Guest article written by John Brennan
There are shopping malls, and then there is the shopping mall: Monroeville Mall in Pennsylvania, the original filming location of George A. Romero’s seminal 1978 horror film Dawn of the Dead. To fans of horror, film history, and American pop culture, this isn’t just a mall—it’s sacred ground. As rumors swirl about Walmart’s purchase and redevelopment of the site, one thing must be made clear: tearing down or drastically altering the Monroeville Mall would be an act of cultural erasure.
Dawn of the Dead is more than just a zombie movie, it’s a blood-soaked critique of consumerism, a genre-defining film full of allegory and social commentary. The mall itself became a metaphor: a place where the undead are drawn by muscle memory, trudging endlessly through the consumer temple of their former lives. It’s ironic, then, that the same mall that satirized American materialism now faces the threat of being flattened and repurposed by one of its most potent symbols—Walmart.
Preserving Monroeville Mall is about more than honoring a horror classic, it’s about recognizing that places can become part of the cultural consciousness. Just as Graceland endures for Elvis fans, or the M Street Steps in Georgetown draw aficionados of The Exorcist, Monroeville Mall remains a pilgrimage site for horror fans around the world. Every year, fans attend “Living Dead Weekend,” a convention celebrating the film and its legacy. Devoted Dawn of the Dead-heads search the mall’s corridors for exact filming locations, tracing the path of scenes. Eventually, they arrive at the statue bust honoring the late, great George A. Romero, the visionary who turned this shopping center into sacred ground. Also at the heart of Monroeville Mall’s enduring legacy is the Living Dead Museum, an educational archive and a shrine to Romero’s undead universe.
Demolishing this space to replace it with another big-box retail outlet would mean more than the loss of a shopping center—it would be the loss of a site of artistic history. In an age where cities are learning to capitalize on their cultural landmarks, it seems short-sighted to destroy one of horror cinema’s most important real-world sets. Why not lean in? The mall is still thriving. Rather than razing the past, Walmart could easily find a way to incorporate a new store while keeping this historic location intact. A balance of commerce with cultural tourism. It wouldn’t just be preservation—it would be smart business.
Walmart, a corporation with massive influence and resources, has the opportunity to make a decision that supports community memory, honors cinematic history, and strengthens its relationship with the public. Horror fans are loyal, passionate, and eager to spend money where their favorite stories come to life. What better demographic to embrace than the legions of Dawn of the Dead devotees? Monroeville Mall is more than a building—it’s a monument. Let it stand. Let the escalators keep humming. Let the sound of Romero zombies echo eternally through its halls. Some dead things are worth keeping alive.
Sign the fan-fueled change.org petition: https://chng.it/jvJyzGYnvq
Reach out to Walmart directly and ask them to preserve horror history: https://corporate.walmart.com/about/contact
Living Dead Museum: https://monroevillezombies.com/
Monroeville Mall: https://monroevillemall.com/
