DAWN of the DEAD FILMING LOCATIONS (1978) A Thorough & DETAILED TOUR of Monroeville MALL + Airport

this video begins at dawn [Applause] [Music] dawn of the dead welcome to the filming locations for the 1978 horror classic zombie film filmed inside the monroeville mall and outside one of the greatest zombie films of all time i'm a big fan of zombies george romero specifically george romero the father of the living dead directed and wrote this film spent many weeks out here making that beautiful creation it is at this entrance of the mall where in dawn of the dead predominantly most of the scenes were created right here in this corner i'm going to be matching up several screenshots at all different angles right here up front at the beginning of the video and we begin with the widest angle you see of this entrance the motorcycle gang the raiders are coming to the mall notice all the zombies on the sidewalk the window structures behind them the semi that was parked there in front of the door check it out here we are today at almost the same angle these poles match up the structure of the wall the brick the windows the sliding glass door check that out then and now i have now stepped foot inside so you can see the widest angle of this entrance from the inside the interior this is when the raiders are exiting the mall notice the window the sliding glass window is open there used to be a pay phone right here on this this pole that pole is still there everything looks remarkably the same just changed a little bit here you go today that payphone would have been right there the doors all line up also have to point out the exact and precise moment that tom savini enters the monroeville mall right here here i am at a similar angle today everything still looks about the same there you go then and now also another angle at this exact spot notice the grassy hill in the background also the door to the right inside of the building right there in front of that lady's arm here you go today the grassy hill and the door this here you can see then and now perfectly that little indentation there on the wall back out on the outside this is where many of zombies came and tapped among the glass the camera angles from the inside over here in this corner that's where the much larger zombie was bouncing his belly notice the stone wall behind the fella here in the window here i am where he was tapping his belly against the glass right here and you can make out the stone wall there in the corner we were just outside showing you the outside looking in check it out here's the moment when roger and peter are driving the semi-trucks along the wall of macy's here here you are today that would have been coming this way towards that entrance of the mall also another angle in front of this wall right here i'm about the same position today all these bushes and trees have since grown up you can make out the building a little better here and also the bp logo on the truck there firestone today pennies automotive back then it's also the hill to the right is very identifiable the parking lights in the parking lot have changed a little bit similar angles here is number 30 today in a different location of the time of the film though but very similar to be more thorough 30 is now here but in the time of the film it was midway right there at that grassy knoll there which i know that because in the scene where the motorcycle raiders are coming in there's a quick screenshot where you can see the number 30 light post right behind them they would have been about right there very similar in shape and size the lights have changed though but these are still the original poles i believe here is the road that you see the motorcycles coming down towards the mall notice the fire hydrant check it out today look that fire hydrant is in the same place may it may not be the same fire hydrant it could be but definitely this is the angle you first see the raiders come down this road here towards the mall a mall and that grass right behind me there's that entrance heading back this way i'm gonna go up here to get the widest angles you see looking back this way of the parking lot in the film and also the helicopter the helipad would have been right here in between monroeville those letters that part of the mall and this structure right here with these four doors on it i know that because of this screenshot right here the helipad is right in front of this thing here blew up that screenshot a little further notice the zombie standing in front of this wall right here this portion of the building check this out at the corner right there when it goes up to the larger portion there it is right there today the helicopter pad was right up there the zombies would have been standing right here from that quick grab of a screen shot all right see these giant things on top of the roof that is directly above the boiler room there is a shot of peter standing right in between either on this side or that side but this shot right here is a good representation then and now you can make out the structure in between like the steel beams those original that goes right down into the boiler room and hoping to get into the boiler room somehow today now this is not the best angle but notice up here there's a kind of a satellite thing poking up and the edge of this building on top of the roof that is where francine was standing when she was holding that gun there's a brief moment here's the screenshot now just imagine us being above these trees weren't here this is the wall that you see with the zombies and the helicopter pad up there to the right but you can make out that satellite still there looks like an old television satellite or something but yeah francine would have been standing right up there there used to be a staircase here and you can make out some of the remains of that staircase that used to be in the corner leading down to where we just were that entrance of the mall i'm now on the top side of that entrance on the second level there used to be a staircase right here and that's important for the next screenshot so you can understand there's a bit of an obstruction now notice the grassy knoll the formation firestone building way out yonder all the zombies in the parking lot again obstructions but here you go the firestone building you can make out how the concrete turns here in that screenshot the end of the rails the camera would have been a little higher up in this grass out here in front of the firestone building those zombies that horde of zombies coming along the parking lot this way lots to cover in here very awesome they have a zombie themed laser tag here in the mall zombie bird here at this arcade totally different no fountain anymore but i'm pointing about the same angle as the camera at this moment when the raiders come through the door down that hallway no more fountain and now an escalator right here the raiders there's the hallway out to that entrance of the mall where we started it would have been coming around the fountain right here the only thing you can really make out then and now is this this pole over here there's a little rectangle spot right there right there there you go and i had to pause the screenshot just right this is the closest you see the floor in the film look at this it's still the same still the same floor then and now standing about the same vicinity the only thing that hasn't changed are the beams the lights have changed check it out those lights are different now there are some of the old lamps and the living dead museum which we will see later inside this mall on the second floor i just want to point a couple things out right here where this pretzel auntie anne's is that is where the staircase was during the time of the film the hallway that they constantly run in and out of and down there and this entrance to this hallway so exciting to see this is the main thoroughfare the main corridor you see them constantly run in and out inside the movie inside dawn of the dead right here beside bath and body works the first time you see roger and peter standing in this doorway right here check it out we've been standing right there and then the next time they're running out the hallway here had to step back towards auntie anne's pretzel shop here it smells great uh peter coming out the door there about right there running this way towards jc penney's which used to be over there to the left right here is the door the door they would have come in and out of actually here's a screenshot right here peter coming out the door there was a trash can on the left and this lines up perfectly the bathroom door the men's room door still there check that out and this is where they would have made that fake wall and boxed themselves in right there and eventually the zombies led by steven would have knocked it down a screen grab looking back down the opposite side of the hallway check out the doors look at that those two doors those are your pieces your identifiers there you go one more time look at that here's another shot notice the drinking fountains over here i'm beyond the doorway now here you go look at that drinking fountains right over there still different drinking fountains now the doors are formatted a little differently today but notice this indentation on the wall the wall sticking out there this is when tom savini almost got peter as peter was climbing up that ladder tom savini looking up this way and it would have been this tile here that peter would have crawled up into the photo booth right there to the right and the pay phones coming this way towards me trying to match it up today shot down the hallway there you go now i wanted to play this scene real time this is when steven becomes a zombie and he comes down the hallway right here i'm trying to stand about the same angle as he's coming down there you go coming this way [Music] again back down the hallway keep the drinking fountains in mind and remember when i said they boxed in that door frame they're about to break into it oh right there against the door breaking it down right there they would have went right through this door i wish we could go in there it's steven and over here which would be the south side of the mall this is where the pennies used to be i'm just kind of showing you this angle so you can see it the pennies on the first or the first floor down there and the second floor was right here screen shot right here is the widest angle you see from this direction of the pennies in the bottom screen you can make out the escalators but here you go the escalator the poles pennies up here pennies down there right here about where this is this is where the sliding glass door was that they would go in and out roger taking shots at zombies out this way towards the corner here come on the sliding glass door would have been right here you see this column here to the right of the door in the movie here is the column today this is the second level of the former jc penney's right here was that door before present-day cinemark this area is a play zone and then back there you have the cinemark theater this these columns here were the main columns throughout the store that you saw in the film inside jc penney's notice the railing has changed since 1977 8ish the escalator over there actually that's the famous escalator zombie right there the one bobbing up well here you go today that zombie got shot about right there the escalator zombie standing about right there and as the zombies getting shot here i noticed the pattern then and now on the beam right behind him on the column that pattern's still here today right there that's awesome and if you still don't believe me this is the column next to the door on the second level of pennies well if you look at the screenshot think of the m16 that he sat right there notice this crack here now this tile's changed but notice this crack here and how it lines up like perfectly this way well look here you go here's the screen grab look at that line on the floor he propped the m16 right there and the scenes with the elevator and steven somewhere over to this side of the building the elevator no longer present of course this area has been gutted but that elevator still exists and it's in this mall at the living dead museum which we will go inside of it's actually opening today one more screen grab of the upper level of pennies notice the column there before the zombies the penny sign and the columns in the background behind the glass this is where the door was you can make up that column in the background of the glass this is where the pennies was right there then and now and going down the escalator check it out this is the escalator over here that you see the bobbling zombies going up that famous shot of them going up there different escalator oh the lights just came on different lights too but here you go i'm gonna show a couple things also the food court that way this was the ice skating rink and they said i just talked to some of the security guards they said that the ice skating rink is technically just there they just they just built this all on top of it that's pretty cool and we're getting h m opening up here this would have been the bottom of jc penney's notice the columns that run down the center these are the columns just before the escalators that would have been down there that's where roger would have slid down the middle of the escalators here's a shot of that moment always wanted to try that after watching that i thought that was so cool but at the end right at the end of the store is where the escalators were and a lot of action at this column as well this is where that sliding glass door was on the bottom this is where they would have created the diversion for the zombies so they could get out upstairs right here in this corner directly below the door up there now a very funny part in the movie is with this raider the motorcycle gang member with the sombrero gets in the blood pressure cuff machine knowing that there's zombies around gets trapped and gets eaten right here this is where that machine was where he would have been sitting right below the escalator right here check it out i just i just love that scene now to show you where the ice skating rink used to be this is the best i can match up the shot the escalators to the left and the right the poles and the former lights check it out right here across across here to the food court there you go then and now here's then wait for it wait for it now now you really have to use your imagination on this one this is the moment when they're having the target practice on the ice skating rink i'm standing about where the camera was at the end behind them there is jcpenney in the escalators now i'm standing in about the same spot you have to use your imagination but down there jc penney and the escalators to the left and to the right i'm standing in the present day food court use your imagination but i would have been standing right on the ice there then and now so much has changed now in the opposite end of the mall this is where that giant tower set during the movie you can make out the tip of the tower in a screenshot where you see the skylights i'm gonna match it up right here all right right there the tower would have been dead center kind of shows you a screen grab of the corner here right there look at that skylights haven't changed and there you go and over here the man himself george romero ladies and gentlemen fixated right here in the mall a bust of george a romero a sculpture the father of the living dead check that out that is awesome right here in the dawn of the dead mall of course very last moment you see in the movie at the end of the credits the tower i'm now on the second level everything matches up though the columns the stores have obviously changed and there's no zombies down here but right here again here you go then and now tower would have been dead center right here dead center with all the dead around it and coincidentally the living dead museum is having its grand opening during these filming locations that i'm filming actually leonard lisa's over here the machete zombie maybe we'll talk to him in a second but we're gonna check out this store the living dead museum look at that and day of the dead living dead weekend at monroeville day of the dead and the return of the living dead cast will be coming to this mall come july just a couple weekends away all kinds of dead merch in here of all kinds of movies mostly romero of course and here we go we're going to walk through the living dead museum during the filming locations let's check it out oh wow this is so nice done well all kinds of things the lookout in here 50th anniversary original painting there of night of the living dead this guy's just in the door over here check out his cap do you notice that logo bp trucking those are the trucks that peter and roger move inside of the east doors the doors we saw earlier there's a lot to cover here i'm gonna point out the dawn of the dead stuff of course and then behind this glass you have a poster signed by the entire cast of dawn of the dead right here is a representation of roger with a gas mask on as he was wearing it in the beginning of the film on top of george a romero's old office building in downtown pittsburgh this is the original elevator from the jc penney's and dawn of the dead and look inside it's steve and this is where he turned and became a zombie after being shot oh my gosh he he was actually shot up there he climbed up there was shot by the raiders and fell down and then the zombies rushed in this is oh my gosh this is the elevator it says it right over here jc penney monroeville mall dawn of the dead door ceiling side rails lights key panel and button panel all from the movie that's the actual button that they touched in the movie there's steve right there that is so cool and there's some screenshots over here of this elevator from those moments of the film the zombies getting him there check that out it's when they rush in oh and there's the ceiling all right there's steve in the elevator okay check that out right there that is amazing i didn't expect to see this in here oh my goodness and in this display case you have the screen used jc penney alarm and bell the fire extinguisher sign and then the screen used jc penney ceiling lights these can also these were also seen in dawn of the dead and of course you have the iconic pittsburgh iron city beer there as those men were cracking open in the beginning scenes of the film original production zombie props from dawn of the dead right there check out the lines the bloodlines there i have to point out there's the windows and shutters from evil dead to the cabin are right here there's the cabin front door and the windows that is amazing i had to throw that in here here are some of the lights the old lights that you would see hanging in dawn of the dead original interior mall light fixtures and this guy back here is a security guard that was roaming around the boiler room representation of that a recreation original escalators from jcpenney right there that you would have seen in dawn of the dead section of them that's really cool fun facts about the monroeville mall to prepare the area for construction more than 6 million cubic yards of earth were excavated the mall opened in 1969 so there you go all kinds of zombies in here we've got zombie the movie we've got michael jackson zombie from thriller that is so cool and you've got day of the dead over here oh my gosh it's amazing all kinds of things and of course dawn of the dead the lumberjack zombie he's so awesome oh getting kind of creeped out oh and at the rear of the hall of fame you got the mall of fame all these handprints bloody handprints of actors that were in zombie films and there's ken foye's handprints and signature right there sign this in 2009 stay scared right there george a romero october 9 2010 it looks like put his hand prints on this wall and this corner devoted to the original classic knight of the living dead and right here you have the first zombie ever seen in a romero film night of the living dead of course filmed in the pittsburgh area as well officials are quoted as explaining that since the brain of a ghoul has been activated by the radiation the plan is kill the brain and you kill the ghoul i have had an escort to the boiler room of the mall where the scenes were filmed in dawn of the dead oh my gosh look at this this is the boiler room guys it's so awesome and i'm being led into the office this is where you see steve walk in the beginning of the film actually he was coming this way and he goes right inside of this office and these gauges can be seen in the film a close-up of these gauges here and then a shot back this way the wood works still to say there's a lot more stuff in here but check it out the boiler room the office this is so cool very nice of the owners of don of the living dead museum to get me back in here very very awesome look johnson control center the controls are the are exactly the same this is the same controls actually there's like a camera shot like sweeping up here this is like blowing my mind right now steve would have been over here in the corner amazing the boiler room got to be very quick in here i can't really match up a lot but this was the boiler room not much has changed in here so cool and here's the hallway you see in the film peter and roger running down this hallway several times as we're heading back out into the mall what a fascinating time and notice this door here these two marble columns there the door open that is that hallway this is where tom savini got the zombie with the machete say goodbye creep say goodbye creep say goodbye creep notice the door right here check it out right here tom savini right here got leonard lease the actor which so happens to be upstairs right now space j-a-y i have to be the whole thing okay that'd be that'd be awesome yeah yeah you can put it right there yeah okay so i'll try to do it a little bit smaller here i am with littered lease the machete zombie right there hey tampa jay yeah what's going on man he saw he's signing me an autograph right here in the mall where he did that scene right in the monroeville mall and even got the uh say goodbye creep magnets there that's awesome awesome production shot there that's a pretty good shot and uh they had uh blood tubing going up my back owning up your back there into my head and so upon tom giving her the ghost on yeah she starts pumping it and it comes up and then down over my face it's perfect it's really perfect it is an awesome shot did it actually hurt any no the only thing that uh hurt a little bit was when he kicked me on the floor oh okay now that didn't hurt it's just that yeah there's no padding on the floor yeah i just got kicked at the floor and i fell and i wasn't going to stump me so i wasn't really told how to fall right you just took it and i got back up you know and we were done and i went back to work yeah literally went right back to work so it appears that the old foxmore store at the time of the movie is now the bath and body works check out the ceiling work up here and this long vent right there keep your eyes on it bringing back the screenshot right there and that tree i believe that tree that you see in the middle up there would have been right there again notice the structure here that right next to that is where tom zavini was later shot by peter from the roof up there and he falls down into the former garden area and fountain that used to be right here so the zombie was tossed off there but right there by peter and then tom savini fell off down right here peter shoots tom from the roof as he's on top of that bench next to the tree in the upper level notice the skylights and the beam in the middle check it out look at that the railing is much different today it's glass in the movie it was steel coming this way now on level two tom savini would have fell off right here that bench would have been right there i just wanted to show you this angle to put things into perspective he would have fell down there into the fountain here you go peter chucking the zombie from the upper level right here check out the skylights the corner of the railing peter right there skylights corner different railings when there's no more room in hell the dead will walk the shopping mall and here's the moment where the volkswagen stops in front of the doors i want to point out over in the corner here present day place called 90s nails and you can match this up perfectly this tile work behind the screen shot here behind the volkswagen right there matches up look at this part up here kind of makes a v right there that v right there that's why i can parked right here after it came down the hallway here on the second level on the west side speaking of volkswagen this looks like a volkswagen here check that out in a coloring box that says change and i just got word in a couple weeks right here where george romero is and the living dead museum this square will be dedicated to george romero in a couple weeks this strip mall here can be seen several times in the background of the movie just among the south side anchor here the cinemark former jcpenney you can make out an aerial shot several times of this building now the camera would have been way up above the rooftop you see the zombies on top of the roof as the helicopter just took off you can identify the firestone building to the left this building on the other side of the road that's the road the raiders came down the motorcycle gang and of course the strip mall right behind there check it out there's the strip mall right there from dawn of the dead you can see it several times in the background but i just wanted to show you this shot because it kind of gives a wide angle and also there are zombies now headed out into the monroeville countryside and then pittsburgh for the other filming locations i'm kind of working my way backwards started at the mall where the movie ended working my way to pittsburgh where it began this is a windy road i like this for this next filming location we come to logan's ferry road this vicinity out here is where the national guard and the militia were having that shin dig where they were cracking the iron city beers actually there's a road over there called maple crest and that's the road they were having the shindig the actual screenshots you see of the militia they were coming down this road here i'm about to match up the then and now comparisons but i just wanted to show you that there is a brand new neighborhood here this driveway to the neighborhood was built this is the hill that's been cut out that you saw the zombies on top of that the guys were taking shots at that hill has been cut through and there's a neighborhood right on the other side of that ridge here i am matching up this shot on logans ferry road the house so identifiable then and now just imagine the militia here these young men the zombie militia and the national guard and parked right here notice the telephone pole in the edge of the house to the left behind the truck all the way to the left and the ridge line of the hills in the background ridgeline house telephone pole truck and the cannon would have been placed right here walking closer to the house gonna go up maple crest to see if i can match up any of those beard-drinking scenes where they're all gathered and shooting zombies up here having a big old shin dig i know that that barn in the movie you see behind the guys or everyone as they're gathered around having those drinks the barn was right over here there's actually an old driveway here's an aerial shot from the helicopter notice the house there on logan's ferry this is the turn we just took up maple crest and over here there's some barns and those are the barns you see behind the fellas drinking the iron city beers they're having a little shindig well that barn would have been about right here besides this giant pile of dirt right up maple crest and these this is where they were cracking open those beers and having the shin dig barn would have sat out there and then the fellas would have been out there shooting they were among that tree and that's when they saw the zombies coming across the field out there and right down there is the house just to put the things into better perspective and you can make up that garage from that aerial shot as well i want to point out that some of those scenes were filmed on hazel road of the shindig between the national guard and the militia up logan's ferry a little ways actually past the airport filming location up hazel road down here up this ridge this house from the backside can be seen in the movie there are some scenes filmed out here i can show you that from this next screenshot there's a brief moment where you see the national guardsmen taking pictures see this guy taking the picture the hydra it's not there but notice this house in the background the brick and the telephone pole above the helmet there there is the house the poles and the paved road here this is hazel road this is where the guy was standing taking a photo of the national guardsmen now i believe they use this road down from the other one because this one is paved it would have been easier to get those heavy trucks up and down this road versus that gravel road harold w brown memorial field is for sale this next filming location from dawn of the dead is for sale now going back this old and bumpy road i have just come down the road this fence here is the boundary line of the airport passing by the helicopter pad right there is where the helicopter landed and you can make out this road and of course there is the airport office that peter went inside and here you go the helicopter lands right here on the pad the fuel tanks are gone but there's still some remains of them also you have this pole and that pole still there right there that's amazing two fuel pumps right here and here oh yes yeah part of the pumps are still there there would have been one to the right of the pole right here here's the pole there would have been one to the left nothing really oh there you go right there it's all grown up actually here's a better shot of steven and roger there before the pumps the pole right there pump sitting here airport property no trespassing i would love to go check the knob on that door because the scenes were filmed right in here and there's a famous shot of peter walking right down the sidewalk towards the helicopter pad here's peter coming out the door here notice the sidewalk the windows the door structure right there as the church bells are going off in the distance zoomed in a little closer just so you could see it the airport office and that's where the lumberjack zombie is seen inside there as well inside there roger coming to the rescue after steve missed the shot almost hitting peter now the camera would have been back before the gas pumps behind that sign but i paused the screen just right so you can see these airplane hangers that just in a second the movie steve walked down into most of these hangers are gone but this and this at the end of this row here some of those hangers today are still there there would have been more hangers coming out this way but looks like they've been torn down ladies and gentlemen welcome to pittsburgh my first time in pittsburgh this weekend in 21 years i used to frequent pittsburgh during football season back in the 90s with my family we were pittsburgh steeler fans and i still am today big football family this next filming location takes place along the riverside between liberty bridge and the 10th street bridge kind of right in this vicinity right here this is where peter roger stephen and francie and all got into the helicopter took off their next stop was the monroeville airport where we just work there's a bit of a river walk or bike trail here today these markers these awesome graffiti markers lining the trail over here the river these buildings can be seen as the helicopters taking off after they took off from the police boat station which would have been down over there i'll go over there in a second you can make out the allegheny trucking sign ford commercial vehicle center in the background as well now this is all grown up it's totally different but as roger's calling down to those fellas down the boat house notice the white fence next to him there not white today but the same stretch of fence goes along the river wall here right there now here's the screenshot about ready to land here at the helicopter pad right behind the chopper you can make out that ford sign i'm standing in about the same vicinity it's hard to match up everything has changed but you can make that out clear as day that's actually the allegheny trucking company and that is pretty much the only identifier to get an idea of the vicinity of where the helicopter took off landed and then took off sign there helicopter pad over here police station boat station down the hill next to the river welcome to pnc park home of the pittsburgh pirates i've come to see my hero ladies and gentlemen the great one my favorite baseball player of all time roberto clemente number 21 the reason why my family's number has always been 21 and why my favorite number has always been 21. and for this next location i have to go to the top of this parking garage that's right got to get the right angle this parking garage will do the trick i am now standing on the fifth level of the wood alleys parking garage on first avenue in downtown pittsburgh looking across first avenue to this building right here the former office building of george a romero the father of the living dead this building his building former building was used for the rooftop scenes the rooftop is the filming location right there in the center actually you can make out the doorways then and now we're zoomed all the way in the door on the left is the door that you see the gang come out guns are blazing in the movie they come out right there so this red box on the door there in the screenshot some sort of vent painted red back in 1978 it's still on that door today but painted white you can make that out as well you can see that here today zoomed all the way in as much as i can and it's such a nice view over here the riverboats right across the street spent a lot of time in those buildings when i was a kid visiting pittsburgh with my family in the tunnel heading back to monroeville i just love these tunnels around pittsburgh they're so awesome if you enjoyed this video do me a favor give it a thumbs up right down there thank you for watching guys i hope you enjoyed the filming locations for george a romero's dawn of the dead right here in monroeville at the monroeville mall i love malls i've been to a lot of dead malls malls that are kind of going out of business but i've never been to the dead mall before that was so awesome tracking down those filming locations here in this video today thank you for joining me if you'd like to check out some more of my filming locations check out my filming locations playlist on the main page of my youtube channel check out all the filming locations i've done this far and subscribe below if you want to see some more in the future i will be making more videos so hit the subscribe button and there you go thanks for joining me i am tampa j and there is much ahead i'll see you next time see you guys later i was a little hungry so i stopped by the food court to give me some anti-ants gotta get one of these small pretzels that's what i like to call them what's a mall without an auntie anne's let's go to the mall without getting anti-ants there's good stuff okay

Channel: Tampa Jay

Views: 26,595

Keywords: dawn of the dead filming locations, dawn of the dead 1978 filming locations, Where is the dawn of the dead mall?, What mall was used for dawn of the dead?, Where was dawn of the dead filmed?, Dawn of the dead cast, dawn of the dead mall location, Monroeville mall, dawn of the dead Pittsburgh, dawn of the dead mall, Monroeville mall living dead museum, Living dead days, tampa jay, travel, tampa jay filming locations, vlog, Pittsburgh, Dawn of the dead, George Romero

Id: iVSEnz_0Yd8

Length: 42min 32sec (2552 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 17 2021