columns really make this place stand out. And the new horror store on the second floor in the Romero wing is awesome. Check out the prop museum. They have the elevator from Dawn.
Nearly the 20th anniversary of the day Hanson tried to sign autographs at this mall (2/27/00). Mall security was no match for thousands of teenage girls.
Thanks for making this! It's too bad they've stripped out a majority of the remnants from the movie, save for the skylights! As of about 15 years ago the fish pond was still there and the cool railings. The land the mall sits on was considered as the location for Three Rivers Stadium before being built on the North Shore of Pittsburgh.
I remember ice skating there one time when it was still pretty new. It was kind of crowded on the ice. I worked at Miracle Mile right before I moved from there in '73.
I Love Dawn of the Dead and Monroeville Mall I'm a Super Fan. I was zombie Flyboy at the mall and did the behind the scenes tour. The movies about a group of people that need each other to survive an Outbreak much like today. Peter Roger Fran and Flyboy this is the Best zombie movie Alltime! I've gotten to meet the whole cast at Living Dead weekend its a family. I have my picture as Flyboy in front of their apartment. This mall is like Disneyland for us zombie Horror fans. I flew from Seattle I almost had a Heart attack when I went into the controlroom! I will be at that mall every year for the Dawn events RIP George A Romero 🙏🧟♀️🧟♀️
I was in this mall two months ago at 4 pm on a Friday and I counted as many people shopping on my fingers. The movie theater was okay but 90% of parking spaces were empty still
So many changes in the Mall since the 1990s, I know I have slides from the Mall from 1970s to 1980s for the holidays! Sad to see that clock thing gone and the steps too! Where did the Clock Tower thing go??
I seem to recall if you go down the escalator to the food court and straight through to that first big intersection there was a huge island there on the right with plants on it and people could sit on the edge of it and that was like the meeting place. It actually created congestion for shoppers and was like a bottleneck. This was in the 1980s.
I remember hearing circa 2013-2015 that this mall was troubled, but it seems to be doing okay. I believe in the "Updated Bath and Body Works" index. If your Bath and Body Works is updated and not with that wood paneling and green lamp spotlights, you're probably doing okay.
Those special effects were revolutionary in 1978. The main issue was that the color of the blood and makeup when photographed looked fake. Tom Savini honed his makeup and effects over the next few years. In Romero's 3rd film in the series, Day of the dead, Savini arguably created some of the best practical makeup and gore effects to ever be filmed. Check that one out. It was filmed in 1984 and the effects still hold up today. Despite the low budget and comic book looking gore, Dawn of the dead is still one of my favorite films. When I was a kid I would imagine myself holed up in the mall during a zombie apocalypse lol.
Thanks for the flashback😉 I have 3 brothers & 3 sisters, not sure how my mother kept track of us all😂 As for the ice rink i could not skate so i always feel left out.
I was an extra for a scene in Zach and Miri Make a Porno that was shot at this mall. Drove 3 and a half hours down from Buffalo, NY to be in it. I got a half second of screen time, from the back, so you never see my face. Totally worth it.
Cool vintage mall,love the 60s~70s Penny's logo.If this mall survived a zombie apocalypse I'm hoping it survives the retail apocalypse a piece of Pa.film history.
I think you are the first who covers malls extensively to do this mall. Been a huge fan of the day, dawn and night film for years.. I need to visit there in the future..
Hey hey it’s the mall I’ve been going to since I’ve been a kid. I have a love/hate relationship with this place. It’s going downhill gradually but I also don’t want it to end up on the list of other (non)existing dead malls. If it goes it would be a big blow for sure.
Just as an example of the decline, in the video there’s a hollister shop. The last time I went, which was a few days after this video’s upload, that shop closed down so it’s a vacant spot.
This is what a mall I am familiar with. It has Forever 21, Pandora and othee stores that are known worldwide....and massage chairs. Hi, I am an avid dead mall videos fan. I have watched Dan Bell's so now, I shifted to this channel to watch other contents. It is 2020 and malls are now dead worldwide because of the pandemic
You haven't seen Dawn of the Dead till recently? Oh, you poor soul! We filmed there a few times already for Living Dead Weekend. It was a blast filming up there! ~Buzz Killer, Talking Zombie From Western Pennsylvania
Love this movie cool tour...brings back a lot of memories. I'll be liking and subscribing to your channel. Looking forward to seeing more content Happy Halloween
Just saw the Dawn of the Dead 3D re-release in the theater! Shame it was exclusive to Regal and the theater in that mall is Cinemark. How awesome would it be to see Dawn of the Dead in the mall it was made in???
I ate at Evergreens buffet near by. 1990s. They had a great casual dining spot called John Harvards Brewing 🍽🍺🥩🍖🍗 . That place closed in the early 2000s.
Although you're not a fan of the film from the time of its release, I'm glad to see you're covering the topic. While I completely disagree with your assessment of the film itself, I understand what the 40 years since have done to the film. One thing I was hoping to see was some shot for shot locations segments from the film camera angles so we could see the transformation of the mall in the last 4 decades. Maybe that's something you could do some day with a follow up video. Thanks for the effort.
When there's no more room in Hell .... The dead will walk the mall. This mall is an icon to past social culture that has almost been forgotten because of Amazon and internet shopping. Give it a little more time and all the crap we deal with online shopping will give way once again for malls.
A good way to start the new year!!! Do you have any more of the vintage 1978 footage of this mall? If you do, it would be really interesting to see more of a scene by scene comparison like you have in the beginning of the video.
