Mall Memories And Midnight Zombies

The best horror stories aren’t just on screen—they’re the ones told in the glow of dead‑of‑night lights, long after the credits. We sit down with cast and crew from Dawn of the Dead to relive the midnight Monroeville shoots, the improvised zombie gigs, and the wild on‑set mishaps that became legend. From a neck‑bite effect gone hilariously wrong to a crew member who asked George Romero for a shot and walked away as the machete zombie, these are unscripted, human moments that turned a cult classic into a lifelong bond.

What makes these memories stick is how ordinary they started. One panelist only came because a friend insisted. Another was just an 11‑year‑old who could stay awake while other kid zombies crashed, perfectly embodying Romero’s idea of “residual memory” as he bumped a toy bike down a fluorescent hallway. A teacher brought a Super 8 camera to show students what a set looked like and accidentally created a DVD extra that now anchors the movie’s archive. The mall itself remains a character—still a place some of them shop, still a trigger for recall—with every corridor doubling as a portal back to 3 a.m.

We trace the film’s unlikely afterlife through media history: from three broadcast channels and strict censorship to the arrival of pay TV, Betamax, and VHS that kept the undead alive at home. The panelists talk about walking into their first conventions in Strongsville and beyond, astonished to find passionate fans from Nova Scotia, England, Germany, even Hawaii. Autographs, photos, and t‑shirts came later; the connection came first. Decades on, the reunions feel warmer than high school anniversaries because the memories were forged under pressure, creativity, and the practical magic of Tom Savini’s effects.

If Dawn of the Dead lives on, it’s because people keep telling these stories—small, funny, honest—and inviting new fans into the crowd. Join us, subscribe for more behind‑the‑scenes lore, and share your first Dawn of the Dead memory in a review or with a friend who loves horror history.

Chapters

• 0:00 Panel Opens And Banter
• 3:58 Merch Talk And T‑Shirt Stories
• 4:29 Shifting To Dawn Of The Dead
• 4:55 Returning To The Mall And Memory
• 7:56 Right Place Right Time Origins
• 12:11 Fans, Conventions, And Global Reach
• 16:04 Iconic Bite Gag And On‑Set Mishaps
• 18:31 Growing Up On Set As A Kid Zombie
• 23:09 Crew To Zombie: Machete Story
• 28:05 First Conventions And Realizing The Fandom
• 31:15 Media History And Film’s Longevity
• 33:45 Super 8 Footage Becomes A DVD Extra

Transcript

SPEAKER_03: 0:00

I'm gonna start early the dog and the cook panel. We just can't let these guys stand around. Head on up. Take your time. Yeah. Yeah, we'll go less. Just mics just click on. Don't worry about it.

SPEAKER_01: 0:55

Something else. I like it.

SPEAKER_04: 1:32

I think we can eat well.

SPEAKER_03: 1:39

I was checking the mics. All good?

SPEAKER_00: 1:43

Yes, probably please.

SPEAKER_03: 1:53

All right, you guys ready to get this going? I'd take that as a yes. Please welcome our first panel of the day, the Don of the Dead panel and lies Walt Crabo, Ralph Langer, and Christian Dryden. Welcome back. It's been a minute.

SPEAKER_04: 2:08

It's been a minute, yeah. It's a one minute every year. So Christian.

SPEAKER_01: 2:16

I don't know.

SPEAKER_04: 2:17

Good. Hey Christian, I love your show. Where did you get it? What's those? Who makes those?

SPEAKER_03: 2:27

I have them printed in Texas by a printer friend. Wow.

SPEAKER_04: 2:31

Did you didn't do did you have a hand in the graphics at all? Or just I had it done several years ago. I really liked the design and I stuck with it. Jim Clark and I have the same design. They're they're available here, aren't they? You can get them here. What's that? Can you buy one of those here? Well, yeah, we can buy one right at my table if you want. Not a hard sell. Not a hard sell. Well, let's talk about this movie here.

SPEAKER_03: 3:01

Yeah, people don't want to hear about my t-shirt. It's the elephant in the room. I wondered if the jumps were not in it.

SPEAKER_00: 3:07

By the way, speaking of a t-shirts check is it has a weird story.

SPEAKER_03: 3:13

What's the story on the shirt then?

SPEAKER_02: 3:16

Well, last year I was sitting across from their booth.

SPEAKER_00: 3:21

Garth.

SPEAKER_02: 3:21

Garth. They were selling t-shirts, different things. And I noticed that this was one they're made at the bottom. And I mentioned he would make a nice t-shirt.

SPEAKER_03: 3:32

Don't hurt her. Just keep rocking. Ed's on it. Boom, you'll be fine.

SPEAKER_02: 3:37

And I I mentioned that I thought it would make a really nice closer. Nice and pumpkin. Alright. So I mean they're taking a picture of it, heavily printed, and I think now they're gonna start making the decoration. So hopefully sometimes you know this will be available. So that's the only one of that shirt for now.

SPEAKER_00: 4:05

And it's from the Garf, the Garf booth. Oh Garf, great. It was just on the sign.

SPEAKER_03: 4:11

Do you know who designed that? It was just something you saw on the VM. I guess I took a picture of that. Nice. All right, let's talk about the enough shuress. Let's let's let's get into the movie. Real quick, um, have you guys ever watched the film recently? Do you bring people to the mall to show off where you've where you've been? I mean, do you come to the mall other than just when you do this?

SPEAKER_04: 4:36

Are you are is it on?

SPEAKER_03: 4:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04: 4:38

Okay, okay. Are you saying that we do we come to the mall ourselves? Do you bring friends with you and say, hey, this is I mean, do you have to work? I I actually shop here sometimes. And uh and I I think about, you know, I can't not walk into this place and not think about the movie, right? Because that's a part of an indelible part of your life. And you know, and I have four grown sons and they've all come to the mall with dad, either collectively or separately. And uh I always get to, you know, you always talk about that. But it was sort of like really fresh earlier. I could say, oh, this is where dad got killed. Now that place is gone. Oh, the mall is completely transformed. But I still like the idea of this being like a living set. And so, like everybody knows about this film, even the people that don't like horror films, they like this film, you know, Dawn of the Dead, they know who George is. And even even if they don't care about horror at all, they always kind of go, Oh, you were in that film. And so it never gets old about that. It never gets old. How about you? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 5:57

It's it's weird because none of my friends personally are horror fans. And they have never seen the film. And some of them live like to three miles away from this mall, and they never come shopping here. And it's like, whenever I talk about it, it's like, well, here we go again. And it's like, so I guess that rounds me, you know, because I it's but look at me, I was in this movie, you know, because they don't care. So in a way, that's kind of it's kind of nice, but every so often it's real nice to come here. And then because I I care more about the people that like the George Ramiro movies than me being in it. I was just at the right place at the right time, and I lucked out. As a matter of fact, if we went back in time, Walt is a good friend of mine, and I told him they were gonna film at the mall. We were at a party, and he said, Oh, let's go. And I said, Oh, I don't want to go tonight. Well, I went to work this morning, I'm tired. And he talked me into it, so I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for him. So we got about four or five friends together, and we came over, and we just spent the whole all night being zombies and having fun. And and um I had Miss Great Camera with me, so I was able to film because I taught filmmaking classes. And the whole reason I was able to film is because Christine Forrest is an ex-student of the high school I teach in. And um, she was so thrilled that her ex-high school had a film program and she introduced me to George, and from that point on, he allowed me to bring all my students to every movie he made in Pittsburgh as a field print. So it's all being at the right place at the right time. But if we could go back through time, I could take any one of you with me, like Waltzai did, and you would be zombies that night. They'd give me a dollar, they'd sign me up, they'd walk you around, they'd say, okay, here's a bone nibble on it. And it wasn't hard to do. I mean, anybody could have done it if you happened to be there. And uh the one night that we were there, there was a snowstorm, and I'll never forget because it was dawn, and I went to my car and I had a flat tire, and I had to change the tire with another friend of mine, with and I didn't have lungs, and I'll never forget how horrendous that felt. So, anyway, I get a kick out of this because it George Romero did a lot for me, and I like to pay it forward to try to further his memory. I get a kick out of this.

SPEAKER_02: 8:34

Well, I didn't I live about an hour from here, I'm south of Pittsburgh, so I've really never come here. As for the way people that I know think about this, I have to pretty much concur with Ralph. People look at me like they have two heads when I talk about doing this. My family doesn't have a clue. But I really enjoy it. The people that come to this are just amazed. The first time I did this, I couldn't believe that somebody would come and be interested in having my picture and my autograph. We're going to just rock it. The very first girl that came up to me, got the autograph, or the picture with me. And I had to ask her where she's from. She said, Nova Scotia. And I couldn't believe it. There were people that came that year from England, from Germany. I think one of the last people I've talked to has told him about this on Sunday. And I said, by the way, where are you from? He said, Hawaii. It's like people just come from everywhere because they love it.

SPEAKER_03: 9:53

And they're really wonderful people, all of you from What was that first year you did this where you start doing the autographs in Nova Scotia? What year was that when you did the first one?

SPEAKER_02: 10:04

That was actually last year. Oh, that was just last year. I was just gonna say, wasn't that long ago? Yeah. I hadn't known about this. And uh when I worked, I worked out of town a lot, so I was never hearing it. And Ralph was the one that told me about it and got me started. And I was really amazed. I mean, I I knew that I was in it. People that I knew that knew that I was in it didn't care. You know, because they had never seen the movie. But to find so many people that are really authentic fans, it's great. Really great group of people.

SPEAKER_00: 10:44

But by the way, well, in case you didn't see him in the movie, he's the one who bites Marty Schiff's neck and bites a big chunk on. But he accidentally bit the the the um tubing. So the first time he did it looked like he was a bird pulling a worm out of his neck.

SPEAKER_02: 11:04

Well, actually, the first time I did it, uh, I bit Marty. I went too deep. And rather than cut and redo it. Then the second time the tube came on. It was uh got to be a long process for one little shot.

SPEAKER_01: 11:28

Well, we'll get you on. You got it? Okay. So I I basically, I mean, I've come out to to go to the Living Dead weekend, Leave the Dead Museum with friends and stuff. And I just usually come out for this convention to say, you know, hi and stuff. I think this is my fourth time doing it. Um basically at the Steel City car, and I told him that I was in Golden Devons talking about it, and he he basically said, you know, if you guys want to come out and do a convention. I'm like, if you guys want me, I'll be here. And uh basically functions. Uh fun, fun people, because like I said, everyone the fans are like the best, so like like but a friendly people, and I always tell my friends this kind of thing, come out for the shopping, if nothing else. Because like there's there's nicknames and there's t-shirts everywhere. But I always come out and basically I end up shopping myself. My my thing is like I'm I'm here because my parents are friends of friends of Tom's baby. So when they did the film, Tom told all his friends, hey, if you're free this weekend, come out and do a horror film with me. And so we came out. I was 11. And so we we came out and basically uh I'm I'm a night person, always have been. So when we came out, by the time they got up, get the great hate on, pulled out all the Christmas decorations, they were shooting like really, really late. So all like the little kid zombies besides myself pass out. So I basically walked around watching people getting torn apart, shot at for hours. I was I would walk from like midnight until 5 a.m. all by myself. My parents and I laughed about this by talking about the whole like you gotta protect your child. Once I got here, I walked around and watched Carnage for five hours. And that's why I got my scene and like halfway through, because uh George Row had an idea that the zombies have residual memories. And so he wanted an image of like the zombies walking around not attacking the people. So the male zombies were going after money and guns, while the female zombies were after perfume and frogs, and he wanted to have some kid zombies playing the toy store, and they're all asleep. I basically was walking around and he saw me, and he's like, Oh my god, you're awake! I'm like, Yes, I am. So he grabbed me, he took me to Jason Penny's at the very end of Jason Penny's, there's a toy store. So the very end, he's like going, okay, you want to bite, but you're a zombie and you're stupid. And I'm like going, I can do. And so I walked down this long hall and I just keep bumping into this standing bite. And that's why I didn't line the scene because I'm literally out of 30 kids in camp at night, I'm the only one who stays awake.

SPEAKER_03: 14:19

Do you remember how many times you did that scene with the bicycle? How many times it was just the first time you did it?

SPEAKER_01: 14:26

I just did the one time because I I'm like a group of adult zombies walking down with Jen C. Bennings. And I I basically I somehow get ahead of them line, I get to like the tour department, the thing. And as I tell him, like, if if you watch the scene I'm in, because we weren't liking the sound kind of thing. So as I'm walking down, George Rivera is right behind me through the cameras. He told us all what he wanted us to do. And they're like, okay, so I he told me exactly what he wanted me to do. So as we're walking down in JC Benny's in the entrance, out of shot, there's some line of this over here. And he's like, re you know, directing anyone. So he's sitting there really quiet, going, You're zombies. You're looking for human flesh. Keep walking. Keep fucking. He keeps doing that, he's right over here, but as I'm walking past, for some reason he yells at it. He goes, Don't look at me, like really loud. And if you're watching my scene as I'm walking, I actually jerk to my left and it scares the trap out of me. So I basically jerk to my left, and since I'm not mic, I look at him, I go, idiot. And then I just keep walking down. But everyone watches the film who knows that says, Yeah, I saw you jump out of my way. I was like, Yeah, that guy yelled at me.

SPEAKER_03: 15:39

So, one question I've never asked any zombie before, it just came to me. You keep saying you were paid a dollar a day. Did you guys spend the dollars or did you just kind of keep them as souvenirs? It was just a dollar. I didn't get paid.

SPEAKER_04: 15:54

What's that? I didn't get paid anything.

SPEAKER_03: 15:55

Not even a dollar.

SPEAKER_04: 15:56

No, because I was on a crew. I was already getting paid. And for those who haven't heard the story, because there's a few new faces. I was working on the crew and it was late one night, and we're waiting for the actress to come on the set. And uh, you know, the lights are set, camera's set, and George is standing next to me, and there's something in my head that says, you gotta ask him about playing a zombie in the film. So I just turned to him and said, Hey George, you know, I want to play a zombie. So he said, and we were downstairs here. He says, Well, go upstairs, see what they have. So I literally ran upstairs into the community room, this big room where we used to congregate each night to get a plan set up for the whatever we're gonna shoot. So, long story short, there's an actor in the name John Amplis. And John was actually supposed to do it the next night. I said, Hey John, what do you have? So John pulls a snachete out of the darkness into this light, because there was like one little light on. And he says, Here. I'm like, oh, what's this? Oh, we're supposed to do it tomorrow. I said, Well, I could do something else. He said, No, no. I'm burned out. I've done like all these parts, which he had. So I'm like, okay, I love it. So 24 hours later, I'm I'm all zombie made up. Tom's meeting, I cannot what he was gonna do with me. So I'm zombie through the mall, and I wore glasses. I didn't have my glasses on, so everything was really blurry. And uh I walk up, I knock Tom off his motorcycle, and everything goes according to plan. He's gonna get up, then he kicks me in the chest, knocks me on the floor, and I start to get back up. I grab him by the leg, he pulls the machete out of his booth, and he says, Say goodbye, Kreeb. And wow, I'm dead. And I just hope, like, oh, I hope I make it into the final cut. Because I was really into monsters and I love the craft, and I was just like having a moment, right? And um then we were done, and then I didn't have time to really take the makeup off. I had to go right back to work. So I'm working all night with one all over me, over my face, and um, I lived at home at the time, and I went home and uh went into my mom's room and was asleep, and I gave her a kiss on the cheek because hey mom, I'm home. And she just looks up and she goes, and she closes her eyes and goes back to her. And I didn't like I hadn't thought about that I'm just still having a lot of livermen, and I just thought it was kind of funny. And then over time, of course, I realized that it makes the final cut and it becomes iconic. But it wasn't until I mean I saw it on in books, on book covers, DVDs, all these things. And but it wasn't until 2000 that I even knew there was such a thing as a horror convention or even a pop culture show. I got invited to a show in Cleveland, and after working one day, working, signing all the one picture that the promoter had given me, which wasn't very good, and everybody bringing their everything from games to record albums, to you name it. And I was like, wow, and I was charging five dollars an autograph. I didn't know what I was doing, but it was cool. I went home with a mortgage payment. So I called my wife and said, Wow, this was great. I got a mortgage payment, and I still had a day or two to go. And I did really well. Jim Crump was sitting next to me. We didn't even know each other. Helicopter zombie. And I look at Jim, and Jim looks at me, and we go, we go, we gotta figure this out. So we both started putting together some merchandise for shows. And I mean, like, you know, it sounds like I became an opportunist, but like, you know, I had a family, so yeah. But also, I didn't understand how popular Daughter the Dead was. It was like Mecca to all these people who were so passionate about it and loved it so much. And I realized for the first time ever how special it was to be a part of this film in the Georgia Mira family. And then I started doing conventions where other people were Georgians, and it was it was great to be able to sort of reminisce and and talk about what we did. And then and then here we are, you know, 46 years later, I think. We're getting into 46. And I I can't believe I've been long, you know, old enough. Like I don't even it doesn't feel like I've been alive long enough to have done something 46 years ago, but I have. And like all the people in the room with me, and I look at them and I go, we were all there at the same time. But we a lot of us got to know each other at the show because a lot of the zombies were like there for one night and gone. Or, you know, like Ralph, we was there filming. We didn't know who Ralph was, and so we got here. Or you know, or Crystal, or you know, a lot of these other people. Now we become acquainted and friends, and you know, like it's a very it's like a reunion, you know. Like I went to my 50th high school reunion last year, and as much fun as I had, this is better. Because the memories are just so different, and it has to do with something creative, and it has to do with all the new people we get to meet and all the friends we've made.

SPEAKER_03: 21:57

So it's become like this lifelong integral part of who I am, oddly enough. I gotta ask you real quick. The convention you did in Cleveland, was that Fright Vision? Was that the convention that you did in Cleveland? Was that called Fright Vision?

SPEAKER_04: 22:19

No, uh that was um uh uh what was that called? What was it called? Uh not chill. I can't think of the name of it right now. I'm sorry. I'll think of it. Ask somebody a question, I'll I'll I'll think of it because it was in Strogsville, really.

SPEAKER_01: 22:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04: 22:38

And it was the first show ever. And when somebody called me to ask me to come to the show, I thought, come to the show and sign stuff. This this must be like some kind of like, I don't know, like a like a fake thing where they're trying to find a way to easel money out of me or bring me somewhere where I'm gonna get kidnapped. Or I didn't know what it was. It just didn't make any sense to me. So I get to Strongville, no photos or anything, and there's like all these people at the door. And this Hispanic guy comes up to me and says, Lenny Lease, machete zombie. And I'm oh, are you talking to me? And this guy knew who I was before I knew what it was that was going on. And he was the first person that ever decided who I was from the film. And I saw all these people and I realized they were there for the show.

SPEAKER_03: 23:40

And it was just it was exciting. Because I was just gonna say, that was the first horror convention I ever hosted, it was in Strongsville, and it was called Freight Vision, and it was in the 90s. But well, this one wasn't this wasn't Freight Vision.

SPEAKER_04: 23:55

Just curious. I'm trying to figure out what the heck it was. Sort of a wasteland? Sort of a wasteland. Okay, thank you, thank you. Yeah, sort of a wasteland. Good answer. And it was, and then that just opened up to floodgates, you know, because all of a sudden we're doing four and five shows a year in all these different venues. And it never ceases to amaze me that they're still going on, these shows. You know, we did a show in the UK, a bunch of us back in November. And it's just astonishing the people and the things they collect. You know, like I probably would have gone to two shows by now if I hadn't been involved personally. Because, you know, I'm I'm curious too. I went to Evan City for a show, just to be a fan, you know, along with some friends. And it's it's different being on the other side. Yeah. You know, because you're like, you're there, you're uh a collector, or you love the film. It just astonishes me that people love it so much. I mean, I probably become the alien shows. You know, I mean, I'll because you know, I'm praying this, because I think Donald Dead is like like one of the best horror films ever made. But then, you know, I can't be objective about it. I can't be objective about it, but I still think it is.

SPEAKER_03: 25:21

So the rest of you three got paid a dollar. What did you remember what you did with the dollar? Was it a memento? Is it something you just bought a coat with?

SPEAKER_00: 25:28

Uh well, truthfully, I was shocked I bought it. I mean, I you know, they said they needed something at the mall, so I summed it up. And um, I had to sum my name. I figured that's okay. Tom Savini wasn't even famous yet. Nobody knew who he was, and he was just this black mustache. You know, like some rubber just, you know, the things together that movie was because he had never made a movie at his beliefs that we were aware of. And one other thing I find interesting is you have to look at the time period. Oh, your mic's not. You think your mic enough?

SPEAKER_03: 26:29

Is there is there a switch on your mic?

SPEAKER_00: 26:33

Where is the there's no switch on it?

SPEAKER_03: 26:35

Is there another switch on it?

SPEAKER_00: 26:38

Well?

SPEAKER_03: 26:48

Listen.

SPEAKER_00: 26:49

Okay. Can you hear me now?

SPEAKER_03: 26:52

Wait, I'm thinking mute each other. He's gonna get back on the word and make it happen. Hold that pot. All right. You should be good to go.

SPEAKER_00: 27:04

Can you hear me now?

SPEAKER_03: 27:05

You're good. We're going to.

SPEAKER_00: 27:07

Okay, so I talked all that for nothing. Sorry about that for wasting your time. But I I just wanted to add, you have to think of the time period. We had three TV stations. That was it. There was no cable TV when the movie was made. There was no VHS. So when we made the movie, we didn't think it was going to go anywhere. I mean, I saw the effects that it were doing for this, and I never saw anything like that before in my life. And I knew this is never going to play on one of the three networks because of the censorship. This is going to play the drive-ins for a week, and we'll never see it again. I mean, that's the way I looked at this going into it. I had no clue there would be longevity, but then all of a sudden, a Hollywood home box office started up, and they would have two movies a month that you could rent, and they called them pay TV back then. And then all of a sudden Betamax came up, and then all of a sudden they started selling tapes. And that was one of the first tapes being sold. So we I think that Dona Did was made at just the right time that I think that made it what it is today. And if it wasn't for that, you wouldn't never have seen it again because there was no way to show it on TV.

SPEAKER_03: 28:28

Did you buy the video tape when it first came out?

SPEAKER_00: 28:30

Oh yeah. I bought the tape before I had a VHS player.

SPEAKER_03: 28:37

Now, when you first do you show it to friends and friendly or the uh family of friends, or did you just kind of enjoy it on your own?

SPEAKER_00: 28:45

Nobody I know is interested in seeing it.

SPEAKER_03: 28:47

So you just kind of sat down and enjoyed your work.

SPEAKER_00: 28:49

Well, I I watched it, you know, to bring back memories, you know, and then I'd say it on the shelf. So, and by the way, I I did a Super 8 home movie, but again, there was no such thing as a DVD extra. I made it for my students. I taught filmmaking and I wanted them to know what it's like seeing a movie being made. So I made that Super 8 movie for my students, and then after a while I laid on the shelf for years and years and years, and my brother called me saying that Anchor Bay was going to make a DVD, and they were interested in putting the DVD onto the onto the special features. So I sent him the DV the the Super 8 movie in the mail, and that's how it got on.

SPEAKER_03: 29:38

So you kept that on Super 8, or did you transfer it to the Super 8?