This past week has been a tale of two cities
and movies
and horror fandom
and wonderful strangers.
Within the last week I visited both Pittsburgh for the 40th Anniversary of “Dawn of the Dead” and Denver where I stopped by the Stanley Hotel. A few initial clarifications, the majority of this post is focused on The Living Dead Weekend but Stephen King fans be sure to keep scrolling down for my visit to Estes Park, Colorado as well!
I first traveled to Pittsburgh with Romero-driven intentions in June of 2014. I centered the trip around the Monster Bash convention there and spent all of my extra time visiting filming locations and The Living Dead Museum. My original visit reflections can be viewed here.
I had loved many of Romero's films before that visit but my fandom elevated tremendously because of it. The only thing I felt insufficient about was my visit to the Monroeville Mall. This was because much of it had changed (which I expected due to the reality of a large business needing to keep up for their bottom line) and there just wasn't much that was easy to connect with. I walked around a crowded mall by myself wearing a Dawn of the Dead shirt, taking pictures of what I thought were scene locations (I was mostly wrong) and sponged up many odd glares from people who were just trying to shop without being photographed by a weird nerd. My last stop on that outing was at “The Living Dead Museum” in Evans City and while I was there, the cashier gave me flier-card for their convention later that year which I thought would be wonderful to check out sometime. I returned in 2016 for a concert but didn't head to the mall that time, just Evans City again. Fast-forward to 2018 at Horrorhound in Cincinnati – I see an ad for a “Dawn of the Dead” 40th Anniversary convention being held IN the Monroeville Mall WITH MALL TOURS. I was ecstatic and without questioning going to go.
Co-host Todd and I set out for this and boy did we have ourselves a great weekend. I came home not only more energized with my Romero fandom (it only increases with each visit) but also completely fulfilled on my thirst for a rewarding Monroeville experience. First and foremost I would like to thank those responsible for the show this past weekend. Although I do not know them personally, it appears there are three folks in particular to thank –
THANK YOU Kevin Kriess, Mandy Danger and Lawrence DeVincentz.
Your event perfectly embodied the warmth and energy that exists in the charmingly familial, DIY punk rock, Romero-world that resides in Western PA. We enjoyed seeing so many familiar faces from the movie, so many happy fans and all within the mall where it was filmed. Equally important, we so very enjoyed the excellent tour we took with Larry DeVincentz. Larry's knowledge of Dawn's filming locations was quite impressive and is clearly derived from exhaustive, labor-of-love efforts on his part. This was a one-of-a-kind experience that you guys pulled off and fans like us are so very grateful for it. I know first-hand how difficult a standard fan convention can be to orchestrate, let alone having one happen in a mall that is open for general business but you guys did it, and you did it well. I look forward to revisiting down the road, maybe The Living Dead weekend for NOTLD's 50th anniversary in October?
Below are pictures from the trip but before those I would like to revisit an experience I had on my first visit and after all of the pictures, be sure to keep going down for my visit to The Stanley Hotel.
As previously stated, my first nerd pilgrimage to Pittsburgh concluded with a visit to the The Living Dead Museum where it was only a family and myself visiting at the time. While walking through and admiring all of the wonderful displays and artifacts, I overheard a man and his grandson interacting. The youngster said "were you in this one Grandpa?" and the man replied with "no, I was in 'Dawn of the Dead'." My ears perked up but I left them alone not wanting to intrude. My restraint lasted roughly 30 seconds and succumbed to my fan-curiosity. I asked him about being in "Dawn of the Dead" and he responded with nothing but enthusiasm and pride. He was one of the only zombies to "break character". He articulated where he was in the film and I verified it as soon as I got home. He was very proud of the experience and explained that his family was in from out of town so he had brought the grandchildren to the museum. In DOTD when the guys steal the car and run it to lock the entrance doors, as they are speeding away a zombie pulls his arm back to avoid getting hit. That is him pictured above (on right side in each frame) and below with his spot on "The Maul of Fame". 
While this was surely just pleasant small talk to him, it was huge for me. He instantly made me understand how local and loved these films are and this charm has never left me. This local scene is infectious (pun intended) and only makes the movies that much better. Sure, the world loves Romero's films but to truly get the most out of them, you need to go where they were born. I hope you will plan your own trip there sometime.
The Monroeville Mall/The Living Dead Weekend/Tour
Dawn of the Dead Mall & Airport
The cabin from Evil Dead 2!
When In Rome.....
Spotted in "The Crazies" from this angle!
A few days after returning from Pittsburgh, I ventured out to Colorado with Joe (a friend of the show) to see Ryan Adams perform at Red Rocks Amphitheater (it was killer!). While there we made a point to drive out to Estes Park to visit The Stanley Hotel.
The Stanley is where Stephen King's "The Shining" was born after King found himself staying there one night out of circumstance. He spent the evening drinking with the Bartender Lloyd Grady in exchange for storytelling because he was told his money was no good. He eventually stumbled drunkenly up two floors above where his room actually was and encountered twin girls running by him. He would find out the following day that there were no children staying there at the time. He went on to find his room (217) and one of the last things his eyes would see before bed was an emergency hose hanging off of the wall. He went on to have what he described as one of the worst nightmares of his life wherein an anaconda chased his son through the hotel, ultimately catching him and digesting him while King could do nothing but helplessly witness. These things birthed the inspiration for what would go on to be the story we all know and love so much.
Visiting the Stanley turned out to be a much richer experience than I had given it credit for. The history there runs deep and is quite fascinating. The structure itself is a work of decadent art and over one hundred years later, is still something to marvel at. Horror fans equally can not only step into where the mini-series was filmed but also into the feelings and ideas of story they know- and of course, the ghost stories for the Stanley are also quite fun. Do yourself a favor and make the journey there. It is quite rewarding on so many fronts. Once there though (more than any spirits) your focus should be on the altitude and that you need to take your time and stay hydrated! Otherwise, enjoy it ALL!
Included are some pictures from "Dumb and Dumber" which also filmed some scenes there!
Thanks for stopping by - now go travel!
