Imagine this. The mall from the original horror classic Dawn of the Dead, George A. Romero’s masterful takedown of ravenous American consumerism, is being destroyed decades later by Walmart. It’s a storyline you might find in a Romero movie, but unfortunately this isn’t a movie. And the Monroeville Mall in Monroeville, PA isn’t likely to return from the dead.

Almost 50 years ago, late horror master George A. Romero forever immortalized Pennsylvania’s Monroeville Mall as a piece of horror history, filming his classic masterpiece Dawn of the Dead inside the real-life mall. Crazy enough, the mall has remained operational after all these decades. But as we learned earlier this year, it’s got a new owner: Walmart.

As part of the $34 million deal, it was reported at the time, Walmart and Cypress Equities were to work together to “re-imagine Monroeville Mall into a new retail and commercial destination,” but we didn’t really know what that meant at the time. Now it seems that the plan is to completely demolish the existing mall and start fresh with a new concept at its former location.

Pittsburgh Magazine reports this week, “South Saturn Ridge LLC, the name under which Walmart purchased the mall earlier this year for $34 million, is seeking $7.5 million from the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program to demolish the mall. It would make way for “Monroeville Mall Gateway” — a plan to create a ‘modern, mixed-use destination that strengthens the regional economy,’ according to the Pittsburgh Business Times.”

According to one owner of a restaurant inside the mall, he’s been told he’ll need to vacate by April 2027, with the iconic Monroeville Mall slated to be “demolished to create an open-air shopping center with a Walmart, a Sam’s Club, a skating rink, shops and restaurants.”

Located in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, the Monroeville Mall first opened its doors in 1969, with George A. Romero and his cast and crew taking over the mall less than 10 years later to bring Dawn of the Dead to life. The mall was also featured in Kevin Smith’s comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno, which used the location as a means to pay tribute to Romero’s legacy.

The Monroeville Mall has been a popular tourist location for horror fans to visit over the years, with Romero fans gathering together at the location for the annual Living Dead Weekend.

The mall is also currently home to a bronze bust of George A. Romero, commemorating the location’s cinematic legacy, as well as retail store The Living Dead Museum & Gift Shop.

‘Dawn of the Dead’ (1978)