Moneroeville Mall hosts final Dawn of the Dead tour

The sprawling Monroeville Mall outside of Pittsburgh is most famous as the setting for George A. Romero's 1978 horror film Dawn of the Dead: the shambling zombies return out of instict, says one character, becuase the place "was important in their lives." The mall itself, distressed but not dead, was bought by Walmart last year and is soon to be redeveloped. Fans of the horror classic gathered over the weekend to say goodbye.

"Some traveled from across the country and abroad to pay tribute to the film and the director's legacy," writes Jason Alpert-Wisnia with Pittsburgh's Public Source.

Across three halls set in now-empty storefronts, vendors sold horror-themed merchandise as fans lined up to buy signatures from the cast and crew of their favorite Romero projects, taking selfies with the stars and sharing what the films meant to them. "There's so many people that are finally here for their first time and it's exciting, but then you wish that they had been able to come here as many times as you have been able to and done it all," said Matt Blaizi, a resident of Hershey who has made pilgrimages to the mall since 1999.

Here's the tour's website. The movie's 2004 remake was moved to a shuttered mall in Minnesota that was awaiting demolition. Empty malls are top-tier liminal spaces; with The Backrooms' success, perhaps Monroeville Mall could get a last hurrah on-screen.

In the meantime, the mall, built in 1969, is still open; the bulldozers haven't yet been scheduled. The mall also hosted a 1981 episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Cake was made!

Here's some local TV coverage: